Preparation questions for Tuesday 26 August - FYS 2003
Read Sand County Almanac (SCS) through page 98.
1 Who was Aldo Leopold and why is he considered such an important figure in the history of environmental conservation? (see web pages)
2 - Leopold describes vividly his experiences with nature. Can you recall natural places that made a strong impression on you?
3 - What is environmentalism?
4 - What insights does "Good Oak" offer?
5 - Is it important to know where your water, food and heat come from? Why?
6 Can one be a hunter and an environmentalist?
Preparation questions for Thursday 28 August - FYS 2003
Read Part II of SCA.
1. What is biodiversity and what is it good for? Cite specific examples of the value of biodiversity in the SCA.
2. Does the desire of humankind set us apart from nature? (see p. 102)
3. Leopold's appreciation of the quality of the marsh is enhanced by his knowledge of its evolutionary history. Describe a place you appreciate, not because of its beauty, but because of your knowledge of its ecology or its history.
4. What is wildness good for? And what does Leopold mean by ?all conservation of wilderness is self-defeating because to cherish it we must see and fondle it?? (p. 108)
6. What does the section "Odessey" mean to you? (pp. 111-115)
7. Comment briefly (a few paragraphs) on the section ."Thinking Like a Mountain" (pp. 137-141)
8. Come up with a discussion question and a content question of your own.
On Thursday I will hand out the guidelines for the first written assignment (due 11 September) see the course web page (under links for 26, 28 August) for example essays.
Preparation Questions for Tuesday 2 September 2003 - FYS 2003
There are 17 questions listed below. They are from you on Part II of SCA. These will rule our discussion on Tuesday.
1. I want to know whether the other students could understand
this book easily.
2. Do you think Aldo blames himself enough for the current
situation in nature?
3. Does Aldo have a biased viewpoint towards man and how man
influences the environment?
4. How many years of observation did Aldo have and what inspired
him?
5. Do you think that education always increases appreciation?
6. Aldo toys with mans interruptions to natures cycles, why
does man disrupt nature even after knowing the harm it causes
not just to nature but even later on to themselves?
7. How are humans connected to nature and how much do we influence
it? In what way did the introduction of livestock change the ecosystem?
8. Does Leopold want people to think as passionately as he
does about these topics?
9. Do humans disrupt nature or do they help nature to live
and flourish?
10. Explain Thoreau's dictum " In wilderness is the salvation
of the world".
11. Is progress worth destroying the last of the natural lands?
12. What can we do to reverse the progress of degradation on
biodiversity here in Wooster?
13. Can human actions be considered natural?
14. Are all participants, apart from mankind, actively involved
in environmental conservation, or should their activities be excused
as natural processes because they have different instincts- for
animals or involuntary senses- for trees?
15. Where is the line between conservation and destruction
according to Leopold?
16. What happens when hunting is no longer a popular sport?
17. Why are there so many environmentalists but so few practicing environmentalism.
For 4 September 2003 (Thursday) - For class we will meet in Kauke Room 2 for this class and the next.
1. Write a few paragraphs entitled Ohio's Glacial Legacy. Why is it important that we understand a bit about the glacial history of Ohio?
2. Read the handout Henry's Land. What is an alluvial fan?
3. What is radiocarbon dating and how does it work - see the web.
4. I will be giving a presentation Thursday and I want you to think up a question for me. I will briefly go over the history of Ohio since the ICE AGE.
For 9 September (Tuesday) - For class we will meet in Kauke Room 2.
1 Read the Neumann article and attend Nick Kardulias' presentation.
2 What is restoration ecology?
3 In what ways did prehistoric people modify/ impact the landscape?
4 Given the impact of prehistoric peoples what is a "natural ecological system?"
5 Write a paragraph summarizing Dr. Kardulias's presentation.
6 Have questions for Dr. Kardulias.
FYS 2003 Discussion questions and Schedule of Events (For Thursday 11 September)
Reminder: Your first paper is due on Thursday
at the beginning of class (no late assignments accepted).
Tonight is the First Forum Talk Go to the
presentation at 7:30 tonight in McGaw Chapel. Write a short 1
page reaction paper on your impression of the Forum.
On Thursday we will continue discussion on the reading
on Political Ecology, discuss the Forum and begin discussion of
the Land Ethic, the final section of SCA. Below
are discussion questions and some guiding thoughts for reading
the Land Ethic. These thoughts and questions compiled by
Laura will guide our discussions for the next few class periods.
Ponderings:
".." Rachel Carson, Author of Silent Spring
"The best soil is paved." An unnamed currently
very wealthy land developer.
For a laugh,visit www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/1380/pave.html
Please visit www.landdevelopmenttoday.com
1 - Defining Ethic
What is it? How did it begin? Think on a theoretical level,
considering the fundamentals of a community. What purpose does
an ethic serve? Can you think of ethical clichés or dogma
in our society?
2 - Leopold's Ethic
What are Leopold's two definitions of ethic?
Explain the evolution of ethics according to Leopold, and what
is missing.
3 - Leopold's Land Ethic
Define Aldo's Land Ethic.
1. Aldo claims, "Land use ethics are still governed
wholly by economic self-interest . . ." (245). Do you believe
that our relationship to the land is purely economical? Is it
possible to appreciate the land without gaining some advantage
from it? Is esthetic pleasure an advantage? (Plato on beauty??)
2. On the same note of economics, what do you think instilling
a land ethic means for a community? Do you view a land ethic
as restrictive, a necessary evil, 100% positive, or somewhere
else on a similar spectrum? What do you think of subsidizing
farmers for practices that might lead to a fall in prophet (e.g.
No-Till farming, Wetland restoration or preservation etc Do you
know of others?)
For Tuesday 16 September
The following continuation of questions should be read and will be discussed on Tuesday
3. Aldo recognizes that often the appearance of apathy for the land comes from a lack of education. If you think a land ethic is important, what force of education could ever counteract human's ambition for economic stability, comfort, and/or dominance? What would make a human change their priorities? Disaster..? "His instincts prompt him to compete for his place in the community, but his ethics prompt him also to co-operate (perhaps in order that there may be a place to compete for)" (239). Are ethics just a compromise motivated by the same ambitions? On what level does this place the homosapien?
4. "In human history, we have learned (I hope) that the
conqueror role is eventually self-defeating. Why? Because it
is implicit in such a role that the conqueror knows, ex cathedra,
just what makes the community clock tick, and just what and who
is valuable, and what and who is worthless, in a community life.
It always turns out that he knows neither, and this is why his
conquests eventually defeat themselves" (240).
In response to this excerpt, do you believe we are making decisions
without the backing of proper wisdom? This can be applied to
the "negative" or "positive" effects on the
land. What do you think of land restoration? Out of ignorance
could we be doing more damage? Do you think the world is too
complex and understanding is a lost cause? Or are these things
that can be solved with enough research? In terms of Aldo's words
above, explain how a progressive approach could be ironic? Are
we claiming that we understand the minute balances of life enough
to harm or help it?
Explain the "Land Pyramid" (pp 251-258). How is
the land "not just soil?" What does Aldo suggest that
homosapiens have done to the Pyramid? If "the trend of evolution
is to elaborate and diversify the biota," (253) then are
not humans justified in their endeavors to elaborate and diversify?
Is our impact on the pyramid of life just another chapter of
evolution? Was anything protesting when the meteor hit and wiped
out the dinosaurs? What about the archebacteria that polluted
the atmosphere with the evil toxin O2 and poisoned the anaerobic
community. They never made the endangered species list! Are
environmentalists