Offering a course on Environmental Ethics is not a rarity but in our increasingly opinion-grounded public discourse, it is fast becoming an essential element in a liberal education. We are bombarded with politicized takes on human interaction with the environment and as citizens we have a new urgency to become both better informed about the science behind the issues but also be better equipped with thinking through the challenges we are all facing. I wanted to design a course that would be accessible to non-philosophy majors and that could serve the Environmental Studies minor at my college, St. Joseph’s College-NY. That meant I could not assume any background in philosophy and not even much in the sciences. I decided to use as my focal text a new textbook from Oxford University Press, written by Ronald Sandler. I have added extra readings available online and since this is a fully online class, I wanted to promote a lot of discussion about real life topics. To guide the students, each unit had an accompanying video, made by me, which helped them think about the concepts introduced in their readings and included some embedded quiz questions for them to test their own understanding as they went along. I wanted the videos to have an element of interaction within them.
My overall pedagogical goal was to encourage students to see issues concerning the environment in new and complex ways. I wanted them to reflect on a range of arguments over what nature (animate and inanimate) is owed, if anything, and to do so through the lens of theories from traditions as diverse as the anthropocentric position to deep ecology.
My favorite elements of the syllabus are my explanations for what value the different assignments might have for the students. This moves their thinking from “what I have to do” to “why doing this might be helpful and valuable to me.” We also introduced real life issues, from factory farming to cultural uses of the environment and from the Judeo-Christian model of the world as built for humans to Leopold’s Land Ethic and contemporary movements in deep ecology. Again, I hope to guide them in acquiring tools for thinking about the policy and principles of how we ought to respond to the environmental challenges we are facing. Students appreciated the connections between theories and practice.
I have moved to include rationales for all my assignments and to redesign my other syllabi to be more “user-friendly.” I am thinking of moving some of the more “house-keeping” or “general college policies” out of the syllabus to shorten it. Some of the components are mandated by administration and I suspect other institutions do likewise so they must be included either in the syllabus or a directly linked document. I now include images in all my syllabi as a way to lessen the burden of words, words, words. I know many instructors like to use primary sources only and I respect that. My students, as beginners, benefit from a well-composed textbook which can function as a general road map through a complex area of philosophical inquiry so I am not averse to using them. I am always on the lookout for thoughtfully designed texts that do not cost a mortgage payment. But with legal online sources growing, I can also see the advantages of teaching through a curated selection of those materials. I suggest being open to revising one’s entire class from time to time to introduce both new material and allow yourself to take a fresh look at the topic.
The key to developing a syllabus in Environmental Ethics (or any philosophy course, for that matter) is to know your audience and construct opportunities for them to gain important knowledge and skills but not overwhelm them or assume too much background knowledge. Depending upon your audience, this syllabus might be a helpful guide…or not.
Here is the syllabus.
PHI 362.1
Environmental Ethics
Fall 2018
Online class
October 29th-December 18th
Dr. Wendy C. Turgeon, wturgeon@scjcny.edu
Course Description
PHI 362 Environmental Ethics
[catalogue description]
In recent years the philosophical discipline of ethics has engaged in an intense focus on a number of specific areas of applied ethics. With growing concern for the health of the biological ecosystem and our increasing knowledge of animal consciousness, philosophers have questioned the extent of our ethical obligation. Do we have moral duties and responsibilities to the physical world around us? Are non-human animals members of the moral realm? Should our concern about the health of the environment be grounded in a concern for nature itself or its impact on human life? Topics include examining the place of humans within the world, questioning whether the value of the natural world is intrinsic or extrinsic and exploring our relationships with other animal species. This course will invite participants to examine multiple perspectives on these issues. Recommended prerequisite: PHI 160. 3 hours a week, 1 semester, 3 credits. Fall and Spring.
Why should you take this class?
We are bombarded with conflicting information about the environment today: whether it is the use of fossil fuel, climate change: real or hyped?, dwindling species, and the effects of all these changes on us humans: financially as well as regarding our quality of life. As citizens and human beings, we must be able to navigate our way through the information overload and be able to better judge what data is meaningful and why. We must also shoulder responsibility for the world we help create by our actions and inactions. Our view of nature matters in the crafting of our own ethical choices. This class aims at equipping participants with the tools for understanding, analyzing, and reflecting on the decisions we all need to make as individuals and as citizens in our democracy and in the global village. Part of being an ethical person is making conscious and informed choices of as to how we wish to live. Hopefully, what we will read and discuss together will help us all to continue to progress to that ongoing goal.
Office hours: Monday through Friday, room E205A- 8-8:45 on the Long Island campus and by appointment; call if you have any questions or concerns. I am usually in my office all day. Since we are a fully online class, please use the communications center within Canvas to send me any messages. I promise to respond quickly. You may also contact me through e-mail: wturgeon@sjcny.edu
Connecting course goals with philosophy and with the values of the college
Course Objectives: skills and knowledge we will be working on
- to introduce students to the issues and arguments on a range of environmental problems, thereby preparing them to understand better their role as citizen of the globe
- to offer a course that helps you continue building knowledge and intellectual skills you use in your life and careers
- to encourage students to explore personal values systems and responsible self-direction with regard to understanding their communities, country and the natural world*
- to continue to build skills of critical reading, writing and discussion
- to provide for the needs of a diversified student population with varied educational and professional experiences which address civic knowledge and responsibility
Departmental Student Learning Outcomes:
- Demonstrate Main Features of Philosophical Text [#1 & 3 above]
- Cogently Evaluate and Critique an Argument [#2 & 3 above]
- Critical Writing and Speaking [#2 & 3 above]
- Information Literacy Demonstrated [#2 & 5 above]
St. Joseph’s Mission and Goals that connect to our course
- to offer curricula that foster the knowledge and intellectual skills associated with the liberally education person;
- to foster committed participation in the local and global communities
- to foster an environment of openness to the exploration and understanding of diverse ideas, traditions and cultures;
Grading Criteria
30% online discussions, each week; please read the participation rubric very carefully. You will find it below. [O1, O2 & 4, and D1 and D3] This is your opportunity to share your ideas with others.
35% weekly short essays in reaction to a prompt posted at the beginning of each week in that week’s module. [address O3 & 4, D2] This encourages you to spend some time thinking about relevant questions and sharing ideas in writing with me for feedback.
25% Final exam. [address O1, D2 & D3] This offers you a chance to sum up what you have learned throughout the term and help you leave with a sense of knowledge and accomplishment.
10% last week topic contribution to the final discussion board conversation [D2& D4 and—especially offers an opportunity for O3] This gives you a chance to choose a topic that you care about and share it with others as well as take leadership in the discussion.
100%
Required Texts
Ronald Sandler. Environmental Ethics,Oxford University Press, 2018.
isbn: 9780199340729 [referenced as EEbelow in the class schedule]
There may be some other readings posted within Canvas so check each module for that week’s reading assignments.
Helpful websites:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-environmental/
http://environmentalphilosophy.org
http://www.ethicsweb.ca/resources/environmental/issues.html
PHI 362 Syllabus Fall 2018
Our textbook offers a rich and comprehensive look at many issues and concepts in environmental ethics. We may have to skip some chapters due to time but consider “dipping into” the ones not assigned here.
Week 1 Introduction: what is environmental ethics?
Part I, chapters 1 & 2
Week 2 What is Nature or natural?
EE, Part II, chapters 3-4
Week 3 Our ethical responsibility to humans
EE, Part III, chapter 5 & 6
Week 4 Moral status of plants and animals
EE, 7 and the reading by Norcross
Week 5 Ethics theories and their values
EE, Part IV: chapters 8,9,10 [sections]
Week 6 Holistic Environmental ethics
EE, Part V, chapters. 11 & “The Land Ethic” essay which will be in this
week’s module
Week 7 Deep Ecology and presentation topics
EE, Chapters 12
Final Week topic presentation Fall 2018
Choose a particular topic in Environmental ethics to explore and present to the class during our final week of class. Some examples are:
Animal rights/welfare
Water: property or for all?
Development and nature
Ecofeminism
Global justice issues: access for all
Global Climate Change and ethical responsibility
Biodiversity
Agriculture: food for the planet
You may choose one of these or another issue that is of interest to you.
- Research the issue using peer-reviewed journals and books as well as internet sources. What is the debate? What arguments do the various sides present?
- In your opening post for week 7, present the issues you have chosen with a brief overview of the possible positions and some questions to generate discussion.
- What is your determination of the best position, given the information that you found? What ethical theory seemed most relevant to support your own position?
This project will be an opening post of at least a couple of carefully summarized paragraphs. Include references and indicate if you are quoting from any of your sources. Throughout that week, respond to at least two other issues posted by your colleagues and respond also to any reactions to your own issue. This offers you an opportunity to pursue a topic of personal interest to you, reflect on its ethical parameters using the materials of our class, and share that with your colleagues.
Online Course guidelines–Fasten your seatbelts!
If you have ever taken an intercession course (two weeks) or a summer campus course (four weeks) you should know how intense these are. They can be wonderful because you earn three credits in a relatively short time as you immerse yourself in the material with daily discussion and contact. But they can also be difficult for the precise reason that you do need to be continuously involved. You cannot disappear for a week and still pass the course nor can you show up late and expect to recover lost time. This is an 7+ week course so a bit less intense that a summer or Intercession but nevertheless, you must be actively engaged throughout the period.
Here is how to think about this:
if you were taking an on-campus course you would be meeting for about 7 hours twice a week for 7 weeks. You participation in the online course should mirror this level of involvement. Of course, you do not have to be online at any particular time; you choose when you sign on, read and post. But you exist only to the extent that you participate! I recommend that to pass the course you must sign on, read all discussion board postings (as well as the “lecture notes” and other documents online) at a minimum of three days a week. To excel I expect five, or maybe even 6 as I will be doing but that is not required. I will be on every day to read and comment as that is my role as facilitator and I take it seriously. After eight weeks you will have worked really hard but, I believe, you will have learned some wonderful ideas and truly enjoyed this course and made good friends.
But please, do not take this course if you cannot sign on throughout the week, or will be on vacation during the seven+ week term. If you have any doubts or questions, please contact me before the term starts or right on the first day! Online classes are not as easy as they may seem when you schedule them…. Let me know when you are having trouble or have any questions at all. I am here to help.
Suggestion: budget your time as to when you can sign on during each week and schedule yourself. When signing up for classes, be sure you count this as an intensive 8 week class so that you are not overwhelmed.
I promise to return emails promptly so if you ask a question and do not hear back, check to be sure you have my proper address. Likewise with phone messages.
Easy contact information:
office phone: 631-687-5189
Using the communication center within the Canvas system works quite well.
email: wturgeon@sjcny.edu (This is the best way to contact me because I check my email obsessively. If you do not hear back from me within one day you might have typed my address incorrectly. The “Inbox” link on Canvas takes you to a message center. I use this to communicate with you and you can use this easily to send me or another student a message.
My responsibilities to you and our class:
- To prepare each week’s module and open it up by the first day of that unit. Each module will contain all your “tools” for that week. If you work through all the material in each module and read the relevant passages assigned in our text or in online readings, you will be well-prepared.
- To be present throughout each week and respond to comments on the discussion board but not dominate it. I read everyone’s posts and choose to weigh in as a member of the community. If you want my response, ask me to say something. I do not respond to every post as that would be overwhelming and double the amount of reading for all of you. I bet you are grateful for that, right?
- To grade assignments in a timely manner (within a week) and return them to you with comments. You are always welcome to contact me if you have questions or stop by, if you are on campus.
- To respond promptly to general questions within the Canvas class or via email.
- To create a safe and fun online environment for your learning experience.
In every case, if you think I am not living up to my responsibilities, gently let me know!
Some General Policies
You will want to make note of the following general rules and points of clarification:
- In composing essays and papers, please be scrupulous in format and authenticity. Copying texts (written and web sites) without citation is plagiarism and will not be tolerated. Any such work will be rejected and the grade of “F” will be recorded. If you are uncertain about how to use other sources, please consult me. I am very willing to review the details. Consult the College Catalogue for further details about the ramifications of plagiarism.
- Joseph’s College, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, provides assistance and resources to students with disabilities. If you have a documented physical, psychological, cognitive, and/or medical disability and require accommodations, please contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services at (631) 687-2403 or email Lbasilice@sjcny.edu. Please be advised that it is the student’s responsibility to communicate with faculty members. All information will be kept confidential.
- It is prudent to make copies of papers that you submit in case they do not reach me. I haven’t lost a paper yet but in rare cases they have disappeared from mailboxes, etc. In general I recommend saving your school work on your computer or a disk or simply make photocopies. This can be a life-saver!
Further notes from me:
I care deeply about integrity, my own and yours. I ask that you observe our college policy of honesty and dedication to our core values. Cheating and plagiarism are not victimless crimes; they are serious infractions against one another as members of a community dedicated to learning and caring for one another.
From the Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Catalogue:
Grades are interpreted as follows:
Quality Grade Percentage Quality Points
Excellent A 93.0 – 100.00 4.0
A- 90.0 – 92.9 3.7
B+ 87.0 – 89.9 3.3
Good B 83.0 – 86.9 3.0
B- 80.0 – 82.9 2.7
Satisfactory C+ 77.0 – 79.9 2.3
C 73.0 – 76.9 2.0
Passing C- 70.0 – 72.9 1.7
D+ 67.0 – 69.9 1.3
D 63.0 – 66.9 1.0
D- 60.0 – 62.9 0.7
Unsatisfactory F Below 60.0 0.0
Excellent = outstanding mastery of the materials and performance on all assessment projects accompanied by active, ongoing and sustained participation through questions, comments and support of others within the learning community. A grade in the excellent range indicates that the student not only completed every aspect of the course requirements but went above and beyond in terms of engagement through readings, discussions and exams.
Good = A superior grasp of the material, clearly above average performance on assessment projects and active involvement in class. A clear indication of hard work, talent and philosophical curiosity
Satisfactory = acceptable performance in class and on assessment projects. Completion of all word assigned with evidence of basic competency; this is a completely respectable grade, especially if you are not choosing to minor in philosophy
Passing = enough work and quality was provided to pass the course but in most cases there were learning problems, such as with attendance and subsequently comprehension, lack of or minimal participation, checkered pattern of readings, failure to study for quizzes and exams, need for serious work on writing and thinking skills, failure to complete assignments..
I realize that philosophy may not be your major here at SJC but I will try to weave points of connection to any and all disciplines and invite you to challenge me to help you make those connections vibrant and interesting. However, your grade is in your own hands. I respect that this course may not win the majority of your attention based on other responsibilities and I acknowledge that each student can choose for him or her self how much effort and time they can devote to any one class.
However, I begin the 8 week term inviting everyone to give it their all and live up to one’s own high standards as a point of personal pride and ownership of your own education. Keep me informed if you encounter problems that interfere with your performing up to your own chosen level. I am always available for assistance. There is absolutely no one at St. Joseph’s College who cannot pass this course if they choose to do so.
This course fulfills one of the Thematic Areas of the Coreas quoted from the Core Course guide.
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
Students are required to take two courses in this area.
Rationale: Openness to the exploration and understanding of diverse ideas, traditions and cultures, coupled with an appreciation of problems that transcend national boundaries, will supply students with a strong background for working in a global economy, living in a multicultural society and making intelligent decisions as global citizens.
Description: Course offerings in this area are designed to broaden the perspective of the student to include knowledge of world cultures, traditions and peoples, facilitated by the study of a range of global topics presented in courses from diverse disciplines.
Outcome: Students will develop sufficient cross-cultural literacy to engage effectively the global community with sensitivity and openminded-ness. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the world’s peoples and culture — and of the forces that bring peoples and cultures together and demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively with people of diverse backgrounds.
For students under the previous catalogue, this course fulfills a course in the Humanities area of the Core Curriculum.
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Wendy Turgeon
Wendy C. Turgeon teaches philosophy at St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue, NY. Currently she is also serving as Interim Executive dean. Her major focus is on philosophy of childhood and philosophy with children. She is serving on the APA Committee on Precollege Instruction in Philosophy, is on the board of PLATO and is also the current editor for Questions, the PLATO journal for young people and children.
