11:374:335:01 SOCIAL RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Fall, 2007 MTh 12:35-1:55
PM 131
Blake Prof. George Morren 206 COB, 732/932-9135 x315
Office hours: Monday-Thursday 11-11:45 AM and by
appointment
morren@aesop.rutgers.edu -- email address
http://humeco.rutgers.edu -- Department of
Human Ecology Homepage
TEXT TO BE PURCHASED BY STUDENTS
George E.B. Morren, Jr. When the Chips are Down: Individual and Community Responses to Environmental Problems University Publishing Solutions (2007) [A draft text book created for this course and available for purchase at the Cook Campus Center]
DIGITAL RESEOURCES TO BE USED IN COURSE
Students can gain access to the following databases from this page directly:
EPA’s National Superfund List organized by state and locality http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/
EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory allows you to type in your ZIP code
http://www.epa.gov/tri/
NJ Department of Environmental Protection for information on a variety of topics including the Greenacres program, and environmental quality issues. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/
NJ Known Contaminated Sites database (2007 edition) organized by County and locality: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/srp/kcs-nj/
NJ Energy Facilities & capacities from the U. S. Department of Energy: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=NJ
Other Data Links: (must be
downloaded in order to access)
New Jersey Dam Inventory NJNID
New
Jersey Former Military Facilities
COURSE OUTLINE & ASSIGNMENTS
WEEK 1 Introduction:
The Plan of the Course 6 September
Text: Morren, Preface, pp. i - iv
Handout: (1) Course Outline
(2) Learning Style Inventory to be
completed at home
WEEK 2 Learning and
Problem Solving 10-13 September
Text: Morren, Chapter 1, pp. 1 - 31
Handout: (1) Lost at Sea
WEEK 3 Awareness,
Perception and Empowerment 17 -
20 September
Text: (1) Morren, Chapter 2, pp. 32-71; Case Study D (Michigan), pp. 368-378;
I (Rocky Hill), pp. 432-451
Handout: 1. What's Risky?
2. Residential Hazard Survey Form
Assignment: Following the
procedure in the text, what are the 'latent functions' of higher education in American society?
WEEK 4 An Introduction
to Environmental Problems in New Jersey 20 – 23 September
Text: (1) Morren, Chapter 3, pp. 72-176; Case Study G (Newark), pp. 406-420
Assignment: Complete
Residential Hazard Survey and Essay on 'The Place Where I Live' (3+ pp. essay
with Survey attached) and debriefing due on 10/18].
WEEK 5 Gathering
Information about Novel Situations 1 - 4 October
Text: (1) Morren, p. 295 (Community Research); Case Study K (Ringwood),
pp. 466-469
Download: Ringwood Folder (Single 1MB PDF)
Assignment: Prepare a proposal of several paragraphs describing the community based
situation you intend to research for your semester project. You should also
indicate how you plan to gather information and how much you have done already
to assure the feasibility of your chosen topic. Your case study will focus on a
specific community or population that is experiencing (or has experienced in
the past) a problematic situation. Your concern will be to use course concepts
to examine people's responses to problems, hazards or, possibly, opportunities;
the relationship between the characteristics of the situation and features of
people's responses; the role of past experience and actions in affecting the
foregoing (otherwise known as history!); and the general context in which the
community finds itself. Your central task is to grasp the particularities of
the physical situation as well as the perceptions, actions and antagonisms of
(and among) the ordinary people, authorities, scientists, etc. involved in it.
Due date: 11 October
WEEK 6 Thinking about
Problematic Situations and Their Causes 'Whole' 8 - 11 October
Text: (1) Morren, Chapter 4, pp. 176-202; Case Studies A (Arkansas), pp. 325 - 336, F (Bangladesh), 391-406 Handout: (1) Hazard Dimensions Outline and Form
Assignment: (1) Start the Hazard
Dimensions Outline Form for the Bangladesh Case F
WEEKS 7 & 8 How to
Assess and Measure Problematic Situations 15 - 25 October
Text: Morren, Chapter 5, pp. 203-234
Handout: (1) Take-Home Exercise
WEEKS 9 & 10 Responses,
Conflict and Organization 29
October – 8 November
Text: Morren, Chapters 6, pp. 235-263 & 7, pp. 264-293, Case
Studies C ( Mississippi R.), pp. 354-367; & B (Britain), pp. 337-353
WEEKS 11 & 12 What
Comes Next: Intervention for Improvement 12-20 November
Text: Morren, Chapter 8, pp. 294 - 323; Case Study H (Hudson R.), pp. 421-431
WEEKS 13 & 14 Course
Wrap-Up 6 – 10 December
Final Research Report Due – 12/10
COURSE WORK, REQUIREMENTS, EXPECTATIONS, AND GRADES
1. OVERVIEW As the introduction in the opening sessions indicated, this course is oriented towards experiential and problem-based learning. Accordingly, your progress depends on attending class and participating fully in learning opportunities and group experiences. In addition, class meetings facilitate learning by helping you to make sense out of complex and messy situations. In this course, the class is the text! Attendance will be taken and only two unexcused absences will be permitted during the semester.
2. OBJECTIVES Your learning objectives in the course -- the reasons for taking it -- include acquiring or improving competencies in the areas such as learning, inquiry, knowledge creation, planning, and problem solving.
You are also expected to generally increasing your fund of knowledge and experience regarding the substantive focus of the course, how people assess and take action to improve problematic situations in their environments as individuals and as members of communities and other groups.
3. GRADES Your accomplishments in the course will be assessed as follows:
· The Place Where I Live survey and essay - 30 %
· Take home mid-term exercise (see Week 7 & 8) - 30 %
· Final Community research report - 30 %
· Familiarity with the readings as expressed in class participation/attendance - 10 %
Final Community Research Report on an approved topic (see Week 5). Paper topics are subject to my prior approval. You should select a topic that focuses on a specific community or population such as a town that is experiencing or has experienced one or more problematic situations and, using frameworks developed in class, analyze the situation(s) and people's responses. This will count 30 % and is the 'Final Exam' in the course.
4. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Cheating in this course means, essentially, representing the work of others as your own. This includes (but is not limited to), copying another student’s take-home exercise, sharing your work with others, ‘recycling’ papers and take homes from other years , and copying published work (including web documents) at length without attribution. Any of these offenses may earn a summary ‘F’ and/or official disciplinary action.
5. CELL PHONES AND PAGERS Such personal communications devices must be ‘turned off’ in class. Exceptions may be made for ‘emergency responders’ and others who make their circumstances known to the instructor. Offending devices are subject to destruction.