UAS Summer Scholars Program

(Please note: this course is still being developed.  This description is subject to change.) 

Environment, Ethics, and the UAS Experience

Intended to introduce high school juniors and seniors to the UAS interpretation of the liberal arts tradition, this course will focus on global environmental concerns from the perspective of Southeast Alaska.  Rigorous academic discussions, lectures, and critical writing exercises will be punctuated by a series of weekend trips into the wilds surrounding the Juneau campus.  Students will be assigned readings and written exercises on topics spanning environmental ethics, the idea of wilderness, natural resource use and exploitation, climate change, ecotourism, human manipulation of natural processes, and their own relationships with the natural world.  Following an intensive seminar-style preparatory lecture and discussion on Friday mornings, students and faculty will spend three Saturdays getting a sense for the UAS “Unfair Advantage.”  The class will cruise to Tracy Arm to learn about the marine environment first hand, hike to the John Muir Cabin to discuss the ethical quandaries of the idea of wilderness, and raft the Mendenhall River to get an up-close look at hydrological processes shaping our landscape.  By attending to the ethical choices involved in the field excursions of this class, and by thinking carefully about the ways our actions impact the natural environment more generally, this course will provide the perfect introduction to university life, UAS-style. 

Prerequisites:

(1) Junior or senior standing in high school; (2) at least 16 years old; (3) 3.5+ GPA; or (4) by instructor approval

Student’s Final Grade is Based On:

• Participation in 3 Friday morning discussions:  30%
• Three 1-2 page reading summaries: 30% (10% each)
• Three 2-page synthesis response papers:  30% (10% each)
• Formal 15-minute presentation on last weekend:  10%

Required Texts:

• Global Warming:  The Complete Briefing. John Houghton
• Science Magazine's State of the Planet 2006-2007.  Donald Kennedy and the editors of Science magazine.
• Travels in Alaska.  John Muir.
• The Control of Nature. John McPhee.
• The Great New Wilderness Debate.  Ed. J. Baird Callicott and Michael Nelson.
• The Nature of Southeast Alaska:  A Guide to Plants, Animals, and Habitats.  R.M. O’Clair, R. Armstrong, and R. Carstensen.

• Course reader (including articles from Science, Nature, Scientific American, National Geographic, Orion, and The New Yorker; excerpts from Jim Lichatowich's Salmon Without Rivers, Gary Synder's A Place in Space, and Edward Abbey's Down the River.)

Supplemental Readings:

• Vital Signs 2006-2007: The Trends that Are Shaping Our Future. Worldwatch Institute.
• Excerpts from natural history guidebooks and local maps

Learning Outcomes:

• Content: Students will demonstrate knowledge of some of the key concepts and issues in environmental studies and sciences.

• Communication (Writing): Students will become more confident writers by sharpening critical analysis skills while writing concise summaries and response essays.

• Communication (Speaking): Students will practice speaking and listening in whole- and small-group discussions; students will also have the opportunity to give a formal class presentations.

• Critical Thinking: Frequent reading and writing assignments will provide students with the opportunity to develop skills in analyzing arguments.  By participating in class discussion of philosophical texts, students will learn that the process of critical reading is a social activity that involves exchanging ideas, listening to others, taking responsibility for one's own views, and keeping an open mind about alternative approaches.

• Computer and Information Literacy: Students will demonstrate ability to use computing resources while writing summaries and response papers and completing in-class assignment.

• Professional Behavior: Students will learn the importance of class attendance, preparation, and participation for enhancing and ensuring college success.  This includes turning work in on time and evaluating the level of polish required by different kinds of assignments.

Special Facilities, Equipment UAS is expected to furnish:

• Classroom (preferably scenic Glacier View Room or Lake View Room)
• Computer-linked projector
• Access to computers in ENVS classroom HB110 for one of the classes