Looking for a great summer course? This could be a great option for you! Check it out!
[course][aut/2013]: ENVIR 495D: Culture & Conservation: Protected Areas Management in Global Perspective
Dear All,
I’m writing to promote my course for this coming Autumn 2013, ENVIR 495D: Culture & Conservation: Protected Areas Management in Global Perspective. This class will meet either the Human & Social Dimensions or the International breadth requirements for the Program on the Environment major. ‘W’ (Writing) credit will also be available. The course is open to students in other majors and may also be of interest to graduate students interested in the intersection of culture and conservation. There are no prerequisites, but students should be open to dipping their toes into some critical theory from anthropology and geography.
Course Description:
Protected areas (national parks, wildlife preserves, marine reserves, etc.) exist on every continent and are a key part of a global strategy to conserve biodiversity. However, these parks generate controversy if/when local communities are excluded from living in, using, and managing the spaces designated for protection. This course will examine critically the strategies developed by resource managers to better integrate local communities (and “culture”) in protect areas management. We will compare experiments in “community-based” resource management in protected areas in Africa, Latin America, Asia, & the United States and examine the factors that contribute to the success or failure of these initiatives. How well do these initiatives account for “cultural” differences? How do they define “community” and determine who has a right to participate in management? How do they balance aspirations for ecological conservation with aspirations for economic development and local autonomy? Who determines what constitutes a conservation success story?
A number of social theorists have critiqued global conservation as a problematic form of eco-colonialism. We will discuss this and other critiques of conservation to help us understand why even “community-based” initiatives sometimes generate conflict and yield underwhelming results. However, we will also mine the literature for suggestions about how to move beyond these critiques. How can we take part in the design of more socially just and ecologically sustainable approaches to protected areas management?
Course Requirements:
Students will be expected to carefully read and prepare written responses to assigned materials, contribute actively to and lead classroom discussions, and complete a final (10-12 page) paper examining the intersection of culture and conservation in the management of a protected area of their own choosing.
Please let me know if you have questions!
Happy registering,
Megan
–
Megan A. Styles, Ph.D.
**Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow**
University of Washington, Program on the Environment
office: Wallace 15F; Winter Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:30-4:30 or by appt
PoE offering multiple new summer courses in 2013!
Registration open NOW
Checkout opportunities to explore the impacts of global change on the Olympic Peninsula, discover Pacific Northwest writers while traveling through the North Cascades, learn about the state of ‘green’ business and much more!
ENVIR 459: CULTURAL ECOLOGY AND POLITICS
This course will focus on the intersection of culture, ecology, and politics in the Seattle metropolitan area. We will explore the four cornerstones of Seattle’s economy – coffee, aerospace, the outdoor industry, and technologies.
ENVIR 495A: NATURE WRITING IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Using literary texts as primary guides, this experiential learning course will explore a variety of relationships between humans and the natural world in the Pacific Northwest over the last 200 years. Fieldtrips to the North Cascades and the Olympic Peninsula.
ENVIR 495B: BUSINESS AND THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Examine whether, how, and why companies should go “green” from Business Professor Tim Hargrave. Profits and the environment: tradeoff or win-win?
ENVIR 495C: ENVIRONMENTAL INTERPRETATION
Hands-on training in environmental interpretation for students interested in natural history, tourism and recreation. Includes a trip to Mt. Saint Helens NVM Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center. Option to earn NAI “Certified Interpretive Guide”through this course for an additional fee.
Take a philosophical and scientific look at how the environment has changed in the distant and recent past, and what recent human imposed changes to the landscape mean for our future. The course format is an 8-day wilderness backpacking trip in the Olympic National Park.
ENVIR 500: SCIENCE WRITING FOR IMPACT
This class is designed to teach environmental scientists how to write about their field of study using broadly appealing prose. Class will include several guest appearances by leading national scientists who prioritize writing and communicating. **Open to undergraduate seniors and graduate students only.
Check on the PoE Perspective and Experiences page to find out what credits this course counts for!
Great summer quarter special topics options at PoE
Just a quick reminder that summer registration should now be open for all UW students. You can find a full list of courses for the different ‘perspectives and experiences’ requirements here.
Please note we have some great ‘special topics’ this summer at PoE including:
– Environmental Writing with Frederica Helmiere
– Environmental Interpretation with Celese Spencer and (PoE alumna) Suzy Karl (option to earn the NAI ‘Certified Interpretive Guide’ with additional fee)
– Global Change field course with Tim Billo
– Business and the Natural Environment with Tim Hargrave (UW Bothell)
As always, let Joe or Julie know if you have any questions!
[course]: BIOL 240: The Urban Farm (SUM/2013)
Biology 240: The Urban Farm
Instructor: Beth Wheat
3 Credits; Summer A-Term; [time schedule]
In this course students will learn the essential skills for maintaining soil health and turning urban spaces into productive landscapes. We will cover: crop rotation, soils, urban farm planning, composting and cover cropping. There will be a hands on component at the UW farm as well as field trips to some local farms (both inside and out of the city limits). This is a great opportunity to develop a great skill (growing food) and thinking about how we can improve our food system from the bottom up!
This quarter we have another exciting line-up of speakers, both students and faculty (see schedule below). So far we’ve already been treated to one excellent, philosophical talk by PoE Faculty Megan Styles on the use of historical family artifacts as an entry point into understanding environmental history.
This week we move onwards and downwards (into the mud of local estuaries, that is) with a presentation by PoE Capstone Advisor, Sean McDonald, about his own research on the “Conflict between scientists and social scientists in WA geoduck aquaculture.” Don’t miss what will surely be a fascinating talk on the legendary geoduck clam!
PoE Lunch meets every Thursday from 12:00-1:00 in PoE Commons, Wallace Hall. Everyone is welcome to join us. Bring your lunch. Bring a friend. Get academic credit if you want it. Treats provided by PoE. Our website is here: http://poelunch.tumblr.com/
Spring Quarter 2013 Speaker Schedule:
April 4, Megan Styles (PoE faculty), “Understanding environmental history through my family’s history and photos.”
April 11, Sean McDonald (PoE faculty), “Conflict between scientists and social scientists in WA geoduck aquaculture.”
April 18, Kiki Jenkins (SAFS faculty), “The intersection of art and environmental science.”
April 25, LuAnne Thompson (Program on Climate Change), “Global Health, Climate Change, and Kenya.”
May 2, Celese Spencer/Suzy Karl (UW Biology), “Environmental interpretation and why it’s important.”
May 9, Jane Dolliver (COASST), “What is COASST and what are some cool opportunities for you in COASST?”
May 16, Beth Wheat (PoE faculty), “My studies of fresh water shrimp in Costa Rica.”
May 23, Sophie Hart, “My experience with ‘social farming’ in correctional institutes, and why it’s important.”
May 30, Sarah Sanborn (PoE student), tbd
June 6, An Huynh (ESRM student), “My homestay with a Quechua family in the high Andes of Peru.”
If you would like to speak this quarter or in a future quarter, please email to timbillo@uw.edu. We’re especially hoping to get some undergraduates too—talk about a cool study abroad experience, or an internship, or any topic you’ve been thinking about. You can either show us some slides, or lead a discussion by posing thought-provoking questions, or both! You will get 45-50 minutes on the “stage” but you don’t need to take all of it!
Credit available: If you like, register for 1 credit towards your Perspectives and Experiences requirement. SLN #20973 Course Name: ENVIR 495
JSIS 478 F Sustainability & Global Business – Spots open for PoE Students!
JSIS 478 F Sustainability & Global Business – Spots open for PoE Students!
Spring 2013 JSIS 478 F, Sustainability and Global Business
Jeffrey Leinaweaver
TTh 10:30-12:20
Business and commerce have tremendous impact on the health of our environment and our society. Globalization of economic activities has created transnational corporations with tremendous power and influence. However, this era of great prosperity also has come with a great cost. Human activities are pushing well beyond the limits of what natural systems can sustain. The current system of commerce is demonstrably and inherently unsustainable. This course will look at concepts of sustainability in the context of global business. At the end of the course, students will have a thorough understanding of what sustainable choices are available to individuals, communities, and organizations. They will be able to evaluate strategies and trade-offs necessary for the transformation to a more sustainable and equitable global society. They will gain familiarity with systems thinking approaches and global implications of sustainable business challenges and solutions. Perhaps most importantly, they will have a defined context of what sustainability means in which to ground their position on these critical issues. Two weekly lectures, case studies and readings, emphasis on class presentations and team projects. This section for UW students will meet concurrently with another section for visiting international students in the Thematic Studies Abroad program.
Join PoE for another round of Brown Bag Lunches! This quarter will be full of really great speakers, including our very own Megan Styles kicking off the series. See you there!