[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

[student job] – Writing Peer Tutors at Odegaard Writing and Research Center

The Odegaard Writing and Research Center (OWRC) is now hiring for peer tutor positions with Autumn Quarter start dates. We are looking for applications from both undergraduate and graduate students in all fields who will be enrolled at UW Seattle during the 2012-2013 academic year. Paid positions include both part-time and substitute peer tutor positions. Pay rates depend on academic status: undergraduates and pre-MA or pre-MS graduate students start at $10.00/hour; post-MA or post-MS graduate students start at $15.00/hour.

The OWRC, an interdisciplinary writing and research center which aims to support UW Seattle students, staff, and faculty on their diverse writing and research projects through 45-minute, one-to-one tutoring sessions. It is an engaging and rewarding place to work, and we hope to hear more from you!

If you are interested in applying please view our hiring page at http://depts.washington.edu/owrc/hiring.html and follow the instructions provided.

We look forward to reading your application.


Need Help With Your Papers? The OWRC is Open During Summer Quarter

The Odegaard Writing and Research Center is open for summer quarter and is offering FREE writing and research tutoring! We are here to support all students, staff and faculty at all stages of the writing and research process and can help with brainstorming, organization, structure, argument, or just lending a new and different perspective on a piece of writing. We are open Monday-Thursday noon-6:00PM in two locations: Research Commons Red C (Allen Library South) and McCarty 334.

To make an appointment please visit our website (http://depts.washington.edu/owrc/) and go to the “Make an Appointment” page. We hope to see you soon!


[student job] – Odegaard Writing & Research Center now hiring!

We seek qualified undergraduate and graduate tutors to serve as peer tutors – to collaborate with UW students, staff, and faculty on their myriad writing and research projects.  Last year, tutors in the OWRC worked with writers from more than 100 departments on campus, representing all colleges – so when we say we are working hard to build an interdisciplinary staff for next year, we really mean it.

Details of the position and hiring process can be found at http://depts.washington.edu/owrc/Hiring2012.html

This will be a rolling hiring process, with preference given to earlier applicants; it is well worth applicants’ time to submit their materials now, during the break, rather than later in Spring Quarter.  Top early-applying candidates will also be given the option of beginning work this Spring and Summer rather than waiting until Early Fall Start (mid-August).

Finally, additional preference will be given to candidates from STEM fields and business; recruiting tutors from these fields is a hiring priority for the OWRC, given the writers we work alongside most often.