EC350:
Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
This course will move to the Online (asynchronous) format in the event that the college is required to transition to online at any point during the semester.
Contact Information
Upon successful completion of this course....
Textbooks:
Monkey Wrench Gang, by Edward Abbey
Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey
Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching, by Edward Abbey
Yellow Woman and the Beauty of the Spirit, by Leslie Marmon Silko
Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko
The Future Earth, by Eric Holthaus
Right Relationship: Building a Whole Earth Economy, by Brown, Garver, and Szeghi
Topics Course Description
Economics, the science of how scarce resources are allocated, is at the core of many of our most challenging environmental issues, and therefore vitally important. In a world of increasing scarcity and competing demands, economic analysis can guide public policy to efficient utilization of resources. This will be done at first given the routine assumption of consumer sovereignty coupled with the notion that human beings know what they want, and that want fulfillment is welfare enhancing. But then we will relax that assumption and question it. Also, we will consider the many layers of benefits and costs of various activities and policies to human beings. The benefits and costs to humans will include the value that human beings derive from the rest of nature, including its intrinsic value and the value that people derive from being ethical in their relationship with the rest of nature including respect for other species. From there we must move on though to consider the value of the rest of nature to itself.
The goal of this course is to help students better understand the role of economics in environmental management and policy. This course will focus on sustainable development both in the United States, and internationally. We will be using the standard economic concepts of public goods and externalities to examine and assess the array of ecological goods, problems, and costs, as impacted by human activity and attitudes, within the context of routine benefit/cost analysis both with and without a discount rate.
Humans derive value from the rest of nature surviving and surviving abundantly, but other species derive value too from their own survival. And we must find a way to include this also in a full and proper Benefit/Cost analysis. Humans derive value from the survival of the Grizzly Bear, but so does the Grizzly Bear. The Grizzly Bear derives value from its own survival. And that must be included too.
Skills and Knowledge Development
- Environmental risk analysis techniques.
- Cost-benefit analysis in environmental decision making.
- Economic modeling.
- Environmental waste management techniques.
- Understanding of environmental policy and pollution prevention strategies.
Tentative Schedule
Subject to change during the semester. Adequate notice of changes will be given.
- Dimension One consists of philosophical foundation for a strong T environmental ethic, one that values the earth and nature not just from the standpoint of benefits and cost to just one species (homo sapiens) but to all the species of the earth, not just for the sake of one species but for all. The relationship to nature and other species found in most earth-based religions in contrast to Western thought and the Judeo-Christian tradition will be highlighted.
- Dimension Two looks at the role of public lands, protected lands and species, and legal constraints on human economic activity for the greater good of humanity and the rest of nature.
- Dimension Three looks at the national and global state of affairs, ecological concerns, issues, and threats currently and in the near-term future.
- Dimension Four will examine tools and techniques for activism and action o to change the trajectory of continual ecological and environmental destruction
Rather than examining these dimensions in some sort of order consecutively, all four will be integrated into a fuller discussion as we move through the course.
Week | Dates | Reading | Assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 1/14-1/16 | Ceremony and Yellow Woman | |
| Week 2 | 1/21-1/23 | Ceremony and Yellow Woman | |
| Week 3 | 1/28-1/30 | Ceremony and Yellow Woman | |
| Week 4 | 2/4-2/6 | Ceremony and Yellow Woman |
|
| Week 5 | 2/11-2/13 | Monkey Wrench Gang, Desert Solitaire, and Ecodefense |
|
| Week 6 | 2/18-2/20 | Monkey Wrench Gang, Desert Solitaire, and Ecodefense | |
| Week 7 | 2/25-2/27 | Monkey Wrench Gang, Desert Solitaire, and Ecodefense |
|
| Week 8 | 3/4-3/6 | Monkey Wrench Gang, Desert Solitaire, and Ecodefense |
|
| Week 9 | 3/10-3/14 | Monkey Wrench Gang, Desert Solitaire, and Ecodefense |
|
| Week 10 | 3/18-3/20 | Monkey Wrench Gang, Desert Solitaire, and Ecodefense | |
| Week 11 | 3/25-3/27 | The Future Earth and Right Relationship |
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| Week 12 | 4/1-4/3 | The Future Earth and Right Relationship |
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| Week 13 | 4/8-4/10 | The Future Earth and Right Relationship |
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| Week 14 | 4/15-4/17 | The Future Earth and Right Relationship |
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| Week 15 | 4/22 | The Future Earth and Right Relationship | |
| Week 16 | 4/29-5/1 | The Future Earth and Right Relationship | |
| Final Exam: Wednesday, May 7th 1:00-3:00 pm | |||
The grading scale will be as follows:
There are no TESTS and no Formal Papers for this Class. What we will have instead is a series of thought exercises and experiments. Some of these may be in class and some may involve an extension of thoughts and ideas discussed in class. The class will be conducted in the form of Socratic Dialogue, accompanied by brief lectures, movies, and discussions. In order to fully engage in the Dialogue and Discussions the student will be required to read particular books and articles, watch certain videos and movies et al. Grades will be entirely based upon the instructors’ assessment of the students, presence, engagement, participation in, and quality of contributions to the Dialogue, Discussions, and Thought Experiments. As such, presence in the course is absolutely critical.
Instructor Course Policies
Attendance is MANDATORY. If a student must miss a lecture, it is the sole responsibility of the student to acquire the information that was missed. This includes, but is not limited to, subject matter and announcements as to modifications of course content and timetable. It is not the responsibility of the instructor to provide the information that was missed to the student. Students who come late to class may be asked to leave the classroom or denied entry. Frequent absences and lateness will render the student ineligible for extra credit and ineligible for any curve grades. If a student misses 6 or more classes the instructor may decide that the student will receive a failing grade and need to retake the class.
Attendance on days that include a guest speaker and/or a field trip is required. If you are unable to attend due to a conflict (athletic participation, etc.) please let me know no later than one week prior to the speaker or field trip and an alternative assignment will be given. If you do not let us know one week prior, you will not receive credit for these events and will lose points in the course. You will provide your own transportation to the field trip.
Any act of academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism will result in FAILURE of this course. See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges. All work (essays, test answers, homework answers, etc.) that you submit in this course must be originally produced by you and not by artificial intelligence. Failure to comply with this policy will result in penalties for academic dishonesty.
Additional Information & Resources
Homework
This is a four-credit hour class. Two hours of outside work are required for each college credit (that translates to 8 outside hours of work per week for this course). These two hours of additional work shall include but not be limited to the following; occasional assignments, going over course notes, working on the case study, consulting with others in the class, reading the text, scouring the news from reputed sources such as NPR, MSNBC, ABC, New York Times, the Financial Times of London, the Guardian, and The Economist for stories pertaining to the economy and governmental policy which impacts it.
Electronic Devices & Talking
All electronic devices (other than computers that are being used to take notes) are to be turned off or silenced during class. No text messaging, browsing or other activities on electronic devices are permitted during class. If you are caught using an electronic device other than to take notes you will be asked to leave the classroom. Students are responsible for any material that is missed as a result of being dismissed from class.
No talking is permitted during class unless students are asking or answering questions as directed by the professor. Students should raise their hand if they have a question during lecture. Students that talk or appear to not be paying attention during class will be asked to leave the classroom. Students are responsible for any material that is missed as a result of being dismissed from class.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. |
Academic Misconduct - Examples [10/24]
ACADEMIC CODE OF CONDUCT
This policy is directly related to the first Testimony, which is part of the Student Code of Conduct. “I will practice personal and academic integrity.” The initial responsibility for dealing with academic misconduct lies with the individual faculty member in whose classroom or course of study the offense occurs. The responsibility includes determination of the consequences for the offense. The goal is for faculty to confront cheating and plagiarism, to teach ethical behavior, and to provide an appropriate consequence based on the nature of the incident. Faculty are encouraged to explicitly address academic misconduct and its consequences in the course syllabus.
EXAMPLES OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
A. Examination offenses include, but are not limited to, the following:
1.Taking unauthorized materials into or out of the examination room.
2.Leaving the examination room without authorization before completing an examination.
3.Talking in the examination room without authorization.
4.Discussing the examination outside the examination room during the course of the examination.
5.Attempting to observe the work of another student.
6.Taking an examination for another person or permitting someone else to do so.
7.Collaborating improperly by discussion, joint research, or joint effort in any way expressly prohibited by the instructor. This includes using a cell phone or other device to access information from another source or another student.
8.Improper knowledge of contents of an examination - No student shall knowingly acquire unauthorized knowledge of an examination or any part of an examination, or solicit, offer, or give information about any part of an examination.
B. Student work offenses include, but are not limited to, the following, which are expressly prohibited in the absence of prior written approval of the instructor or instructors involved:
1.Resubmission of work - Submitting work which has been previously submitted for credit.
2. Plagiarism - Submitting work done wholly or partly by another, including the unattributed copying of all or parts of a published work or internet document. Using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) sources to produce work (when not expressly permitted) is also a form of plagiarism. Some instances of plagiarism are the result of ignorance rather than dishonesty. When plagiarism is encountered, the instructor should be sure that the student knows proper procedures for attributing content.
3.Prohibited sources - Consulting material or persons contrary to the directions of the instructor.
4.Improper collaboration - Engaging in any discussion, joint research, or joint effort of any kind expressly prohibited by the instructor.
5.Deception - Misrepresenting the authenticity of sources, citations, or principles in any written work.
6. Sharing work – Students who share their work with others are responsible for how that work is used. For example, if a student shares a paper with another student to help him or her understand an assignment, and that student submits the work as their own, the author of the paper shares responsibility for the plagiarism committed by the other student.
D. Other misconduct - Engaging in any other improper conduct as specified by the instructor.
E. Lying – deliberately providing false information relevant to academic matters, such as misrepresenting the inability to take an examination because of illness.
F. Disruptive or disrespectful classroom behavior – causing a disturbance in the classroom, interrupting instruction, speaking rudely or threatening students or faculty.
Class Attendance Policy |
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
Students with Disabilities
In accordance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973), Wilmington College provides access through reasonable accommodations to students with documented physical and psychological disabilities.
Students who wish to access Services need to meet with the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services and provide verification of their disability. To register with Accessibility and Disability Services, students submit an Application for Services. In addition, the student must provide the Disability Verification form accompanied by current disability documentation from a licensed professional. For more information, contact the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services at accessibility@wilmington.edu or 937.481.2444, 114 Robinson Communcation Center.