Environmental Ethics
Fall 2002
ESRP 490, ESRP 594, UH 410

Date

Instructor

Topic

Aug. 30

Brian Tissot & Candice Goucher

Course introduction: Overview of ethics issues in science, society and culture

Sep. 6

Susan Harder

Global Warming and Climate Change:  overview of Earth systems focusing on the climate system; greenhouse gases, global warming, and climate change; international and national policy regarding climate change

Sep. 13

Candice Goucher

Environment in world history: raising issues of the impact of complexity and looking cross-culturally and globally at environmental crises

Sep. 20

Barry Hewlett

Anthropological viewpoint of environmental ethics: human nature, ecology and culture: Aka Pygmies view of the environment; influence of social relationships to environmental viewpoints; evolved propensities that influence ethical decisions

Sep. 27

Midterm

Oct. 4

Steve Sylvester

Bioengineering and Environmental Concerns: DNA, natural and human  manipulations, transformation of plants and animals; cloning of modified organisms; ecology of genetically modified plants, the water problem; Science vs. Science, understanding interpretations of data and influences of secular media

Oct. 11

Melody Rasmor

Global Occupational Health: problems that overseas workers and corporations are facing, including: exposure to pesticides, unemployment and workplace health care; effects of rapid industrialization and pressures on rural homes, working conditions, and social support systems

Oct 18

Susan Finley

Pseudo-educational materials: target teachers and children with propaganda that teaches the fallacies of global warming or otherwise mock or diminish environmental concerns

Oct. 25

Desiree Hellegers

Media literacy and environmental ethics

Nov. 1

Jerry Goodstein

Corporate ethics: ethical issues associated with corporations, globalization, and the effects of corporate expansion on the environment

Nov. 8

MIDTERM

Nov. 15

Mark Stephan

Environmental ethics and  governance: what does taking the environment seriously mean for our political decision-making and institutions?  What would "green democracy" look like? 

Nov. 22

Tom Tripp

The choices of bad people or bad situations? How intelligent, environmentally concerned people often make environmentally destructive choices: the psychology of how individuals make ethical choices in the face of competing demands, social dilemmas, backwards reward systems and backfiring regulations

Dec. 6

Brian Tissot

Science, ethics and the future of the planet: role of science and ethics in natural resource management and environmental policy; lessons from native cultures and religions; the theory of holonic and integral ecology

Dec. 13

All

Team Presentations