Lectures Tuesday, Periods 2 & 3 (8:30-10:25), in Florida Gym Room 220

Section 006G: Thursday Discussion Period 2 (8:30-9:20), Anderson Hall, Room 101

Professor Bron Taylor (Ph.D.)
Email: bron@religion.ufl.edu 
Office: Anderson 121
Office hours: Tuesday 10:45-12:15 and by appointment

Aya Cockram (Teaching Assistant)
Email: ayac2889@ufl.edu
Office: Anderson 119
Office hours: Monday: 12:00-1:00; Wednesday: 4:00 - 5:00 and by appointment

1. To understand the historical emergence and development of environmental philosophy and environmental ethics in Western societies, as well as the ways such ethics become entwined with and influenced by developments in religion, literature, and the arts, as illuminated by the Humanities.
2. To understand the range of perspectives on human responsibility to the environment and enable critical thinking and writing about them, including by arbitrating among competing views of environmental facts.
3. To understand the epistemological bases (philosophical, scientific, religious, aesthetic) for different ethical orientations as well as the various methodological approaches to making individual and public environment-related decisions.
4. To introduce the contribution of diverse humanities disciplines, especially art history, literary criticism, philosophy, and religious studies, to illuminating environmental ethics and practice.
5. To communicate effectively and logically one’s own moral perspective and views of environmental facts and trends orally and in writing.

Many of the course readings are directly downloadable under the assignments found in the course's shedule section. Required readings for the course not available via this website are available from the University of Florida bookstore and elsewhere, and students are expected to purchase or otherwise gain access to these readings:

Daniel Quinn, Ishmael (Bantam, 1992) (or The Story of B, for students who have already read Ishmael.)

The rest of these will have chapters available in a course reader; details will be sent by email.

DesJardines, Environmental Ethics (5th edition)

Gardiner and Thompson, Oxford Handbook of Environmental Ethics (below OHEE)

Over recent years I have gained the impression that laptops and tablets impede careful listening and thus learning. Increasingly, research is demonstrating that this is indeed the case; see Susan Dynarski, Laptops Are Great. But Not During a Lecture or a Meeting. For this reason, unless instructors make explicit exceptions, do not use these devices during class. Listening and deciding what to take down in notes is a proven and effective learning method.

1. Reading Analysis. Students are expected to read assigned readings before the week for which they are assigned. Each week you are strongly encouraged to write 300-500 words in response to the major reading or readings (you decide which to focus on). These are to be brought, typed and printed, with your names on them, to your Thursday discussion sessions. Course instructors will respond to these and note which students are conscientiously preparing for class. Students who show consistent effort will be rewarded by extra points at the end of the course but preparing these responses is not mandatory.

   These are the questions to address in these weekly reading responses: What are the author(s) central argument(s)? How do they build their argument(s)? What evidence do they cite? What do the authors think is at stake? With whom are the authors in contention and why?These are the sorts of questions you will need to be able to answer about all of the perspectives presented in the course if you are to participate effectively in classroom discussions as well as to perform well on exams and in your critical analysis papers. Additionally, think about the key presuppositions, strengths or weaknesses of the articles.

2. Examinations. There will be three exams. The final will be cumulative. These exams will typically have multiple-choice questions and fill-in sections, as well as short essay and/or take-home essay question(s). Study your study guides and classroom notes carefully in preparation for these exams. Everything that has occurred in class or that is assigned may appear on these exams. 
3. Makeup Examinations. Makeup exams will only be permitted in cases of documented medical conditions or extreme hardship. Unless the circumstance is an emergency, to be eligible for a makeup exam, a student must email the instructors at least 24 hours before the scheduled exam to request permission to take a makeup exam. Documention of the reason must subsequently be provided. All makeup exams will be administered by arrangement during the officially designated final exam week at the end of the semester. The format and questions on the makeup exam will differ from the missed exam.
4. Essay Review. You will write a 500-1000 word essay review of Ishmael or, if you have already read it, The Story of B. (Count the words using your word processor's word counting feature). Analyze the book, describing its overall moral perspective and the kind of evidence provided related to this perspective. Make an argument about what you take to be the strengths and/or weaknesses in the book’s assertions.
5. Critical Essay. Students will write a 1,500-2,000 word critical ethical analysis of an environment-related issue. For details, see the links under the course schedule, week 6.
6. Attendance and participation. Students are expected to attend and participate in class -- this is part of the learning process. Students who miss the equivalent of three weeks of class will suffer a one-grade reduction; those missing more than this will fail the course. Students who distinguish themselves by contributing significantly to classroom discussions may receive extra points for doing so. Course instructors will be looking for the following: Do you demonstrate that you have read and understood the course readings and can you engage in discussions in an informed and civil manner? Do you regularly commit “fallacies of moral reasoning” as discussed early in the course? How well do you integrate what you are learning in this course with information gathered elsewhere? 
7. Extra credit. There will normally be extra credit oportunities announced in class or via the class email list serve. These usually involve attending an event on campus or in Gainesville that engages environmental ethics. Students then will write 300-500 word essay analyzing the following: What are the central argument(s) that were being advanced? How did the individuals or groups build their argument(s)? What evidence did they cite? What do they think is at stake? With whom are those involved in contention, and why? These extra credit write ups must be turned in to the teaching assistant no later than the final exam. The points used often help students raise their grade a notch or two, e.g., from a C+ to a B- or even a B.

We will arrange forums and debates and hold them in class. Although we will not award points based on the quantity of participation, regular participation will insure that we have enough experience of you to evaluate. Do not miss class. 

Monitoring email and participation in email discussions. Routine course logistics will be updated through email, via a list serve established for this purpose. These email messages will be sent to your official university email address, which you are responsible to monitor every day or two. Course instructors will also send you short supplementary materials to read and about which you may be questioned on exams. A list serve has been established for the class and students may communicate with each other and the course instructors through it. Students may ask questions via email and instructors will respond either privately or to the class, as appropriate. It is critical to check your email because, as the course progresses, the list of assignments and the readings are subject to modification. Always consult the latest version of the readings online.

Undergraduate Section

Calculating Grades

For both the midterm and final exams, the total number of points earned by each student will be divided by the total number earned by the highest-scoring student. The resulting percentage will be used to calculate each student’s grade for the course. Put in a formula, it looks like this:

the score of each individual student (your score)
(divided by) the highest score earned by a student