Linking Environmental Protection and the Human Economy

Linking Environmental Protection and the Human Economy

This course is designed to elucidate the links between environmental protection and the human economy. Lectures, discussions, and other in-class activities will introduce information that is relevant to the development of these links.

We will meet for this 1-credit short course each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between 22 September 2003 and 3 October 2003 (inclusive) at 9:00 a.m. for 50 minutes. The course will be taught by Guy R. McPherson. You can email him at grm@ag.arizona.edu.

Before class begins, please read Ed Ayres' 1999 book, God's Last Offer: Negotiating for a Sustainable Future (Four Walls Eight Windows, New York). Before the fifth class meeting on 1 October 2003, please read pages 77-276 of Lester R. Brown's 2001 book, Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth (W.W. Norton, New York). Both books are available at the campus bookstore.

Notes for each day can be accessed by clicking the relevant date. Please read the notes before class begins, and bring a copy to class.

Grades will be based on five written assignments. Assignments are due at the beginning of each class period between 24 September and 3 October (inclusive). Each assignment will be graded as "acceptable" or "unacceptable," and final grades for the course will be assigned as follows:

4-5 graded "acceptable" = A
3 graded "acceptable" = B
2 graded "acceptable" = C
1 graded "acceptable" = D
0 graded "acceptable" = F

The assignment for each day is to respond to one of the following two statements, in a single typed (double-spaced) paragraph:

Describe the most important thing you learned in the previous class session and tell (a) why it is important to you and (b) how you can apply it to your life.
List one important question derived from the previous class session, and describe why answering this question is a worthy pursuit.