ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS IN AMERICA
ENVR 360/501
Basic Course Information:
Instructor: Dr. Robert J. Brulle
Office Location: PSA Building, Room 303
Telephone: (215) 895-2294
Email: brullerj@drexel.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Overview: This undergraduate course provides an introduction to the key collective actors and institutions that are involved in the creation of U.S. environmental policies. The aim of this course is to provide an understanding of the historical and social processes by which environmental policy is created and changed through a political process among a number of different coalitions. Through the use of a historical and cultural perspective, the course examines the development of the various worldviews, organizations, and practices that define U.S. environmental politics, including environmental advocacy organizations, foundations, and the media. The course provides an overview of the range of U.S. environmental movements, including the perspectives of Conservation and Preservation which emerged prior to 1900, the development of Environmentalism in the 1960's, and the recent emergence of new discursive practices, in the movements of Deep Ecology, Environmental Justice, Ecotheology and Ecofeminism. In addition, the environmental countermovement, in the form of the "Wise Use" movement is examined.
Undergraduate Course Requirements:
Students taking this course for undergraduate credit are expected to meet the following four requirements:
1. Class Participation: Students are expected to come to class having completed the assigned readings, and prepared to discuss the topics in class. There will be unannounced quizzes given in class on the assigned readings and lectures throughout the course of the quarter. There will be no makeup quizzes given. In addition, throughout the semester, a number of videos will be presented. Short exercises relating the video to the course readings will be assigned. These activities will count for 30% of the final grade.
2. Environmental Group Identification: Each week, every student will identify and examine one environmental organization in that belongs to the discursive community being studied that week. Specific requirements for this assignment will be handed out in the first class period. This group identification exercise will count for 15% of the final grade.
3. Book Review: Each student will read and review one major environmental book. Books will be assigned the second week of class. The book review will be between 1,500 - 2,000 words in length. It is due in class on November 23, 2004. The book review will count for 15% of the final grade.
4 Exam: This course will have one final examination. The final exam will constitute 40% of the course grade. It will be given on December 14, 2004 during the regular class session time.
Graduate Course Requirements:
Students taking this course for graduate credit are expected to meet the following three requirements:
1. Class Participation: Students are expected to come to class having completed the assigned readings, and prepared to discuss the topics in class. Additional graduate course readings have been included in the course syllabus and are required reading. In addition, there will be unannounced quizzes given in class on the assigned readings and lectures throughout the course of the quarter. There will be no makeup quizzes given. In addition, throughout the semester, a number of videos will be presented. Short exercises relating the video to the course readings will be assigned. These activities will count for 30% of the final grade.
2. Research Paper: Each student will complete a research paper on a topic of their interest on the U.S. environmental movement or environmental politics in the U.S. A list of suggested topics will be distributed in the first class session. A proposed topic will be submitted to the instructor at the beginning of class, October 12, 2004. The proposal will be between 250-500 words. The final paper is due at the beginning of class, November 30, 2004. The final paper will be approximately 3,000-4,000 words in length, and will be fully referenced in accordance with academic standards. The research paper will count for 30% of the final grade.
3 Exam: This course will have one final take-home examination. The final exam will constitute 40% of the course grade. The take-home exam will be distributed at the end of the final class session.
Required Texts:
This course has one required text (for undergraduates) and two required texts for graduate students, as well as a number of required articles on electronic reserve at Hagerty Library. The required text for all students is :
Brulle, Robert J. 2000, Agency, Democracy and Nature: The U.S. Environmental Movements from a Critical Theory Perspective, Cambridge MA: MIT Press
In addition, graduate students are required to purchase:
Fox, Stephen, 1981. The American Conservation Movement: John Muir and His Legacy, Madison WI: University of Wisconsin Press
COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK ONE SEPTEMBER 28, 2004 - COURSE OVERVIEW AND THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
Required Reading
Brulle, Chapters Four and Five
Additional Graduate Student Readings:
Sabatier, P.A., and Jenkins-Smith, Hank C. 1993 Policy Change and Learning: An Advocacy Coalition Approach, Westview Press, San Francisco, pp. 13-39
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WEEK TWO OCTOBER 5, 2004 - MANIFEST DESTINY AND THE WISE USE MOVEMENT
Required Reading
Brulle, Chapter 6
Gottlieb, Alan M. (ed.) 1989 The Wise Use Agenda. Bellevue WA: Free Enterprise Press pp. v – 18
Additional Graduate Student Readings:
Meyer, David S., and Suzanne Staggenborg. 1996. Movements, countermovements, and the structure of political opportunity. American Journal of Sociology 101, no. 6
Movie: The War Against the Greens
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WEEK THREE OCTOBER 12, 2004 - WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Required Reading
Brulle, pages 133 -145
Leopold, Aldo, 1942 Game Management, pages vii-21, and 406-423
Additional Graduate Student Readings:
Fox, Chapter 5
Movie: The American Experience: TR: The Story of Theodore Roosevelt
REMINDER: GRAD STUDENT RESEARCH PROPOSALS DUE AT BEGINNING OF CLASS
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WEEK FOUR SEPTEMBER 19, 2004 - NO CLASS
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WEEK FIVE OCTOBER 26, 2004 - CONSERVATION
Required Reading
Brulle, pages 145 -161
Marsh, George Perkins 1864 Man and Nature: Earth as Modified by Human Action reprinted on pages 40-44 in American Environmentalism: Readings in Conservation History
Pinchot, Gifford, 1910 "The Fight for Conservation" reprinted on pages 84-95 in American Environmentalism: The Formative Period, 1860-1915
Additional Graduate Student Readings:
Fox, Chapter 4 and Chapter 6
Movie: The Wilderness Idea: John Muir, Gifford Pinchot & the First Great Battle for Wilderness
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WEEK SIX NOVEMBER 2, 2004 - PRESERVATION
Required Reading
Brulle, pages 161 - 172
Muir, John 1912 The Yosemite. pp. 249-262, reprinted on pages 191-197 in Worster, D., (ed.) 1973 American Environmentalism: The Formative Period, 1860-1915 New York: Wiley and Sons
Marshall, Robert 1930 "The Problem of the Wilderness" Scientific Monthly XXX (1930) reprinted on pages 160-165 in American Environmentalism: Readings in Conservation History
Leopold, Aldo 1949 "A Land Ethic" A Sand County Almanac. New York: Oxford, reprinted on pages 171-174 in Nash, R.F. (ed.) American Environmentalism: Readings in Conservation History. New York: McGraw Hill
Additional Graduate Student Readings:
Fox, Chapters 7 & 8
Movie: Wild By Law: Bob Marshall, Aldo Leopold and Howard Zahniser
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WEEK SEVEN NOVEMBER 9, 2004 - REFORM ENVIRONMENTALISM
Required Reading
Brulle, Chapter 8
Carson, Rachael, 1962 Silent Spring Cambridge MA: Riverside Press pp. 1-37 & 277-297
Commoner, Barry, 1987 "The Environment" New Yorker Magazine reprinted on pages 121-170 in Crossroads: Environmental Priorities for the Future
Additional Graduate Student Readings:
Fox Chapter 9
Movie: The American Experience: Rachel Carson and Silent Spring
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WEEK EIGHT NOVEMBER 16, 2004 - DEEP ECOLOGY
Required Reading
Brulle, pages 195 - 207
Snyder, Gary 1971 "Respect for Nature" Turtle Island. New York: New Directions, reprinted on pp. 233-236 in American Environmentalism: Readings in Conservation History
Naess, A. 1973 "The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movement. A Summary" Inquiry 16, 1973 reprinted on pages 242-247 in The Green Reader: Essays Toward a Sustainable Society
Abby Edward, and Foreman, Dave 1987 "Monkeywrenching", pp. 7-9 and 10-17 in Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching. Tuscon: Ned Ludd Books, reprinted on pages 299 - 308 in American Environmentalism: Readings in Conservation Historyl
Additional Graduate Student Readings:
Guha, Ramachandra, and Martinez-Alier, 2000. Varieties of Environmentalism: Essays North and South, Chapter 5 - Radical American Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation: A Third World Critique, pp. 92-108
Movie: Redwood Summer
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WEEK NINE NOVEMBER 23, 2004 - ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Required Reading
Brulle, pages 207-221
Bryant, Bunyan, 1995, "Issues and Potential Policies and Solutions for Environmental Justice: An Overview", pp. 8-34 in Environmental Justice: Issues, Policies and Solutions
Additional Graduate Student Readings:
Lounsbury, M., Ventresca, M., and Hirsch, P.M. 2003. Social movements, field frames and industry emergence: a cultural-political perspective on US recycling Socio-Economic Review 1 71-104
Movie: The Poisoned Dream: The Love Canal Nightmare
REMINDER: UNDERGRAD STUDENT BOOK REVIEWS DUE AT BEGINNING OF CLASS
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WEEK TEN NOVEMBER 30, 2004 - ECOFEMINISM
Required Reading
Brulle 222-235
Chapter 8 in Merchant, Carolyn, 1992. Radical Ecology: The Search for a Livable World
D'Eaubonne, Francoise 1974 "The Time for Ecofeminism" pages 174-197 in Merchant, C. (ed.) 1994. Ecology: Key Concepts in Critical Theory. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press
Additional Graduate Student Readings:
King, Ynestra, 1981. Feminism and the Revolt of Nature pp. 198-206 in Merchant, C. (ed.) 1994. Ecology: Key Concepts in Critical Theory. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press
Plumwood, Val, 1992. Ecosocial Feminism as a General Theory of Oppression, pp. 207-219 in Merchant, C. (ed.) 1994. Ecology: Key Concepts in Critical Theory. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press
Movie: Adam’s World
REMINDER: GRAD STUDENT RESEARCH PAPER DUE AT BEGINNING OF CLASS
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WEEK ELEVEN DECEMBER 7, 2004 - ECOTHEOLOGY AND COURSE WRAP UP
Required Reading
Brulle, pages 228-282
Gottlieb, Roger, Religion in an Age of Environmental Crisis, pages 1-14 in This Sacred Earth
Chapter 5 in Merchant, Carolyn, 1992. Radical Ecology: The Search for a Livable World
Additional Graduate Student Readings:
Dobson, A. 1998. Strategies for Green Change, pp. 539-555 in Dryzek and Schlosberg 1998 Debating the Earth
Movie: Keeping the Earth: Religious and Scientific Perspectives on the Environment
Group Identification Assignment
Every week, students will identify and examine a group in the environmental frame to be discussed in class. The report should be one page in length, typewritten, and will include the following items for the group:
1. Name
2. Membership
3. Number of Staff
4. Year Founded
5. Annual Budget
6. Mission of the group
7. Major activities of the group
8. Discussion of why this group was identified as having a particular environmental frame.
Groups listed on page 286-288 in Brulle (2000) may not be used to complete this assignment.
Data for this analysis can be gathered from the following sources:
A. Associations Unlimited Electronic Data Base – available online in Hagerty Library
B. Web Site of Organization
C. Annual Information Tax Return of Organization (IRS 990) available at web site:
www.guidestar.org
D. Conservation Directory – National Wildlife Federation: www.nwf.org/conservationdirectory/
SUGGESTED GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH TOPICS
This course requires all graduate students to write an original research paper on some aspect of environmentalism in the United States. Each student will formulate their own topic, prepare a literature search on the topic, gather data on this particular area, and write a research paper detailing their results. The required readings include several academic articles that provide excellent examples of this type of work. The final paper will be approximately 3,000-4,000 words in length, and will be fully referenced in accordance with academic standards. This paper is due on or before the beginning of class, November 30, 2004. Some areas that students may wish to examine are:
1. Resource mobilization levels of the top environmental groups - how have the resource levels (funding levels, membership, staff) of the major environmental groups changed over time?
2. Television coverage of environmental issues - how has television covered environmental concerns? How has it changed over time?
3. Newspaper coverage of environmental issues - how has the press covered environmental concerns? How has it changed over time?
4. Congress and the environment - How has congress dealt with environmental issues? What committees have been involved? What topics have they focused on? What hearings were held? What laws were passed?
5. Corporations and the environment - What has been the response of corporations to the environmental movement? Have they changed their production procedure? Have they employed more workers and spent more money on pollution prevention?
6. State governments and the environment - How have state governments responded to environmental concerns? Are their differences between states? Why?
7. Political and Economic Elite Opinion - What have been the environmental concerns of the political and economic elites? Are they different from the general public’s concerns?
8. President and the environment - What have been the environmental priorities of different administrations? How have they realized these activities in legislative and budgetary actions?