HSCI-204: Radical Green

RADICAL GREEN: PROBING THE EXTREMES OF ENVIRONMENTAL THOUGHT This course is designed to introduce students to some of the more extreme environmental philosophies, ethical concerns, and underlying perceptions of "wilderness," "wildness," and "nature" that have developed over the past hundred years. From John Muir, Aldo Leopold, and early twentieth-century conservation movements, to Deep Ecology and Earth First!, the course will attempt to unpack, explore, and redefine the varied assumptions and foundations of the contemporary sustainability issue and the greening of our present culture. Through readings and discussion, students will gain an understanding of these past and present schools of thought, and their related environmental movements, that have fundamentally challenged and shaped our notions about the role of the human in nature. Through the cultivation of critical environmental thinking skills, students will begin to construct their own philosophical approach and work on a course project that builds on the body of knowledge obtained throughout the term.