Intro to Readings for class on April 15

Please click on the course e-reserves link (to the right on this page) to find two articles for discussion next week.

We would like to discuss with you:
1. David Orr's Ecological Literacy
2. Diane Michelfelder's Valuing Wildlife Populations in Urban Environments


Some things to chew on as you read these...

Ecological Literacy
There is a heading in David Orr's article called "Formation of Attitudes" in which he writes that ecological literacy is driven by a sense of wonder. Aside from the difficulties he lists (a decline in the ability to think broadly due to specialization; the fact that most education is hands-off and indoors; and a decline in the capacity for aesthetic appreciation), what are obstacles to feeling a sense of wonder and achieving ecological/environmental literacy? What makes it difficult to "see things in their wholeness" even when it is in our best interests for the health of individuals and humankind?

I often think of old-time farming as the embodiment of environmental literacy because farmers' survival relied on sustainable practices and their knowledge bridged many "disciplines" to create a broad understanding of relationships, resource flows, cycles and patterns. They relied on farsightedness, creative problem solving and luck. That lifestyle is left further and further behind as a mechanized, genetically modified, fertilized, factory-farmed food system takes its place.Do you see any parallels between the plight of environmental literacy and the farming tradition?


Valuing Wildlife
If someone asked you, "Why should ecosystems be protected and preserved?," what would your answer be? What values would your answer reflect?

As future designers of space and curriculum, we should be aware of the underlying values and assumptions we may (intentionally or subconsciously) insert into our designs and programs. But before we get too set in one way of looking at this issue... perhaps we could consider alternative approaches to valuation.

In "Valuing Wildlife Populations in Urban Environments," Michelfelder offers an interesting alternative. She argues that we have tended to value wildlife based on aesthetic experiences, e.g. beauty, surprise, spontaneity, rarity, intensity, and immediacy--which are valid ways of looking at the world, but In urban environments doesn't work as well due to density, repetition, and regularity. What she proposes is a valuation of wildlife based on community where animals are seen as neighbors. This does not mean mutual friendship but rather a way of considering their needs while promoting community cohesion and increased interactivity between members.

In what other ways could this community cohesion model be explored in places that teach?

. . .

If you would like to read EVEN more... there is another article posted on the e-reserves "Defining Literacy in a Time of Environmental Crisis," in case you feel like diving in more.
See you next week!