ENVA 311:
Environmental Sustainability Cornerstone
Seminar
Lone
Mountain 345
Tues
& Thurs 9:55-11:40
Professor
David Silver
Office:
Kalmanavitz 141
Office
hours: Tues & Thurs 3-4 pm
Contact:
dmsilver@usfca.edu
Course Description
In
this course, students synthesize issues, theories, and methods learned thus far
in the Environmental Studies major or minor and develop a research topic and
approach suitable for an ENVA pathways proposal. Through readings, class
discussions, workshops, and guest lectures, students learn how to clarify and
refine a research topic, write a literature review or environmental scan, and
develop a pathways proposal. By the end of the semester, students present their
pathways proposals to their peers and a panel of ENVA professors.
In
addition to developing a pathways proposal, students learn about, work on, and
complete the grant-writing cycle. With help from Career Services Center and
Gleeson librarians, students learn how to find, research, write, and submit a
grant. Ideally, the grant will fund some portion of the student’s pathways
proposal.
Finally,
students create an e-portfolio - an online, publicly accessible portfolio that
features a student’s past, present, and future work. In general, the
e-portfolio will highlight a student’s course and community work and serve as
an ongoing depository for students’ projects, papers, and personal and
professional reflections. In addition to mastering various 21st century tools
of creation, communication, and collaboration, students engage with a public
audience and, in the process, reflect upon larger digital literacy issues like
participatory media, personal “branding,” and online privacy.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completing this course, students
will be able to:
1.
Clarify, research, and refine a topic and related set of questions
suitable for a Environmental Studies pathways proposal;
2.
Write a literature review or environmental scan that
demonstrates a grasp of the range of projects and knowledge relevant to your
chosen topic and questions;
3.
Find, research, write, and complete an application for a
grant related to your Environmental Studies interests;
4.
Create a digital archive of your work, in the form of an
e-portfolio, that creatively and professionally showcases your past, present,
and future work and interests; and
5.
Engage constructively and critically in peer-produced work
and provide and receive thoughtful feedback to and from your peers and
professor.
Course
Components
Reflection papers - An integral part of
the Cornerstone experience is the opportunity to reflect on the kinds of
knowledge and skills you have acquired through the Environmental Studies
curriculum, and identify specific interests, skills, concerns, problems, or
focus areas that you would like to explore further. Short reflection papers
will require you to demonstrate your reflection process as you consider these
questions.
Literature Review/Environmental Scan - A
well-designed lit review or environmental scan demonstrates your ability to
synthesize literature and projects from across the disciplines, and identify
opportunities for asking new questions or proposing new approaches to old or
unanswered questions. A 5-7 page paper will reflect your grasp of existing projects,
research, and knowledge in your chosen problem or topic area.
Pathways Proposal - This is the proposal
that students, if they wish, may submit for review by the Environmental Studies
Advisory Board to be considered for the Pathways track. Whether you decide to
submit your proposal for consideration or not, the proposal must demonstrate your
identification of a particular problem or focus area; a question that arises
out of your analysis of the problem or focus area; and, most importantly, the
design of a course of study and path of investigation (equaling 20 units) that
could lead you toward answers.
Grant Cycle – For students interested in
pursuing advanced projects and research, securing funding is imperative. In
this class, you will learn about, write, work on, and submit a grant related to
your area of interests.
E-portfolio design and set up - Students
will submit a design proposal or template for their e-portfolio, along with brief
reflections on what your want your e-portfolio to communicate about yourself
and your work. You will present your design proposal in class, with plenty of time
given for peer feedback.
E-portfolio semester wrap up - Near the
end of the semester, you will submit a “final” e-portfolio that includes
documentation of your work in the major to date, showcases your plans and
proposals for the future, and conveys your personal voice or “brand.” The
assignment also requires planned build-out of the areas of your portfolio that you
aim to fill over your final two years.
Participation - Students will be
evaluated on the quality and quantity of their participation in classroom
reflection exercises, discussions, workshops, and other activities, including
homework, quizzes, and in-class assignments.
Grading
10% Reflection papers
15% Literature review/environmental scan
20% Pathways proposal
15% Grant cycle
15% E-portfolio design and set up
15% E-portfolio semester wrap up
10% Participation
Course
Schedule
Tuesday,
1/21: Introductions to course, ourselves
Thursday,
1/23: Mapping our interests exercise; Twitter workshop
Cluster 1: The Past
This
3-week cluster focuses on salient issues, theories, and ideas gleaned from past
Environmental Studies (and related) courses. Which courses, projects,
experiences, and internships have contributed to your interest in environmental
sustainability? With visits from Career Services, students will reflect upon
past coursework and professional experiences. By the end of the cluster,
students will complete a resume, begin/update a LinkedIn profile, and write a
brief reflection paper.
Cluster 2: The Present
This
4-week cluster asks students to consider their current interests and to map
existing projects and research in these areas. With help from Gleeson
librarians, students will begin working on their literature
reviews/environmental scans. With readings and social media tools, students
will map their various social networks. With visits from the Center for
Instruction and Technology, students will begin designing their e-portfolios.
By the end of the cluster, students will complete a social networks mapping
exercise, their e-portfolio design and set up, and a significant portion of
their lit reviews/environmental scans.
Cluster 3: The Future
This
5-week cluster encourages students to think about the future – their future
Pathways coursework, their future internships and jobs, and their future
contributions to the field of environmental sustainability. To help reach these
visions, students will visit relevant Environmental Studies upper division
courses, meet and interview ENVA professors with related interests, and submit
a grant application related to their area of interest. By the end of the
cluster, students will have completed their lit reviews/environmental scans and
grant cycle. Further, they will have designed, built, and tested their
e-portfolios. Finally, they will turn in a reflection paper on what was learned
and next steps.
Cluster 4: Peer Review
This
2-week cluster asks students to present both their Pathways Proposals and e-portfolios
to their peers and a panel of ENVA professors. Plenty of time will be given for
constructive feedback and discussion. By the end of the cluster, students will
have completed their Pathways Proposals and e-portfolios.
There
is no final in this course.
Attendance Policies
1. Missing class, or attending class
unprepared, will significantly affect your final grade.
2. If you do miss class, contact a
classmate to find out what you missed and ask to borrow her or his notes. Then,
do it again with a different classmate. After doing this, if you have questions
about missed material, visit me during office hours.
3. On days that assignments are due
in class, a complete assignment is your ticket to ride. In other words, if you
have not completed the assignment, do not come to class.
Rules
1. No late work
accepted.
2. In class and on
field trips, no drinking out of non-reusable
containers.
