HPR 411S (3 cr.)

Acts of Survival

Professor Judith Swift

Office Hours: Monday 2-3 p.m., Thursday 1-3 p.m. and by appointment

Office: 874-4809 - E-mail: jswift@uri.edu

Webpage: http://www.uri.edu/artsci/com/swift

Monday, 4-6:45pm
Lippitt 203

Course Description: In-depth study of plays, novels, and films which address questions of sustainability-environment, social equity and economics. Exploration of the power of art and literature to focus on human response to global challenges.

Goals

• To consider what may well be the most compelling issues of our time;
• To engage in a course of study which will reflect our points of difference and consensus;
• To understand how and why a film, novel, play, etc. impacts us as individuals and as a culture;
• To explore themes and their relationship to sustainability;
• To consider how selected works succeed or fail in evoking change;
• To develop a shared vocabulary of analysis, criticism and emotion.

As you will note, there are no assignments or activities listed below.  The work will unfold based on student-selected works.  Once the works are chosen, a schedule will be developed to ensure adequate time to procure any texts, films etc.

General Notes:

There is a significant amount of reading in this class so it is important that you keep up with th reading.  However, this syllabus is subject to change.  I will never change it to make anything due earlier for you.  I expect everyone to check e-mail regularly in order that I can communicate efficiently with all of you.  We will also use the listserv to increase class discussion by posting additional ideas, observations, questions and insights.  If you need to see me, drop by during office hours or call or e-mail and I'll get you in as quickly as possible.

Attendance is expected.  You are honors students and I assume you want the stimulation of class discussion with a professor and your peers.  If you will not attend on a given day, please call or e-mail  Absences will hurt your grade because class participation is an important aspect of my evaluation of your work.

Course Requirements:

• Read and be prepared to contribute to lively discussions of the assigned works and other in-class exercises.
• Write a paper of substance.
• Complete additional short writings, e.g. response papers as assigned.
• Complete a final paper or project as assigned.
• Complete all readings, viewings, listenings.

All writings will, of course, be word-processed and use correct grammar, spelling, etc., with references and resources properly credited. Length is to be adequate to address the assignment.  In other words, you determine the length based on your assessment of how best to complete the task which will be addressed in greater detail in the assignment sheets you will receive for each of the above.

Reading List:

Carson, Rachel; Silent Spring

Hegland, Jean; Into the Forest

Maranon, Jon; The Gringo's Hawk

Porter, Connie; Imani All Mine

Steinbeck, John; Grapes of Wrath

Anderson, Eliza; The Water Principle

Stephen B. Olsen: Ecology and equality -- The world awaits America's resolution http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/projo_20020902_olse.13a68.html

Films:

The Grapes of Wrath

The Mosquito Coast

Suggested resources:

Rocky Mountain Institute is an entrepreneurial, nonprofit organization that fosters the efficient and restorative use of resources to create a more secure, prosperous, and life-sustaining world. http://www.rmi.org/

The World Summit on Sustainable Development. http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/

Grading:

Evaluation will be based on grades of the written and oral projects outlined above and the final project, as well as regular class attendance and participation.

Honor Code: I expect each of you to contribute his/her own work; however, I also encourage you to work together to solve problems, achieve solid analysis, critique performances, and even to prepare and explore the theses of your performances/papers.  I also expect that you will all be direct about crediting yourself and/or others about completed work.  There is nothing wrong with assisting each other.  The only caveat is to acknowledge that assistance.  With regard to group work, you will be required to sign a contract agreeing to be responsible for disclosing the amount of your work and to be forthright about how much you did or did not contribute.  This saves each of you from ever having to be in the awkward position of reporting or covering for another student.  I also know each of you want to be honorable in your individual or group projects.  On the other hand, if a student violates rules pertaining to plagiarism or cheating, I will report that student to the appropriate university authorities.  I will do this because it is no favor to cover for a person who acts dishonestly.  We call this enabling.  It is also unfair to the students in the class who come by their grade honestly.

Special Needs:  If you have any special circumstances arising from a disability, please let me know how I can assist you.  As stated in the University Manual: "The student with a disability shall be responsible for self-identification to the Disability Services for Students in the Office of Student Life, providing appropriate documentation of disability, requesting accommodation in a timely manner, and follow-through regarding accommodations requested."   In other words, it is your responsibility to make arrangements for any special needs and my responsibility to accommodate them with the assistance of the office of Disability Services for Students.

Philosophy of Teaching:  I am interested in an engaging, active partnership of learning in which I rediscover and discover aspects of these works as vehicles for examining human behavior, the imprint of the human footprint on our planet, and the prospect for change. Many scientists believe that the survival of the human species is at risk along with thousands of other species which are disappearing at a rapid rate. Others consider their warnings the childhood story of Chicken Little with dire warnings of "the sky is falling." There are numerous works that address aspects of human interaction with the planet and many range from doomsday warnings to outright horror. The real horror is most likely not in the cataclysmic but in the   I am also interested in these readings and film as a springboard for the exploration of a wide range of topics from historical events to contemporary issues.  The potential for exploring and discovering new paths into the human experience is exciting. However, as I always tell students, just as no one is responsible for our individual happiness but us, no one is responsible for our intellectual excitement.  I can bring mine to the classroom but you also need to be prepared to risk exposing and exploring yours.  Learning should be fun and painful—thinking 'til it hurts—and addictive.  I chose this topic as the result of a the work I have been doing on Sustainability combined with a conversation I had with a group of Honors students.  I remarked that I was fascinated to learn what fiction, nonfiction, film, plays, poetry, etc. can offer toward the solution of the (my belief) crisis with which our planet and species is faced.  We agreed that a class spent studying this topic, which can be life altering, would be time well spent.  It would give us insight into each other’s ways of thinking, values, ideas and intellectual curiosity.  This should be a fabulous experience and your minds will make it so.  To that end, you need to keep the dialogue going with everyone by addressing topics we have or will discuss via e-mail as well as in class.  Be prepared to make a regular posting to the class.  This will keep us thinking all the time.

Listserv: There is a listserv for this class at hpr411p@pete.uri.edu. I will use the listserv to post important notices and extended information on assignments. You may also post to the list but realize that it goes to the entire class. This is useful for questions to which everyone might want the answer. This also allows you to communicate with groups for project work. Papers should not be e-mailed to the list. Send them directly to me at jswift@uri.edu. Please use the list considerately so you do not clutter everyone’s mailboxes with extraneous materials. In this class, however, jokes are not extraneous. Sprinkle them liberally.

Etiquette: Although I am perfectly happy to enjoy the benefits of an informal classroom in which people feel free to speak without the raising of hands and can sit in a less formal arrangement than row-by-row, this informal setting requires a particular adherence to good manners. Quite simply, I expect you all to be respectful of me and of each other. This includes extraneous private commentary between and among students, the use of any telecommunications devices that connect you to the outside world, and the continued courtesy of respectful attention without interruption when others are speaking. We all learned this behavior either at home or in Kindergarten or both. You are the Sesame Street generation - actually the second Sesame Street generation; you grew up with TV shows that taught the value of please and thank you. consider this experience to be one in whch your communication style will be judged and a major part of that judgement is your ability to be courteous on both an interpersonal and group level. I embrace humor; I do not embrace disruption. I am utterly intolerant of any student being harshly judgemental or making fun of a fellow student. I expect you are all courteous people at heart and will have absolutely no difficulty in meeting and exceeding these expectations.

Outside Events: If the class agrees, we will go to New York to see Urinetown, a cult hit that gained momentum and moved to Broadway. The show revolves around a severe water shortage that has resulted in companies that profit on people's need to eliminate waste (the pun is not accidental). The show is a musical with Brechtian overtones and utterly brilliant.