Nature/Nexus 2007-2008
English & Religious Studies 456 / Instructors:
Mr. Chad Evans & Mr. Paul Totah
THE PROGRAM: Nature/Nexus is a full-year interdisciplinary program that explores connections in English and Religion that we discover through the study and experience of nature. We study nature because we are curious about it, and that leads both to a creative response (literature and art) and a spiritual response (prayer and a feeling of connectedness to the divine).
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Students will experience nature first-hand through weekly field trips, read texts that examine the literary quest for meaning through nature, and begin (or continue) their own quests for meaning through their own writing. Students will also explore the sources for ecological living within the traditions of the world’s religions. In addition, 456 has a demanding praxis component; we put theory into practice as we learn how best to care for the earth. Thus, in addition to reading novels and poems, students will write poetry, short stories and essays and keep a journal based on their own experience of nature and their reflections based on those experiences. This academic year we will have a special focus on the important issue of global climate change.
Course Objectives: By the end of the course, the student will be able to
• see how the three disciplines of ecology, literature and religious studies are inspired by and related to each other through the study of nature;
• write of that relationship in essays, short stories and poetry;
• learn critical skills such as scientific observation and inductive and deductive logic and how to apply those skills to the creative process and to the student's own spiritual life; and
• appreciate the complex wonder of the natural world, draw creative inspiration from this appreciation, feel a sense of connectedness to God through nature (to find God in all things), and engender a sense of stewardship — of responsibility — as caretakers of the natural world.
STRUCTURE: The course is divided into the following units: Foundations, Dystopia; Sense of Place, Consumerism, Food, Water and Heroes & Alternatives. Central to the entire course is the notion of stewardship, which will come into play both in terms of academic work and volunteer efforts.
REQUIRED TEXTS: The Nature/Nexus Reader, A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean; In Our Nature, edited by Donna Seaman, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (summer reading) and one text chosen from a Winter Break list supplied by the instructors.
REQUIRED MATERIALS: You will also be required to bring to every class a binder (to hold the reader), a notebook in which you can copy the day's assignments and keep your class notes and hand-outs, and something with which to write. Also, you must bring your field notebook on each field trip to take field notes and write first drafts of essays and poems. In effect, the field notebook will serve as a writing journal. Be prepared to turn this in for review. This is an essential part of the course and is a graded assignment.
Homework: All written assignments must be typed on letter-sized standard paper, double-spaced, and in accordance with the English Department style sheet. Expect to write at least one 1–2-page work every week — either a brief essay, story or collection of poems. You may revise any or all creative papers if you choose. We encourage you to rewrite and resubmit your creative essays not so much because your grade will dramatically improve (which it will), but because it is the best way to improve your writing. A majority of homework time will consist of reading in preparation for writing and class discussion.
Late Papers and Make-up Tests: Late papers will not be accepted. If you are absent, you must submit your essay by the second day after your return to school. Tests and quizzes missed because of absence must be made up within one week after your return to class. Making up assignments missed within the allotted time is your responsibility. One-day extensions may be granted twice each semester if the student requests the extension at least 24 hours prior to the assignment due date.
Office Hours: Mr. Totah: M, W–F, 5th period & 2:30-4 p.m. in room 206 in the Jesuit Residence or by appointment; Mr. Evans: M-Th 7-8 a.m. & 5th period in room 211 (RS office) or by appointment.
Fall semester Grade:
Class Participation 15% A+ = 100%–96.8%, A = 96.7%–92.8%, A- = 92.7%–89.8%,
Writing 30% B+ = 89.7%-86.8%, B = 86.7%–82.8%, B- = 82.7%–79.8%,
Field Notebook 10% C+ = 79.7%-76.8%, C = 76.7%–72.8%, C- = 72.7%–69.8%,
Reading Quizzes 25% D+ = 69.7%–67.8%, D = 67.7%–66.8%, D- = 66.7%–64.8%,
Synthesis Projects 10% F = 64.7% and less.
Semester Exam 10%
Class Participation: You will be graded on both class and field trip participation, including the quality of your discussion, note taking and questioning.
Writing: Each week you will be responsible for a short written work alternating between critical and creative writing. The creative piece may include a brief essay, a work of micro-fiction (a very brief short story), one long poem or several short poems. You may rewrite any or all of these works as often as you wish.
Creative Options
Essay: Just as the authors we will study observe the natural world, reflect on their own lives, and see connections, so, too, may you do the same. Feel free to write very personal subjective essays that deal primarily with your own life, objective essays that focus on the field trip site in general or on one plant or animal we studied, or essays that are both objective and subjective. For the first type, it is possible to write about your own self in the context of the natural world, as you will discover as you read the assigned authors. At any point during the semester, feel free to substitute any essay with your college essay.
Micro-fiction: You may also try your hand at short fiction that may or may not have a basis in actual events. With this kind of paper, keep in mind that it is less plot-driven (with the resolution of a conflict) than character-driven, where you seek to reveal character through the character's relationship with the setting.
Poetry: You will read enough nature poetry to offer you numerous models. As with the above, you need to root your writing in the specific language of nature. See the rules below for more help.
Critical Essays: You will be required from time to time to write critical essays responding to the class projects, readings and field trips. These are formal essays asking for introduction, body and conclusion with supporting evidence from various sources.
Field Notebook: At least once each quarter we will collect your field notebook and give it a grade. High-scoring notebooks will contain the following for each field trip: lists of native and non-native flora & fauna, lessons learned at each field site, sketches and rubbings, and pertinent lesson and vocabulary with definitions.
Reading Quizzes: The reading quizzes are designed to determine if you read and understood the work.
Stewardship Work: It’s not enough to talk about stewardship; our goal is to help you become stewards of the planet. Towards this end, you will work on an individual project for the first semester and a class project for the second semester.
Synthesis Projects: After each unit, we will give you the opportunity to share with us the fruits of what you have learned through essays or activities that show you have mastered the material for each unit; these papers or activities will also ask you to think about how you will translate those lessons through the way you live your life.
Semester Exams: These are cumulative tests that ask you, in essay form, to discuss how the course has helped you grow and to document that growth with evidence from the readings, field trips, class projects and your own writing. These are open-book, open-note tests.
OUR HOPE
Our hope is that this course will lead you to a closer relationship with God through a better understanding of yourself and your place in the world. We also hope that you will work actively now and in the future to make our planet a healthier, holier place than it is today. In short, we hope that this course helps you to become saints and to save the world.
Towards that end, this course seeks to help you develop
- A sense of place — of where you live and what lives near you, from the microscopic to the macroscopic;
- A sense of interconnectedness — that you are tied to all living things and that your actions have far-reaching and immediate consequences;
- A sense of stewardship — that you need to change your behavior and encourage societal change that we might, quite literally, save the world.
Nature/Nexus Foundations Unit Calendar 2007
FOUNDATIONS
Week 2 Sept. 4-6
Day 1 Writing Workshop #1 (purpose & critical essay); Writing #1 due (poem or essay or story that stems from field trip)
Day 2 Prior Knowledge Discussion & Intro to “Earth in Mind” David Orr
Day 3 “Earth in Mind” David Orr
Week 3 Sept. 10-14
Day 1 Writing Workshop #2 (words & poetryA) Writing #2 due (critical response to Earth in Mind)
Day 2 “The Ecological Crisis” by Pope John Paul II & “CST & Environmental Ethics” by USCC
Day 3 FT Boris at Lobos Creek
Day 4 “Helping the Catholic Church Tackle Alaska’s Subsistence Debate”
Week 4 Sept. 17-21
Day 1 Writing Workshop #3 (sentences & structure): Writing #3 due (creative)
Day 2 myfootprint.org & Genesis 1:1-2:3- Scripture Project assigned
Day 3 FT: Mori Point Stewardship
Day 4 “Consider the Lilies of the Field” by Sally McFague
Week 5 Sept. 24-28
Day 1 Scripture Project Discussion & Writing #4 scripture project due & introduce Synthesis Paper #1
Day 2 “The Land Ethic” by Aldo Leopold
Day 3 FT: Leave at start of recess for San Bruno Mtn.
Day 4 “The Land Ethic” by Aldo Leopold
Week 6 Oct. 1-5
Day 1 Show Film (In Light of Reverence part I)
Day 2 WW Synthesis Paper #1 (Personal Land Ethic) due & sharing of land ethic
DYSTOPIA
Day 3 FT: (Read Hunter’s Point readings) Heron’s Head &
Day 4 Essential Question discussion & “A Deeper Shade of Green” by Bill McKibben
Week 7 Oct. 8-12
Day 1 Writing # 6 (creative) “Weeds” from In Our Nature,
Day 2 “Needless Havoc” from Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Day 3 FT: Crissy Field
Day 4 News Story “The Environmental Consequences of War” handout & video Hidden Wars of Desert Storm
Week 8 Oct. 15
Day 1 WW: Writing #7 (creative/Dystopia fable) Terry Lee guest speaker
Quarter Break
Week 9 Oct. 22-26
Day 1 “A Hotter California” from SF Chronicle
Day 2 Weather Maker poster presentation
A SENSE OF PLACE
Day 3 FT- Twin Peaks, “History of San Francisco” by John McGloin, sj: Brower Youth Awards: 7:00 PM
Day 4 No class- Day off from Brower Youth Awards
Week 10 Oct. 29-Nov. 2
Day 1 Discuss Unit Q’s: Bioregional Quiz; “Swamp Boy” from In Our Nature Writing # 8 (creative)
Day 2 Assembling California p. 3-11, 285-302 & Geologic charts
Day 3 FT Mussel Rock
Day 4 “The Sierra Nevada” by John Muir and “The World Famous Franciscan Complex” by Doris Sloan
Week 11 Nov. 5-9
Day 1 Writing # 9 (creative); Bay Area Map Project (BAMP) work day
Day 2 “The Open Lot” from In Our Nature BAMP work day
Day 3 FT Grace Cathedral
Day 4 Bay Area Map Project: Presentations
Week 12 Nov. 12-16
Day 1 Ohlone Way: “Land and Animals,” & “Ohlone Village”
CONSUMERISM
Day 2 “Save the World for My Five Children;” Born to Buy p 9-17 & 69-83 & PPT slides
Day 3 FT Cathedral of Consumerism
Day 4 Born to Buy p 91-97, 141-143 & 172-175
Week 13 Nov. 19-21
Day 1 Neighborhood paper & presentations
Day 2 “Everything Is About Animals” from In Our Nature; “Does Conservation Matter to the Poor” by Jeffrey Sachs
Week 14 Nov. 26-30
Day 1 Writing #10 (creative) Black Gold part I
Day 2 Finish Black Gold II & Consumer Product Project assigned
Day 3 FT SI Commons & Rubbish p 3-13, Trash Survey assigned
Day 4 “From Waste to Wonder” by Natan Margalit, p 68-71 & “Corn Plastic to the Rescue” by Elizabeth Royte
Week 15 Dec. 3-7
Day 1 Writing #11 (critical-Trash Bag Reflection) & workday on Consumer Project
Day 2 “The Singer Solution to World Hunger” by Peter Singer
Day 3 FT Transfer Station
Day 4 News Story “A Gospel Lifestyle in a Consumer Society” by Rembert Weakland; “The Garden of Simplicity” by Duane Elgin & “Easy Essays” by Peter Maurin
Week 16 Dec. 10-12
Day 1 Writing # 12 (critical) Consumer Product Research Project Papers & Presentations “Sages for Sale” by Susan Linn, and final exam review
Day 2 Guest Speaker: Larry Purcell
Day 3 Final Exams
FOOD UNIT
Week 1 Jan. 7-11
Day 1 Return Finals, Review of consumerism project (Story of Stuff, Garbage Article, Christmas discussion)
Day 2 Tragedy of the Commons Activity
Day 3 FT Turtle Hill (Conservatory in case of rain)
Day 4 Writing Workshop #1 Adam Greenberg & Book Project Division of assignments
Week 2 Jan. 14-18
Day 1 Book Unit Discussion
Day 2 “Lily’s Chicken’s” by Barbara Kingsolver & “What Would Jesus Eat?”
Day 3 FT- Produce Terminal
Day 4 Writing Workshop #2 Tony & Rea
Week 3 Jan. 22-24
Day 1 “The Oil We Eat” by Richard Manning and questions (turn in typed answers)
Day 2 “Power Steer” by Michael Pollan or “Swine of the Times” by Nathanel Johnson
Day 3 “Paying Attention to Food” by Stephanie Kaza, “Chews Wisely” by Samuel Fromartz & “Miles to Go Before You Eat” by Paul Rauber
Week 4 Jan. 28-Feb. 1
Day 1Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser- Introduction & Chapter 1 Writing #1 due (creative)
Day 2 FFN chapter 2 & Assign Food Unit Synthesis Project
Day 3 FT Mori Point Planting
Day 4 Writing Workshop 3: Adrienne & Gabe & FFN chapter 3
Week 5 Feb. 4-8
Day 1 FFN chapters 4 &5; Writing #2 due (creative)
Day 2 FFN Chapters 6 & 7
Day 3 Writer’s Workshop 4 Kathryn & Michael
Day 4 FFN Chapter 8 & FT (watch Supersize Me both 5th lunch & 2nd)
Week 6 Feb. 11-15
Day 1 FFN Chapter 9; Writing #3 due (creative)
Day 2 FFN Chapter 10
Day 3 FT to a farm
Day 4 WW #5: Andrew & Abigail; FFN Epilogue
Week 7 Feb. 19-22
Day 1 FFN Afterward; Writing #4 due (Synthesis Project reflection)
Day 2 “Lost in the Supermarket” & watch first half of King Corn in class
Day 3 FT Feast of Nexus & finish King Corn
Water Unit
Week 8 Feb. 25-29
Day 1 A Dangerous Place by Mark Reisner p 1-38
Day 2 A Dangerous Place by Mark Reisner p 38-58 & Cadillac Desert
Day 3 FT: Bay Model
Day 4 WW # 6 (Cara & Alexi)
Week 9 March 3-7 Midterm Week
Day 1 Activity Day Hetch Hetchy; John Muir, Don Hodel, John Garamendi
Day 2 “DamNation,” “Water is the Blue Soul of the Planet,” and “Troubled Waters”
QUARTERBREAK
Week 10 March 10-14 Kairos 3/11-14
Day 1 Writing # 5 Due (Critical: Hetch Hetchy Debate)
Day 2 “California Farmers Want to Sell Water,” “Green Lagoons” by Aldo Leopold and Cadillac Desert
Day 3 FT Mountain Lake: Background readings on Mountain Lake and Lobos Creek
Day 4 WW # 7 (Elisa & Justin)
Week 11 March 17-21 Holy Week
Day 1 Writing # 6 Due (Creative) (Stewardship Project Work?)
Day 2 Stewardship Project Work
Wednesday, March 19th All-Day FT to Bair Island, Redwood City
Easter Break March 20-30
Week 12 March 31-April 4
Day 1 A River Runs Through It p 1-25
Day 2 A River Runs Through It p 26-51
Day 3 FT Lake Merced
Day 4 WW # 8 (Natalie & Stephen)
Week 13 April 7-11 Tuesday 4/8 Meeting Day
Day 1 Writing # 7 (Critical: Lake Merced Use Plan) A River Runs Through It p. 52-77
Day 2 A River Runs Through It p. 78-104
Day 3 FT Casting Ponds
Day 4 WW # 9 (Melissa & Giana)
Week 14 April 14-18 Tuesday 4/15 Meeting Day Kairos 4/15-4/18
Day 1 Writing #8 (Critical: Water Unit Synthesis: Letter to Elected Official) Stewardship Project Work
Day 2 State of the Ocean reading Sea to Summit: Video on Watersheds & Oceans
Day 3 FT Ocean Beach
Day 4 WW # 10 (Adeline)
Week 15 April 21-25 Activity Schedule 4/21, 4/22, 4/23 Magazine Holiday 4/25
Day 1 “Energizing America” by Bill McKibben/ Assign Alternative Energy Project
Day 2 “Light’s Out!” by Jason Mark and “Un-American Activity” by Mark Jenkins
Day 3 Stewardship Project Work Day
School-Wide Eco-Day Thursday, April 24
Week 16 April 28-May 2
Day 1 Debrief Eco-Day/ Alternative Energy Project Workday
Day 2 Alternative Energy Project Workday
Day 3 FT Glen Canyon Park
Day 4 Writing # 8 (Critical: Alternative Energy) Alternative Energy Presentations
Heroes & Alteratives Unit
Week 17 May 5-9
Day 1 Brower/ Monumental
Day 2 Wangaari Matthai
Day 3 FT Arboretum
Day 4 “A Life of Sharing” “Acorn Harvest” “The Seed Meadow” from Ohlone Way/ Assign Final Exam
Week 18 May 12-16 5/15 Faculty In-service
Day 1 SI Eco-Heroes: Melissa Hansell/ Ryan Jones/ Claire Beyer/ Helmut Schmidt/ Cal & Alex Trembath/ Michelle Marvier (SCU Environmental Studies)
Day 2 Heroes continued (Visit “Green” house with Helmut)
Day 3 FT Crissy Field Trip: Picnic
Week 19 May 19-23 Activity Schedule 5/19, 5/20, 5/21
Day 1 Senior Sneak
Day 2 Final Exam Due: Jensen Chapel
Day 3 Senior Day