ENST 476.01A: Environmental Citizenship - Service Learning

University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Syllabi Course Syllabi 1-2014 ENST 476.01A: Environmental Citizenship Service Learning Robin K. Saha University of Montana - Missoula, robin.saha@umontana.edu Let us know how access to this document benefits you. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi Recommended Citation Saha, Robin K., "ENST 476.01A: Environmental Citizenship - Service Learning" (2014). Syllabi. 740. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi/740 This Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Course Syllabi at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Syllabi by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact scholarworks@mso.umt.edu. ENST 476 / CCS 4 8 5 - Service Learning E n v i r o n m e n t a l C it iz e n s h ip Mon. 11:10 am - Noon & Wed. 11:10 am - 1:00 pm CHEM 102 Spring 2014 To im prove is to change. To be perfect is to change often. — W inston Churchill Robin Saha Office: JRH 018 (basement) Office Hours: Tues., 1:30-3:30; Wed., 1:15-2:15 pm; and by appt. Email: robin.sahaffium ontana.edu P h o n e :243-6285 Course Description Students in this course w ill develop and w ork tow ard actualizing a personal vision o f environm ental citizenship. The course allows students to th in k deeply about citizenship aptitudes and attitudes to move society tow ard a m ore environm entally, socially, and economically sustainable path. W e w ill consider the virtues, duties, rights and responsibilities o f environm ental citizens as well as th e skills fo r participating effectively, individually and collectively, as environm ental citizens. Learning in th e course occurs prim arily through th e experience o f planning, carrying out, and reflecting on th e process o f developing student-initiated environm ental citizenship projects and campaigns. Students w ill w ork in small teams and choose from tw o types o f environm ental citizenship projects th a t support: (1) environm entally responsible (sustainable) choices and behaviors o f individuals; or (2) sustainable policies or programs o f the university, local governm ent, or business. Projects w ill be inform ed by the principles and techniques o f com m unity organizing as well as by social m arketing techniques fo r fostering individual behavioral change and policy change. Social m arketing is an approach th a t involves using research and analysis o f (perceived and actual) barriers to and benefits o f participating in environm entally responsible behaviors to develop strategies to encourage lasting behavior change. Students are encouraged to w ork on campus sustainability projects. Due to the high degree o f public salience and urgency o f clim ate change, opportunities related to clim ate change w ill be encouraged and supported. Although students w ill utilize th e ir own research in developing th e ir campaign and project plans, support is also provided through relevant readings, guest speakers, and feedback from the class and instructor on team plans and proposals. In order to develop leadership skills critical to effective citizenship, a num ber o f practical skill-building trainings w ill be offered in topics such as team -building, running effective meetings, group decision making, citizen lobbying, event organizing, recruiting volunteers, pow er mapping and fram ing environm ental messages. Others student-initiated topics may be added to provide fu rth e r support fo r student projects. By the end o f the course students w ill have: ■ Developed an understanding and appreciation of citizenship roles and skills fo r w orking individually and collectively. ENST 476 / CCS 485 Environmental Citizenship / Spring 2014 / Page 1 ■ Developed a personal citizenship vision and pursued th a t vision by planning and reflecting on a team project or campaign. ■ Gained experience and developed skills in conducting social m arketing research and planning a social m arketing campaign or sim ilar project to encourage others to participate in sustainable behaviors or to influence environm ental policy and institutional change. ■ Developed or enhanced leadership skills such as running meetings; making group decisions; organizing, planning, and publicizing events; fram ing and com m unicating messages; and preparing public education materials. ■ Developed confidence as an active and effective environm ental citizen, a personal com m itm ent to continuing participation, and a sense o f civic entrepreneurship. Requirements Success in th e course requires: • Regular attendance and active participation in class, especially in leadership trainings. • Cooperative and productive team project w ork and availability to m eet w ith your group outside of class w ith peers and instructor as needed. • Being prepared to discuss the assigned readings, i.e., share thoughts, critiques, reactions, and questions about the readings. • A belief th a t self-exam ination and reflection can lead to personal and professional grow th and a willingness to fo llo w through on th a t belief. • A willingness to put yourself in challenging situations to learn and grow. • Effective participation in a social m arketing campaign plan or another closely related team project, including being available to m eet w ith your group outside o f class. • Completing all assignments including individual and group assignments, in-class exercises, a self­ reflection of your participation in the team project, and your evaluation o f your team members. If you are unable to fu lfill any o f these requirem ents, please discuss your concerns w ith me as soon as you can. Definition of Service Learning This course has the "Service Learning" designation. Service Learning is a m ethod o f teaching and learning in which students, faculty and com m unity partners w ork to gethe r to enhance student learning by applying academic knowledge in a com m unity-based setting. Student w ork addresses th e needs of the com m unity, as identified through collaboration w ith campus, com m unity or tribal partners, w hile meeting instructional objectives through faculty-structured service w ork and critical reflection m eant to prepare students to be civically responsible members o f the com m unity. A t its best, service learning enhances and deepens students' understanding o f an academic discipline by facilitating th e integration o f theory and practice, w hile providing them w ith experience th a t develops life skills and engages them in critical reflection about individual, institutional, and social ethics. ENST 476 / CCS 485 Environmental Citizenship / Spring 2014 / Page 2 Class and Attendance The class fo rm a t w ill be a mix o f discussion, trainings, lectures, in-class w ritin g exercises, guest speakers, small group activities, training sessions, and student presentations. A good deal of class tim e also w ill be devoted to planning and coordinating team projects. A Note on Class A ttendance: Attendance is vitally im portant to your learning and th e success o f your team project and w ill count fo r a good portion o f your participation grade in th e class. If you miss class fo r w hatever reason are expected to n otify the instructor and your project team members beforehand or as soon as possible thereafter. Absence w ill not be accepted as an excuse fo r missed assignments. "M ake up" assignments w ill generally not be offered. A Note on Email Com m unication: You are expected to use your Grizmail account to com m unicate w ith the instructor. Please be sure to m aintain your account so you can send and receive emails, and check it regularly. Drop Deadlines and Procedures You may drop th e course on CyberBear and receive a refund until Feb. 14 at 5:00 pm. From Feb. 15 to Apr. 7, you need to com plete a Drop/Add form signed by your academic advisor and the instructor, though you w ill not receive a refund, w ill need to pay a $10 fee, and w ill get a "W " on your transcript. A fter Apr. 7 and until May 9, you must petition to drop and get the above signatures and th e Dean's signature, and a "W P" or "W F" w ill appear on your transcript. You cannot drop the class during final's week. See: http://w w w .um t.edu/registrar/form s/pdf/S pring2014R egistrationD eadlineC hart.pdf Description of Assignments Short descriptions o f the assignments are provided below. Additional instructions w ill be provided handouts and discussed in class. 1. Citizenship Vision Essay: The purpose o f this assignment is to develop your personal environm ental citizenship vision. This w ill include an inventory and assessment o f the status o f your environm ental citizenship activities and experiences. You w ill also assess your leadership qualities, strengths, and weaknesses, and identify specific citizenship and leadership skills and areas o f personal grow th you w ould like to develop in this course and beyond. 2. Short Hom ework Assignments: Several short hom ew ork assignments involve using th e assigned readings and preparing fo r in-class exercises and discussion. 3. Issue Assessment H om ew ork: For this hom ework, you w ill identify a current issue th a t m ight form the basis fo r group projects and conduct a "quick and d irty " investigation into the issue, identify stakeholders, and assess progress to-date, obstacles to and opportunities fo r fu rth e r progress. 4. Group Projects: This m ajor assignment w ill consist o f developing a cam pus/com m unity project or campaign designed either to foster sustainable behavior in others or to advocate fo r or create policy or institutional change. You can choose from a w ide range o f projects and techniques, provided they have a research com ponent and are inform ed by social m arketing principles. Projects m ight include a: to o l fo r citizen decision making; a grant proposal; social m arketing materials; lobbying or advocacy campaign; policy forum to prom ote public education or dialogue; another special event you organize, ENST 476 / CCS 485 Environmental Citizenship / Spring 2014 / Page 3 a rally, dem onstration, or the like. Campaigns/projects may utilize a variety o f media such as the print, Internet, radio, video, etc. Cam paign/projects are to be student-initiated. That means you and your peers are expected to develop project goals and objectives. Campaigns and projects w ill provide an o p p o rtu n ity to develop your citizenship skills and w ill be carried out in phases, each o f which has a specific assignment and due date (see below): (1) Campaign /Project Draft Goals and Objectives; (2) Campaign Plans / Project Proposals; (3) Revised Campaign Plans / Project Proposals; (4) Progress Reports; and (5) Final Report and Presentation. All materials to be publicly distributed, such as surveys and fliers, regardless o f the media (print, radio, video, etc.). must be cleared by the instructor before th e ir release. Teams w ill conduct some project w ork in class, periodically give oral progress reports, and give a final report at th e end of the term . 5. Campaign / Project Presentations: A t th e end o f th e semester teams w ill report to th e rest o f the class about your cam paign/project. 6. Campaign / Project P ortfolio: Also at th e end o f the semester, your team w ill assemble and subm it all o f th e materials developed as part o f your campaign or project, including your: (1) statem ent o f goals and objectives; (2) project proposal; (3) revised proposal; (4) final report o f accom plishm ent and an evaluation o f th e success and challenges o f th e cam paign/project; and (5) docum entation and supporting m aterials used and developed during your cam paign/project. 7. Citizenship/Leadership Reflection Essay: For this individual assignment, you w ill reflect on the citizenship experiences o f the semester, assess your leadership and contributions to your team project. 8. Peer Evaluation: For this assignment, you w ill evaluate th e contributions of your peers to the group project. Note Regarding Climate Change Studies M inor Students Students wishing to use this course to count tow ard the clim ate studies m inor, specifically the "solutions" requirem ent are expected to carry o u t a term project approved by the instructor th a t is explicitly related to clim ate change solutions such as an energy conservation campaign or a Kless Revolving Energy Loan Fund (KRELF) grant proposal. Grading and Evaluation Course grades w ill be based on: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Class participation - 10% H om ework assignments - 10% Citizenship vision essay- 10% Issue assessment - 5% Campaign / Project - 40% Campaign /P roject Portfolio - 10% Citizenship/Leadership Reflection Essay - 10% Peer Evaluation - 5% ENST 476 / CCS 485 Environmental Citizenship / Spring 2014 / Page 4 Class participation grade is based on attendance, class preparation, active participation in class, and your contributions to in-class team project w ork. Both the instructor's assessment o f your contributions to the team project and your peers' evaluation w ill be heavily w eighted. Extra Credit One extra credit o p p o rtu n ity w ill be offered th a t is w o rth up to an addition of 2.5% to your course grade: attend a public hearing before th e M ontana Legislature's Energy and Telecom m unications Interim Com m ittee in Helena on Friday, March 21 (see: h ttp ://leg.m t.g ov/css/C om m ittees/lnterim /20132014/Energy-and-Telecom m unications/default.asp). To receive credit you must w rite up a reaction paper in which you summarize the experience and o ffe r com ments related to environm ental citizenship in general and class projects. You may also be asked to share your experiences and thoughts about the meeting in class. Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Academic honesty and integrity requires th a t all w ork subm itted is your own unless accurately a ttributed to verifiable sources. Plagiarism w ill not be tolerated. If you have any doubts about plagiarism, i.e., representing another person's w ork as your own, or citing o f the w ork o f others, please confer w ith the instructor or refer to the Academic Policies and Procedures in the University Catalog, which states "Students who plagiarize m ay fa il the course and m ay be rem anded to Academic Court fo r possible suspension or expulsion." Students with Disabilities If you are a student w ith a disability and wish to discuss reasonable accomm odations fo r this course, contact me privately to discuss th e specific m odifications you wish to request. Please be advised I may request th a t you provide a le tte r from Disability Services fo r Students verifying your right to reasonable m odifications. If you have not yet contacted Disability Services, located in Lommasson Center 154, please do so in order to verify your disability and to coordinate your reasonable m odifications. For more inform ation, visit the Disability Services w ebsite at h ttp ://life .u m t.e d u /d s s. Readings There is one required book, a copy o f which w ill be on 4 hour reserve at th e Mansfield Circulation Desk: M cKenzie-Mohr, Doug. 2011. Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social M arketing 3rd Edition. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers. O ther required readings w ill be available on E-Res through th e Mansfield Library w ebsite (see: h ttp ://eres.lib .um t.edu/eres/defau lt.aspx). The course password is: "ENST476." Please bring all readings w ith you to class fo r the day they are assigned. Course Schedule and Topics Some adjustm ents to the course schedule may be needed to suit the needs o f the class. These are announced in class. Students w ho are late, miss class, or leave early are responsible fo r finding o u t about updates. ENST 476 / CCS 485 Environmental Citizenship / Spring 2014 / Page 5 WEEK 1 Mon. 1 /2 7 -C o u rs e Introduction Wed. 1/29 - Citizenship in an Age o f Individualism and Cynicism Homework #1 Due Jensen, Derrick. 2009. "Forget Shorter Showers." Orion (July/August) h ttp ://w w w .o rionm a gazine.org/index.p hp/articles/article/4801 / Maniates, Michael. 2000. "Individualization: Plant a Tree, Buy a Bike, Save the W orld?" Pp. 43-66 in Confronting Consumption. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press Loeb, Paul Rogat. 2002. "W hat's W rong w ith Cynicism." Earth Island Journal 17(3):32-34. WEEK 2 Mon. 2/3 - Citizenship and Civic Participation Citizenship Vision Essay Due Isaac, Katherine 1992. "Techniques fo r Participation." Pp. 157-180 in Civics fo r Democracy. W ashington D.C.: Essential Inform ation. Wed. 2/5 -G reen Consumerism Homework #2 due TerraChoice. 2009. The Seven Sins o f Greenwashing: Environm ental Claims in Consumer Markets. A uthor. Golden, Jay S. (Ed.). 2010. An Overview o f Ecolabels and Sustainability Certification in the Global M arketplace. Nicholas Institute fo r Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University. [Read Executive Summary only] Optional Gardner, Gerald T. and Paul C. Stern. 2008. "The Short List: The M ost Effective Actions U.S. Households Can Take to Curb Climate Change." Environment 50(5): 12-24. Upham, Paul, Leonie Dendler, and Mercedes Bleda. 2011. "Carbon Labeling o f Grocery Products: Public Perception and Potential Emission Reductions. Journal o f Clean Production 19: 348-355. WEEK 3 Mon. 2/10 - C onfronting Climate Change at The University o f M ontana Homework #3 due Last Name A-L Read: Peacock, Cherie and Erica Bloom. 2010. The University o f M ontana Climate Action Plan. The University o f M ontana, Missoula, M ontana [Read Executive Summary and Sections 1, 5-7, pp. 1-9 and pp. 57-78]. Available at: http://w w w .um t.edu/greeningum /U M % 20C lim ate% 20A ction% 20P lan/default.aspx Last Name M-Z Read: Olsen, Chris, Michaela Finnegan, and Alia M ulder. 2013. "U niversity o f M ontana Carbon Offsets Use." Carbon Offset Initiative Network, University o f M ontana, Missoula. ENST 476 / CCS 485 Environmental Citizenship / Spring 2014 / Page 6 Wed. 2/12 - Issue Identification M inieri, Joan and Paul Getsos. 2007. "Identifying th e Right Issue." Pp. 129-144 in Tools fo r Radical Democracy: How To Organize fo r Power in Your Community. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. WEEK 4 Mon. 2/17 - Presidents Day - No Class Wed. 2/19 - Fundamentals o f (Environmental) Organizing Issue Assessment Assignment Due Alinsky, Saul. 1971. "The Education o f an Organizer." Pp. 63-84 in Rules fo r Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer fo r Realistic Radicals. New York: Vantage Books. Bobo, Kim, Jackie Kendal, Steve Max. 2001. "Fundamentals o f Direct Action Organizing." Pp. 8-21 in Organizing fo r Social Change: M idw est Academy M anual fo r Activists. Arlington, VA: Seven Locks Press. WEEK 5 Mon. 2/24 - Introduction to Social M arketing Fostering Sustainable Behavior - p. 1-39 (Fostering Sustainable Behavior; Steps 1 and 2 - Selecting Behaviors and Identifying Barriers and Benefits). Landers, J., M itchell, P., Smith, B., Lehman, T., & Conner, C. 2006. "'Save the Crabs, Then Eat Em'. A Culinary Approach to Saving th e Chesapeake Bay." Social M arketing Q uarterly 12(1):37-41. Wed. 2 /2 6 -S o c ia l M a rk e tin g / Campaign Planning W orkshop W estern Organization o f Resource Councils. 1994. "H o w to ... Develop a W inning Strategy." Billings, MT. WEEK 6 Mon. 3/3 -P ro je c t / Campaign Goal-Setting In-class exercise Wed. 3/5 - Power Mapping / Force Field Exercise Homework #4 Due M inieri, Joan and Paul Getsos. 2007. "Researching the Politics o f an Issue." Pp. 155-173 in Tools fo r Radical Democracy: How To Organize fo r Power in Your Community. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. ENST 476 / CCS 485 Environmental Citizenship / Spring 2014 / Page 7 WEEK 7 Mon. 3/10 - Running Meetings / Group Decision Making Campaign / Project Draft Goals and Objectives Due Bobo, Kim, Jackie Kendal, and Steve Max. 2001. "Planning and Facilitating M eetings." Pp. 128-139 in Organizing fo r Social Change: M idw est Academy M anual fo r Activists. Authors. Arlington, VA: Seven Locks Press. Forsyth, Donelson R. 1985. "Effective Group Meetings and Decision M aking." Pp. 91- 98 in W orking fo r Peace. Neil W oolm an, editor. San Luis Obispo, CA: Impact Publishers. Also see: "Decision Making: Advantages and Disadvantages o f D ifferent M ethods" h ttp ://c rs .u v m .e d U /g o p h e r/n e rl/g ro u p /b /g /e x e rc is e ll.h tm l . "5 Handy Tips to Facilitate Group Decision M aking" h ttp ://w w w .p s v c h o lo g y a fric a .c o m /2 0 1 0 /ll/5 handv-tips-to-facilitate-group-decision-m aking/ Wed. 3/12 -T eam -B uilding / Group Dynamics Campaign Plans / Project Proposals Due (written proposals and presentations) AmeriCorps*VISTA. 2006. "Building Cohesive Teams." Corporation fo r National and C om m unity Service. [Read p. 3-25] Also see: "Forming, Storming, Norming and Perform ing" http://w w w .m indtools.com /pages/article/new LD R 86.htm . WEEK 8 Mon. 3/17 - Social M arketing (continued) Fostering Sustainable Behavior - p. 41-92 (Step 3: Com m itm ent, Social Norms, Social Diffusion, and Prompts) Griskevicius, Vladas, Robert B. Cialdini, and Noah J. Goldstein. 2008. "Social Norms: An Underestim ated and Underem ployed Lever fo r Managing Climate Change." International Journal o f Sustainable Communication 3: 5-13. Wed. 3/19 - Campaign Recruitm ent / Messaging M inieri, Joan and Paul Getsos. 2007. "Recruiting Constituents fo r Collective A ction." Pp. 37-60 in Tools fo r Radical Democracy. WEEK 9 Mon. 3/24 - W ork Day Wed. 3/26 - Presentations Revised Campaign Plans /Project Proposals Due .......................................................... SPRING BREAK.......................................................... (no class 3 /3 1 and 4 /2 ) ENST 476 / CCS 485 Environmental Citizenship / Spring 2014 / Page 8 WEEK 10 Mon. 4/7 - Topic To Be Announced Wed. 4 /9 - Lobbying W estern Organization o f Resource Councils. 2006. "H o w to Influence Public Officials." Billings, MT: WORC. Available at http://w w w .w orc.org/u serfiles/lnfluence-P ublic-O fficia ls.pdf. Richan, W illard C. 1996. "Lobbying One-on-One." Pp. 143-178 in Lobbying fo r Social Change, 2nd ed. New York: The Haworth Press. Recommended Richan, W illard C. 1996. "In tro d u ctio n ." Pp. 1-16 in Lobbying fo r Social Change. WEEK 11 Mon. 4/14 - Leadership Styles "Leadership Styles" (read all types) http://changingm inds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/leadership styles.htm Wed. 4/16 - Campaign / Project Progress Reports (class presentations) WEEK 12 Mon. 4/21 - Campaign / Project Progress Reports (class presentations) Wed. 4/23 - C ommunications / Media Outreach W orkshop Moser, Suzanne C. 2009. "C om m unication Strategies." Pp. in Ignition: W hat You Can Do To Fight Global W arm ing and Spark a M ovem ent. Jonathan Isham and Sissel Waage, eds. W ashington D.C.: Island Press. Salzman, Jason. 2003. "News Releases." Pp. 104-115 in M aking the News: A Guide fo r N onprofits and Activists. Author. Boulder, CO: W estview Press. Additional reading to be assigned. WEEK 13 Mon. 4/28 - Team Project W ork Day Wed. 4/30 - Team Project W ork Day WEEK 14 Mon. 5/5 - Campaign / Project Reports (class presentations) Wed. 5/7 - Campaign / Project Reports (class presentations) FINALS WEEK Mon. 5/12 - Class meets 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM - Campaign / Project Reports (class presentations) ENST 476 / CCS 485 Environmental Citizenship / Spring 2014 / Page 9 SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS Grp. / Indiv. Assignment Date Due Type H om ework #1 Wed. 1/29 W ritte n Individual Citizenship Vision Essay Mon. 2/3 W ritte n Individual H om ework #2 Wed. 2/5 W ritte n Individual H om ework #3 Mon. 2/10 W ritte n Individual Issue Assessment Homework Wed. 2/19 W ritte n Individual H om ework #4 Wed. 3/5 W ritte n Individual Campaign/Project Draft Goals & Objectives Mon. 3/10 W ritte n / Class Presentation Group Issue Backgrounds and Campaign Plans / Project Proposals Wed. 3/12 W ritte n / Class Presentation Group Revised Campaign Plans / Project Proposals Wed. 3/26 W ritte n Group Campaign/Project Progress Reports Mon. 4/21 Wed. 4/23 Class Presentations Group Team Project Reports Mon. 5/5 Wed. 5/7 Mon. 5/12 Class Presentations Group Citizenship/Leadership Reflection Essay Wed. 5/14 W ritte n Individual Team Project Portfolio/Final Report Fri. 5/16 W ritte n Group Peer Evaluations Fri. 5/16 W ritte n Individual ENST 476 / CCS 485 Environmental Citizenship / Spring 2014 / Page 10