Intro to Environmental Earth Studies: I think this will be my favorite. I'm a science geek at heart and the teacher is passionate and engaging. The first day he countered many students' assumptions that the class would focus on climate change, emphasizing that the material is on earth systems, with frequent footnotes on human destruction. I can't wait to take more of my major's requirements!
Mass Media and Society: There really is theory behind all of this! Spending the past year working on social media for environmentally related causes (including this blog), it's exciting to learn some hard facts. Really, I was making my tactics up along the way, but it's great to read "expert" opinions on mass communication. Currently working through the first chapter of my professor's text - Media Today: An Introduction to Mass Communication.
Writing Seminar: Environmental Philosophy: For tomorrow's homework we had to read Peter Singer's All Animals are Equal. Wow, what a compelling argument. And honestly the closest I've come to being convinced to be a vegetarian. I think I still have to get through Eating Animals to go all the way, but a great argument against speciesism. For homework we had to write 3 propositions, so here they are!
1. One cannot dispute discrimination with the justification that all individuals are equal.
2. Equality is justified on the basis of treating all that have interests (individuals that have the ability to suffer) with morality.
3. Nonhumans should be included in the case against discrimination and exploitation.
Calculus 104: Okay, so this one doesn't pertain. But math is interesting and could be useful in the econ sector. So far, so good, still doing a review of high school calc.
I am very glad that you have launched a new version of "The Green", sharing your college experiences in environmental studies. You have done me and others a great service by inviting us into your sustainability project. You have convinced me about the power of the social media.
ReplyDeleteI would be interested to know whether the course in "Mass media and society" will raise the issue cited here by the editor of an electromagnetic advocacy news service, that is, the dominating influence of corporate interests in mainstream media regarding environmental issues:
"There has been a widespread, hidden but ongoing course of press 'corruption' for many years. Many newspapers have taken huge amounts of money to advertise mobile (cell) phone companies, yet have kept mostly silent on the known dangers of the radiation from those phones and from the wireless antenna infrastructure that has been developed throughout the world..."