2015 Conference

Full Presentation Panel

Art & Earth: A STEAM course collaboration

Kaye Savage

In Spring 2014, the Environmental Studies Department and the Art & Art History Department at Wofford College collaborated through a set of shared experiences for students in two courses, Introduction to Studio Art, which fulfills a general education requirement, and Art and Earth, an elective within the Environmental Studies major. Art & Earth was focused on the geological sources of materials used in art and architecture, and understanding how the natural environments in which they formed influence their artistic uses. Introduction to Studio Art had an emphasis on creating art objects from different media, and exploring their expressive properties. A 3 hour joint lab/studio session each week provided a complementary learning environment for both classes, each of which also met separately. Collaborative projects included plein air painting with handmade watercolor paints, which incorporated concepts of geomorphology and landscape development as well as pigment sourcing; exploration of drawing media including chalk and charcoal, which were also discussed in the context of prehistoric art and the artistic impulse; and a soapstone carving project that was accompanied by a field experience in a quarry. In addition the students developed an exhibit that included both their own work, and examples of art and architecture worldwide that used locally or regionally sourced materials.

Bridging the boundaries of art, science, and business: Integrating botanical art perspectives into a science class for business students

Vikki L Rodgers, Ph.D.

Students not specifically focusing on environmental studies represent a large audience who often feel disconnected from the natural world around them.  Engaging these students in learning environmental science requires a multi-perspective approach and presents unique challenges.  As an artist and a scientist we worked together to design a three-part activity to integrate environmental science concepts with artistic perspectives in an Economic Botany course exclusively for business students.  We created an informational pre-class assignment, an in-class botanical art workshop, and a post-class written reflection.  The pre-class assignment allowed us to utilize a ‘flipped classroom style’ so students were responsible for reading and researching the lecture material on their own before class.  Through this assignment students connected with nature artists whose work resonated with them and this then provided additional time for an in-depth and hands-on workshop during class.  In the post-class assignment we asked students to reflect on what they had learned and how it pertained to scientific processes and artistic influences.  In this talk we will discuss how the three activities were designed and delivered and we will report on the results of a survey given to students one week later.

Images and Imagination: Photography in the Classroom and Community

Peg Boulay

Conservation photography integrates an understanding of ecology with a powerful narrative to engage viewers in a mission of stewardship. A photograph taken with purpose can convey a sense of place, evoke emotions or memories, illustrate what is at risk of loss, capture a diminishing wildness, and expose abuses. It can elicit inspiration or even disgust, thus heralding a call to action. Also, images can evocatively capture the ever-changing and sometimes hidden personality of a place, thereby providing fresh perspectives on familiar landscapes. Through photography, students can examine the ecological, social and economic influences on a landscape by conceptualizing and executing a visual narrative. Since 2011, we have applied these ideas by using photography as an interdisciplinary instructional tool. We will present three examples: one class project and two community-based learning projects. For the class project, students used photography and creative writing to synthesize, reflect, translate, share and celebrate their research-based understandings of a local watershed. Their final collaborative project was a book of photo essays called “McKenzie Memories,” which we self-published through Blurb. For the “MyMcKenzie Photography” community-based outreach project, students created an interpretive portrait of the McKenzie River, with the goal of promoting conservation of the multiple values the river provides to people and wildlife. For the “Restoregon” community-based art project, students interpreted the term “restore” by capturing compelling images of environmental beauty, damage and rehabilitation. Through these projects, students have created exhibits for the McKenzie Arts Festival, UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History, and a local teahouse. In addition, students honed communication skills by participating in an art walk, undergraduate symposium, and holiday bazaar. We will share our methods and lessons learned on topics such as project scope, learning objectives, skill development and collaboration with community partners.

The Eighth Billion

Monty Hempel

A new 9-minute documentary film presentation about human population growth and its consequences for the health of wildlife and wild places, accompanied by the filmmaker's analysis of why population issues need to be revisited and revised in the environmental studies/sciences curriculum.

The exponential nature of population growth shapes life on earth almost as much as gravity or respiration. But because it is so pervasive, it often goes unseen. One hour from now, Earth will show a net increase of more than 9,000 humans, each one needing adequate food, water, shelter, clothing, education, and eventually jobs, not to mention realistic dreams of a better life for themselves and for their future children… and on it goes. Our population currently adds 219,000 people every day. That’s a billion every 12-13 years. Will the next billion drive human civilization to a social and ecological tipping point?

THE EIGHTH BILLION examines the impact of population growth on the health of wildlife and wild places. It also explores the benefits of wildness and natural beauty for producing human enjoyment and inspiration. Wilderness is a form of ecological wealth that, unlike money, is not ours to spend. The quality of our lives and that of future generations depends on efforts to preserve this wealth. Population stabilization and wilderness preservation offer complementary pathways to true prosperity. As imperatives of sustainability, they offer the prospect of a world that is green, prosperous, inspirational, and fair. If we can embrace both pathways, we just might create a world that is worth inheriting!

Integrating Multiple Perspectives on Environmental Problems: An Experiment in Environmental Pedagogy and the Value of Philosophy for Environmental Studies

David E. Storey

In this presentation, I share the substance and results of a pedagogical exercise I have used in my philosophy courses on environmental ethics, and explore the strengths and weaknesses that the discipline of philosophy presents to environmental studies.

First, I discuss the motivation and inspiration for the exercise.  After teaching environmental ethics for the first time, I was concerned that philosophy’s tendency toward abstraction runs the risk of students adopting a naïve and impractical ethical orientation toward environmental problems.  At the same time, I believed that philosophy was especially well-suited to grappling with environmental problems not only due to its ethical resources, but because it investigates the conceptual foundations and basic assumptions of all disciplines, and aims for an integral understanding of the world; not just to clarify the different perspectives we have on the world, but to figure out how they fit together.  As such, I decided to create an exercise to push students to do just that.

Second, I sketch the design of the exercise.  At the beginning of the semester, I divided students into groups of four, and assigned each group a contemporary environmental issue, e.g., the Keystone XL pipeline, hydraulic fracturing, or a carbon tax.  Each group had to examine the scientific/technological, political/policy, economic/business, and ethical dimensions of the issue and, drawing on at least two ethical theories we studied in the class, determine the best course of action and share their research and reasoning in a 30 minute presentation to the class at the end of the semester.

Third, I summarize the results, including highlights from the presentations and student feedback about the pedagogical value and shortcomings of the exercise.

I conclude with remarks about what I take to be the value of philosophy in general, and such exercises in particular, for environmental studies.