NHH 3350 "Community and Sustainability"

NHH 3350


Spring, 2011



“SUSTAINABILITY AND COMMUNITY”





Dr. Susan Tomlinson

201B McClellan Hall

Office Hours: R 2-5, or by appointment

susan.tomlinson@ttu.edu



Required text:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver



Required equipment:

Bicycle helmet

Bicycle (can be rented at the OPC)



Course Description:

The world is a complicated place, and the map to a sustainable future is often murky and fraught with conflicting values, needs, and information. How should we then know the way to proceed? This seminar is designed to help the student develop his or her own visions of sustainability and community and to understand how to act on them. Some of the topics we will explore include:



What is a “locavore?” Is wind power an entirely good thing or does it come with costs? What are victory gardens and why are they making a comeback? What does it actually mean—in personal and economic costs and benefits—actually to live sustainably, particularly as it relates to the ecosystem of the semi-arid Southern High Plains?



We will use the controversial book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver as a spring board to discuss issues related to water in the west, energy, sustainable agriculture, gardens—both ornamental and food-producing, and how all of this fits into the environment and the culture of community. The instructor will provide additional supplementary readings, materials, and lectures.



Students can expect to take several field trips over the course of the semester to see various economically successful sustainable ventures. They will also learn to grow their own organic victory gardens.



This course is writing intensive. THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE HONORS SEMINAR REQUIREMENT FOR NON-NHH MAJORS.







Learning outcomes:

At the conclusion of this course, student should be able to:



• write clear, effective expository and personal narrative essays

• Read literature critically for comprehension, retention, and improvement in writing skills

• Discuss the readings critically (both content and techniques)





Syllabus:

This course focuses on sustainability and community and how they are intertwined. We will cover the following topics in class (sub-topics follow each category; some may be repeated):



• Energy

o Oil

o Wind

o Hydroelectric

o Alternative energy sources

o Transportation



• Water

o Agriculture

o Ogallala Commons

o Gardening/Lawns

o Food



• Community

o Food

o Ogallala Commons

o Neighborhoods

o Transportation





Assessment:

Project Sustainability/Community: Students are required to design an experiment in sustainability and/or community and keep an online journal about the process. Experiment must be approved in advance by the instructor. Students must post about the progress on the experiment at least once a week.



Research papers: Students will be required to write two research papers related to topics discussed in class. Topics must be approved by the instructor. First drafts are required to be handed in.



All papers and information/data in the online journal must be properly attributed to a source. Students will receive only one warning from the instructor if they have failed to properly attribute a source; any violation of attribution after that will result in a lowering of the final grade by one letter.



Grading scheme:

Project/Online journal 50%

Research Papers 25% each



Experiment/online journal proposal due: January 25

Experiment/online journal begins: February 1



Proposal, paper one due: February 8

Draft one, paper one due: March 1

Final draft paper one due: March 22



Proposal, paper two due: March 29

Draft one, paper two due: April 19

Final draft, paper two due: May 3





Class Deportment



• Late work will not be tolerated. I understand that occasionally things happen, and in extreme circumstances exceptions can be made, but please do not abuse my good nature by being late.



• Attendance is mandatory. Exceptions may be made for university related activities, family emergencies, personal illness, and religious holidays or observances, and other unforeseen forces of nature. Please do not abuse my good nature, and please notify me in advance.



• Academic Dishonesty: Cheating will not be tolerated in this class. Punishment will be meted out according to the severity of the infraction, and may include but not be limited to: grade reduction, failure on an assignment, failure in the course, and a report to the academic dean.



• Plagiarism: The Texas Tech University Student Affairs Handbook asserts that plagiarism is “The use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement,” and, “the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials” (22).



• Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Punishment will be meted out according to the severity of the infraction.









Accommodation for Disabled Students:



Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet the

course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary

arrangements. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services during the instructor’s office hours. Please note instructors are not allowed to provide

classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability

Services has been provided. For additional information, you may contact the Student Disability

Services office at 335 West Hall or 806-742-2405.



Student Absence for Observation of Religious Holy Days



A student who is absent from classes for the observation of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence if, not later than the fifteenth day after the first day of the semester, the student had notified the instructor of each scheduled class that the student would be absent for a religious holy day.



Academic Integrity (TTU O.P. 34.12)



Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student or the attempt to commit such an act. The university definitions of academic dishonesty and policies for dealing with it are laid out in the Code of Student Affairs and in University Operating Policy 34.12. You should be familiar with these definitions.



Cheating of any form, but especially plagiarism (i.e., the representation of someone else’s work or ideas as your own) will be dealt with harshly. At a minimum, the offending essay will receive a grade of 0, which will be averaged into your overall grade. Flagrant or repeated cases of plagiarism may result in a grade of F for the course. All cases of cheating will be reported to the appropriate academic dean and to the Honors College dean, who may take additional disciplinary action as they see fit.