Thinking About the Environment
 

The final exam will be structured like the midterm exam.  On the exam you may be asked to

(1) define or describe the significance of various concepts,

(2) outline the basic lines of argument given by the authors have considered (not just their conclusions, but the arguments that support those conclusions), and 

(3) construct arguments of your own to support some position with respect to a particular environmental issue.

You will have some choice in answering the longer essay questions.

While the exam is comprehensive, it will stress the material covered since the midterm exam: 

recycling
global warming 
species preservation, biodiversity, and Endangered Species Act
deep ecology and ecofeminism

RESPONSIBILITIES

1.  You ARE responsible for all material covered in lecture and in the readings regardless of whether it is mentioned on this study sheet.  The study sheet is intended to help you prepare for the final exam by giving you examples of the types of information that will be requested of you on the exam. 

2.  You ARE responsible for general factual material relevant to topics discussed since the midterm exam.   This material is contained in the "lecture materials" files on the course website.

3.  Final exam questions that refer to material before the midterm will focus on central conceptual issues (e.g. sustainability, resources, tragedy of the commons, or the Land Ethic) rather than on specifics.  Because Leopold's Land Ethic is often linked to Deep Ecology, you should be familiar with Leopold's views.
 

Sample Questions

I.  CONCEPTS:  Briefly define or describe the significance of each of these terms.

GCM's
greenhouse gases: 
     what are the most common ones? 
     how do they function in the atmosphere? 
     which are the most effective heat absorbers (per molecule)?
threatened and endangered species (ESA)
categorical imperative
inherent value
self-in-Self
urban heat island
ecotage
"ESU"
beautiful acts
naturalistic fallacy
logic of domination
value dualism
moral considerability
discontinuity problem
Waste Not Washington Act

1.  Outline Gould's argument that species are not arbitrary units.

2.  Why does Russow believe that an argument to preserve species based on stewardship is not successful?  Sketch the argument that Russow finally endorses for species preservation, clearly indicating what types of value are at stake and where specifically the value is located.

3.  What are the two basic norms of Deep Ecology?  How does the process of self-realization occur?

4.  Evaluate one of the arguments Guha makes in his critique of Deep Ecology:

 (i)  focus on preservation of unspoiled wilderness
 (ii) invocation of Eastern spiritual traditions
 (iii) shift from anthropocentrism to biocentrism

6.  What might Wilson mean in claiming that loss of biodiversity may threaten the human spirit?  What value framework does Wilson presuppose in his article?
 

III.  ANALYTIC QUESTIONS:

1.  Describe 3 sources of error in actual temperature measurements.  How are these sources of error relevant to thinking about global warming?

2.  Discuss two causal factors that are not adequately integrated into global circulation computer models.  What sorts of influence might each of these factors have on global surface temperatures?

3.  What are some of the consequences, both negative and positive, that might occur as a result of global warming?  Discuss at least three on each side.

4.  Provide an anthropocentric argument for species preservation.  Provide a non-anthropocentric argument for species preservation.

5.  Discuss the conceptual differences between Deep Ecology and Ecofeminism.  Begin by describing the central concepts for each position.  Which perspective seems more promising and why?

6.  Provide two substantially different arguments for the desirability of local recycling.  What are the basic ethical principles/frameworks involved in each? 

7.  What is the moral principle for Leopold's land ethic?  Is this principle something that a follower of Deep Ecology should endorse?  Explain and justify your response.
 

 Last Updated: 05/31/04