ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES: SYNTHESIS AND APPLICATION

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SECOND PAPER ASSIGNMENT: SCALE OR SUSTAINABILITY DUE ELECTRONICALLY MONDAY, APRIL 28 AT 5:00 P.M. This is one of three optional assignments, of which you must choose two. You should write 1500-2000 words on one of the following topics: A. Apply the insights about scale that we are accumulating through our readings and discussions so far this quarter to thinking about policy and planning. Remember that the scales at which ecological phenomena are best studied (think about our discussion of Levin and Berry, as well as the discussions of the temporal scales of chemical cycles in Smil) are not always the same scales at which political systems operate (the Cascadia region is bisected by the 49th parallel, as well as divided into multiple sub-systems on each side of the border, for example), or economic phenomena take place (think of local food systems, world trade, etc.). This presents a dilemma for the environmental researcher or policy-maker. You have all seen this in action in various ways. So choose an environmental issue that affects the local region (I leave the scale to you, quite naturally) and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of concentrating either environmental research on this issue or a "white-paper" type report on the issue at one scale or another. Remember, larger is not always better; your task is to evaluate the pluses and minuses. B. A lot of attention is paid these days to the concept of sustainability, in fact Arizona State University has an entire college known as the School of Sustainability. And, as Robert Solow so eloquently points out, it's hard to be against sustainability. But our readings and discussions in this class so far have led us to think that if it's hard to oppose, it's harder to define and even harder to implement. If this is the case, the question arises as to whether we ought to employ the concept of sustainability at all, and if so, why. Your assignment here is to address this question in two ways: Generally. What are the strategic advantages of promoting sustainability in public, academic, or political forums, even though the concept is in fact slippery? Do those advantages outweigh the disadvantages brought about by the slipperiness of the term? Specifically. Illustrate your decision above by choosing an issue from the Cascadia Region, and analyzing the way that the folks at the Sightline Institute, who write the Cascadia Scorecard approach this issue. Would they be better off or worse off if they placed more emphasis or less emphasis on the concept? or Go back to the School of Sustainability website and see how they apply the concept of sustainability to a local or regional issue, and again answer the question of whether they would be better or worse off thinking in some other terms. Points for writing effective papers: Each paper should be 1500-2000 words in length, double-spaced, with a reasonably readable font size. Part of learning to write effectively is learning to write within limits of length; this means I will not read word #2001 of the text. References can be in any standard footnote, endnote, or embedded reference format. The notes or bibliography may push the total over 2000 words. Papers will be graded on accuracy and pertinence of content, logic, effective and appropriate vocabulary use, cogency of argument, and elegance of argument. Processes and grading: Papers should be turned in electronically to The Instructor. I will grade and return papers, with extensive comments, within one week of the due date. A is 4.0, A- is 3.7, B+ is 3.3, B is 3.0, etc. Late papers will be graded down one letter-scale point (A to A-, B- to C+) at 5:00 p.m. on the due date, and one more letter-scale point for each additional calendar day they are late. If you choose to write 4 papers, you may drop you lowest paper grade. I don't have time to read 5 papers.