Philosophy 385/585 – Philosophy of Ecology
– Fall 2002
Professor Michael P. Nelson
416 CCC / 346-3907
Office Hours: 1-1:50 MTR and by appointment
Texts
Worster, Donald NatureÕs Economy: A History of
Ecological Ideas, 2nd edition (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1994) - Rental
Keller, David R. and Frank B. Golley, eds. The
Philosophy of Ecology: From Science to Synthesis (Athens: University of
Georgia Press, 2000) – Purchase
Elliot, Robert Faking Nature: The Ethics of
Environmental Restoration, (London: Routledge, 1997) – Purchase.
Mathews, Freya The Ecological Self (London:
Routledge, 1991). - Handout
Other articles on electronic reserve or distributed
by instructor.
Tentative Schedule
September 3 –
Introduction
September 10 –
History of Ecology, I
Reading: Preface, Chapters 1
and 2 in NatureÕs Economy.
September 17 –
History of Ecology, II
Reading: Chapters 3 and 4 in
NatureÕs Economy.
September 24 –
No Class
October 1 –
History of Ecology, III
Reading: Chapters 5 and 6 in
NatureÕs Economy.
October 8 –
Entities and Process in Ecology
Reading: Preface,
Introduction, Part I in The Philosophy of Ecology.
October 15 –
Community, Niche, Diversity, Stability / Rationalism and Empiricism
Reading: Part II and Part
III in The Philosophy of Ecology.
October 22 – No
Class
October 29 –
Reductionism and Holism
Reading: Part IV in The
Philosophy of Ecology.
November 5 –
Ecology and Evolution
Reading: Part V in The
Philosophy of Ecology.
November 12 –
Ecology and Ontology, I
Reading: Introduction,
Chapters 1 and 2 in The Ecological Self.
November 19 –
Ecology and Ontology, II
Reading: Chapters 3 and 4 in
The Ecological Self.
November 26 –
Ecology and Restoration, I
Reading: Preface, Part 1 and
2 in Faking Nature.
December 3 –
Ecology and Restoration, II
Reading: Part 3 and 4 in Faking
Nature.
December 10 –
Ecology and Environmental Ethics
Reading: ÒDo Deconstructive
Ecology and Sociobiology Undermine the Leopold Land Ethic?Ó by J. Baird
Callicott.
Students will be expected to participate regularly
and take an active role in classroom discussions.
Students will be expected to prepare writing
assignments on a weekly basis.
These assignments (as a journal) will randomly be collected and graded.
The majority of the grade will be determined by a
substantial term paper (i.e., roughly 15 pages). Paper topics must be approved and a rough draft must be
handed in on dates listed in syllabus.
Students will be expected to do all of the
reading and attend all of the classes. Failure here will result in failure in the above
requirements. (Note: any student
missing more than 3 sessions of the class will automatically receive a failing
grade for the class).
Attendance and Participation = Approx. 25%
Small Writing Assignments = Approx. 25%
Term Paper = Approx. 50%
Conversion from numerical to letter grade: 95-100=A;
90-94=A-; 87-89=B+; 84-86=B; 80-83=B-; 77-79=C+; 74-76=C; 70-73=C-; 67-69=D+;
63-66=D; 0-62=F.