New Century College
George Mason University
Fourth Floor Enterprise Hall
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
703-993-1436

Course Description

This learning community provides a foundation for the integrative study of environmental conservation. Through readings, mini-lectures, discussions, and inquiry-based activities students track the history of environmental conservation in the United States, focusing specifically on the evolution of conservation ethics over time. Classroom activities are enriched by students’ experiences working with organizations and professionals engaged in conservation research, education, and/or outreach. Formal and informal writing assignments and oral presentations strengthen critical thinking and communication skills that will be particularly vital to students who go on to pursue conservation-related professions. Small group projects and course field trips cultivate competency in collaboration and team-building. Instructors encourage students to use course assignments and off-campus work to identify suitable educational and career paths within the conservation world.

The conservation cause is broad based: it requires the collaborative effort of people whose talents span the disciplines.  Conservation can be practiced and promoted not just in one’s professional work, but also in one’s everyday life.  One goal of the course instructors is to help each student see how his/her particular strengths and interests can best serve the conservation community. To that end, each student will use reflective writing and other learning strategies to deepen and clarify his/her sense of ecological identity. Another goal is to strengthen each student’s writing skills. This learning community will function as a group of improving and mutually supportive writers. This is not a course only for those who are “good” at writing and those who like writing. Rather, it is a course in which everyone will work to become a more effective and confident writer, especially in the conservation context.

Brief Biographies

Andrew Wingfield's main interest as a writer and teacher is exploring the ways that people and places shape each other. He holds an MA in English literature from the University of Chicago and an MFA in creative writing from George Mason University. An assistant professor in New Century College, he collaborates with students and colleagues in learning communities that use interdisciplinary approaches and outdoor activities to explore the aesthetic, ethical, and ecological dimensions of the relationships people form with the places they inhabit. Andrew's 2005 novel, Hear Him Roar, deals with people and mountain lions in the northern California region where he was raised. His place-based personal essays have appeared or are forthcoming in Resurgence, Terrain, Weber Studies and other magazines. For more information and links to published writings visit his web page at http://mason.gmu.edu/~awingfie

Joanna A. Cornell is actively involved in stream monitoring and watershed protection efforts in Northern Virginia. She is the Watershed Specialist at the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/nvswcd) and works with citizens, state and local agencies, and students to further the understanding and knowledge about watersheds. She is currently a doctoral candidate at George Mason University. Her dissertation evaluates the effect of the Neighborhood Ecological Stewardship Training (NEST) Program (http://mason.gmu.edu/~jcornell/NEST) on environmental stewardship.  She is particularly interested in the connection between environmental stewardship and people’s sense of place and community.  She holds a Masters degree in Biology from GMU and a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Michigan State University.

Required Readings

• Nash, Roderick, American Environmentalism: Readings in Conservation History, 3rd edition. New York: McGraw- Hill, 1990.
• Nelson, Richard, ed. Patriotism and the American Land. Great Barrington: Orion Society, 2002.
• Steinberg, Ted. Down to Earth: Nature’s Role in American History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
• Reader 1 & Reader 2 (available in campus bookstore)
• Online Readings (accessed on course web page)
  
  

You will earn two experiential learning credits for this class.  One credit will be earned through 45 hours of service learning carried out with a local conservation organization or professional. These 45 hours should be distributed more or less evenly throughout the semester.  Ideally, a student will do three to four hours per week; but in some instances a person might do six to eight hours every two weeks, or some such variation.  You will earn the other credit of EL by participating in the weekend field trip on the Shenandoah River.  Students must complete the Experiential Learning requirement to earn a passing grade for this course. Packing List.

Required Work

Formal Writing (200 points)—You will compose a conservation-related personal essay as your required piece of formal writing for the semester.  This piece will be workshopped in class and revised at least once before you submit it for a final grade.  Your work on this essay will require you to explore your ecological identity, to examine some of the roles people play in the conservation community, and/or to track the evolution of your own contributions to this community.  We will read and discuss model personal essays and you will receive detailed instructions for this assignment.

Journal (200 points)--The journal is a vital component of this course.  Plan to spend at least two hours per week writing in it. Your journal is your journal to develop as you please.  We only ask that you make an effort to write legibly and that you provide the following three components.

Front-line Entries: This is an ongoing record of details captured in the classroom, at home, and in the field.  In front-line entries you record details about time and date, weather, location, wildlife, people; take notes during class discussions; take notes on course readings; and set down good ideas that come to you when you don’t have time to develop them.  Think of these front-line entries as a way of gathering raw materials that you can use later in longer, reflective journal entries and/or in more formal course projects.

Directed/Reflective Entries: You will also do 7-10 entries for which we give you instructions.  These will ask you to reflect on the evolution of your ecological identity and personal conservation ethic, and to respond to the weekly readings and activities.  Some of the directed entries are designed to get you started on the formal writing assignment.

Service Learning Log: This should include details such as the time, date, and activities completed for each service learning session, as well as some reflection on how your activities relate to course texts and themes and how they enhance your learning.

Please be advised that we assess journals rigorously. We are not looking to make sure your grammar and spelling are perfect; rather, we want to see that you’re engaging course materials and experiences with a great deal of energy and thought. When you’re writing about course readings, it’s a very good idea to quote from those readings and refer to specific parts of the text often. In general it’s a good idea to be as concrete and specific as possible, whether you’re writing about something you read or something you experienced. Making connections among your readings, our class discussions, and your experiences in the field is also extremely important. Keeping a good journal is the best preparation for success on the open-journal midterm and the final portfolio.

Since your journal will travel into the field as well as the classroom, it should be sturdy and relatively compact. Old-fashioned “composition books” are a cheap alternative to clothbound journals.

Open-Journal Midterm (125 points)—The in-class midterm will give you an opportunity to demonstrate your learning over the first half of the semester.  Learning community members will discuss the content of midterm essay questions before the day of the exam.  You may consult your journal and course readings while writing the midterm essays.

Interview Project (50 points)—This project requires you to interview a conservation researcher/professional, most likely someone at your service learning site.  The interview process will help familiarize you with your site and will give you an opportunity to explore ecological identity issues with a person who is deeply engaged with conservation-related work. 

Peer Teaching I: Green Living (100 points)—Throughout the semester, groups of approximately five students will teach other learning community members about a contemporary approach to “green living.” You will receive a list of possible topics and detailed instructions for this assignment.

Peer Teaching II: Reports from the Field (100 points)—On one of our two last class meetings you will work individually or in groups to teach other learning community members about your service learning organization. You will receive detailed instructions for this assignment.

Course Portfolio (125 points)--The portfolio gives you an opportunity to consolidate the various pieces of work you have done for the course and to reflect upon and synthesize your learning throughout the semester. It will include some already assigned components, such as your piece of formal writing, your interview project, and your peer teaching materials, as well as some new written material. You will receive detailed portfolio instructions.

Participation (100 points)--The term “learning community” means different things to different people. For us, one of the most important things about this term is that it emphasizes that our class is a community. As members of this community, we all depend on each other not just to show up, but to be fully engaged in each and every class activity. This means coming to class on time and prepared, speaking and listening well during discussions, doing everything you can to make our weekend field trip run smoothly, and representing yourself, our learning community, NCC, and GMU well when you are engaged in service learning.

Extra Credit (25 points) -- You will have the opportunity to complete two surveys about your environmental attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors.

 

Diversity Statement

New Century College is an intentionally inclusive community that celebrates diversity and strives to have faculty, staff and students that reflect the diversity of our plural society. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, class, linguistic background, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, or physical ability.

Class Links

On-line course syllabus and on-line readings with active links.

Service learning options.

For your service learning, you need to print and complete the following documents:

Supervisor's Evaluation
http://www.gmu.edu/student/csl/supreval.PDF

Service Learning Agreement
http://www.gmu.edu/student/csl/agreement.PDF

Time Sheet (on-going, due with completed paperwork at end of course)
http://www.gmu.edu/student/csl/timesht.PDF