Spring 2008
T 2:30-4:00pm, Collins 217
Dr. Karen Arabas
Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences
Collins 215, 503-370-6666, karabas@willamette.edu
Office Hours: M 1-2:30p, Th 2:30-3:30p, or by appointment
This is a community service oriented seminar in which students plan and produce a series of workshops for the Salem community on sustainability in conjunction with Willamette’s Center for Sustainable Communities and the Straub Environmental Learning Center, a local educational non-profit organization. Working with campus and community experts, students will research topics in community and household sustainability (e.g., energy efficiency, food production, business design, land use) and then plan, produce, and oversee monthly sustainability workshops for the Salem community. Students will gain valuable exposure to sustainability professionals and significant experience in workshop organization and presentation. The course will be conducted as a reading and discussion seminar, with guest speakers.
In conjunction with Dr. Arabas and staff from the CSC (Dr. Bowersox and Andrea Carlson) and SELC (Cassandra Cooper, Jon Yoder, and John Savage), students will choose the specific topics for 5 community sustainability workshops. Students will research the topics, identify and arrange for presenters for the workshops, handle advertising, and be present for each workshop. The workshops will be held weekly during April, Sustainability Month.
Topics will address questions related to the “Four E’s of Sustainability” (Environment, Economics, Equity, Education) and may include energy efficiency, alternative transportation, renewable fuels/alternative energy, sustainable gardening, green investment, environmental justice, urban planning, and riparian restoration.
Class format will include discussion, guest lectures, and field trips. Students are expected to prepare discussion questions or materials for class and to attend all classes.
All course announcements and materials will be posted on Sakai. You are expected to access your Willamette e-mail and Sakai accounts daily. Access Sakai from http://scholarpilot.willamette.edu. Login using your Willamette username and password.
Paper (50 points)
Each student will write a 6-page paper on one of the workshop topics. The paper will include a brief introduction to the topic and then outline the resources and information from the workshop, including an assessment of the workshop.
e-Journals (25 points)
Students will maintain an e-journal with their responses to discussion and reading questions, as well as their workshop planning notes.
Participation (25 points)
Each student will earn participation points based on their contributions to the planning, production, and conduct of their workshop. They will be evaluated based on feedback from Prof. Arabas, SELC staff, and peers. I expect a high level of professionalism, which includes the quality of student interactions with community members and ability to deliver information and organize the workshops in a professional and timely fashion.
Students may earn a total of 100 points. Letter grades corresponding to points earned are as follows:
Points Earned |
Letter Grade |
94-100 |
A |
90-93 |
A- |
87-89 |
B+ |
83-86 |
B |
80-82 |
B- |
77-79 |
C+ |
73-76 |
C |
70-72 |
C- |
67-69 |
D+ |
60-66 |
D |
<60 |
F |
Computers and cell phones in the classroom.
Laptop computers are a marvelous learning tool, and the expansion of WiFi on our campus has enhanced many learning opportunities. But such technological advances can have negative consequences in the classroom. Please feel free to use your laptop for note taking in class. Occasionally, we may want to look things up on line as well. However, please refrain from checking email, iChatting, websurfing, etc. during class. If you are observed doing so during class time, you will be asked to stop bringing your laptop to class.
The use of cell phones during class for any reason is prohibited.
Plagiarism and Cheating
The Willamette College of Liberal Arts Catalog defines cheating as "any form of intellectual dis- honesty or misrepresentation of one's knowledge" and plagiarism as a form of cheating when one represents someone else's work as one's own. Plagiarism and cheating are offenses against the integrity of the course in which they occur and against the College community as a whole”, and may be considered “grounds for dismissal from the college.” (Willamette University, Plagiarism and Cheating Policy) Anyone caught cheating or plagiarizing will, at the minimum, receive a zero for that assignment. Please refer to the CLA catalog for further information concerning Willamette's policy towards academic dishonesty: http://www.willamette.edu/wu/policy/cheat.html
Students with Disabilities
The University will make reasonable accommodations for person with appropriately documented disabilities. Students should notify the Office of Disability and Learning Services located in the Bishop Wellness Center and provide documentation of their disability to their professors at the start of the semester in order to be considered eligible for accommodation. Please contact the Wellness Center (http://www.willamette.edu/dept/wellness/) if you have any concerns, particularly if you have special learning needs that require extra assistance in the classroom, extra time for exams, or an alternative room for writing exams. The Wellness Center also provides academic support to all students.
