Perspectives on Mountaintop Removal: Origins, Techniques, and Impacts
ENVS 331
Spring 2015 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
HIST 331, SISP 331 |
| Certificates: Environmental Studies |
This multidisciplinary seminar will examine mountaintop removal mining using several approaches. These include the historical, to examine its development from its origins to the present; geographic, to determine how it changes not just the topology but also networks of traffic and demography; technological, to understand the various technologies this mining practice utilizes; ecological, to explore the broader environmental impact it has locally, regionally, and even more broadly; public health, to determine the impact this practice has on the health of people both near and far from the mining sites themselves; economic, to establish both the benefits and the long-term costs; and literary and artistic, to utilize the creative works that focus on mountaintop removal mining and its consequence. An integral part of the course will be movement workshops. One goal of the movement workshops is to demonstrate how much of our learning process is as much physical as it is mental; another is to integrate course themes through nonverbal learning. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS ENVS |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
Major Readings:
Barbara Freese, COAL: A HUMAN HISTORY.
Shirley Stewart Burns, BRINGING DOWN THE MOUNTAINS.
Erik Reece, LOST MOUNTAIN.
Michael Shnayerson, COAL RIVER.
Other books and various journal articles TBA.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Attendance and thorough class preparation are mandatory. Students are required to post reading responses for each reading and to read their classmates' responses before coming to class. There also will be a more informal journal requirement to track ideas regarding the final project. As described in the Course Description, the main project will be to contribute to a digitally based resource (possibly a website) on mountaintop removal mining. Technical expertise is not required. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Interested students are asked to submit a one-page description of how this course fits in their academic career at Wesleyan and how they see their interests and skills contributing to the course. Quality of writing in this description will be considered. |
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