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

On-line course syllabus with active links Service learning options

Introduction to Conservation Studies
NCLC 275:002
Tuesday & Thursday, 12:00-2:45 p.m.
Enterprise 278

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. One goal of the course instructors is to help each student see how his or her particular strengths and interests can best serve the conservation community. 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.

Faculty Andrew Wingfield 703-993-4307 awingfie@gmu.edu Joanna A. Cornell 703- 324-1425 jcornell@gmu.edu

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. Since joining New Century College in 1999, he has collaborated with other NCC faculty members on 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. His work appears or is forthcoming in Wild Earth, ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, Terrain: A Journal of the Built and Natural Environments, Weber Studies, and other publications.

Joanna A. Cornell is actively involved in environmental community building efforts. Trained as a scientist, she is fascinated by the bridging potential of using the arts and sciences to engage people into caring about their environment.  Joanna developed the award-winning Neighborhood Ecological Stewardship Training (NEST) program (www.exploreyournest.org); a community-based program that prompts adults into "exploring their nest" – where they live - through art and science activities.  She is a partner at the Institute for Nature and Leadership, on the Executive Committee of Eco-Women, and active at the state-level with watershed protection organizations. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Policy and a Masters degree in Biology from George Mason University 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.
• Photocopied Course Packet (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. Packing List.

Students must complete the Experiential Learning requirement to earn a passing grade for this course.

Required Work

Formal Writing (200 points)—You will have the option of creating a profile or a 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 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 models of profiles and 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 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.

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.

Directed Entries: Each week you will do an entry for which we give you instructions. These will ask you to reflect on the evolution of your 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 assignments.

We will collect and comment upon journals regularly. 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 provide you with a foundation for the profile essay, should you decide to write a profile.

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.