Science and Our Place on the Planet I: Topic - Materials Ecology

CRN

13651

Course Number

206A

Course Description

Materials Ecology: The Sustainability of Our Stuff

Read the list of ingredients on a cereal box. Ponder the sleek form and (inside) the intricate circuitry of a smartphone. Turn on a light switch, or step on board a new electric public bus. Where do the raw materials and natural resources that make modern life possible come from? Where, how and by whom are they turned into what anthropologists call our material culture--the stuff we take for granted every day? And what happens to our stuff once we discard it?

This course examines the global ecological impacts of modern consumer demands in the U.S.A. and worldwide. We will trace the origins of the things we use every day, and identify the end destinations of our stuff once we no longer have use for it. Our learning objectives will be three-fold: 1) to study the natural resource extraction patterns and raw materials that are used to produce modern consumer goods; 2) to identify and quantify the ecological consequences of these global supply chains; and 3) critically analyze current programs, initiatives, and policies (from Fair Trade labeling to carbon footprint calculations) that seek to make consumer goods—and our ways of living--more sustainable. Along the way we will gain fluency in foundational concepts that are crucial for understanding sustainability, such as ecosystem functions, world ecology, systems thinking, lifecycle analysis, the relationship between sustainability and resiliency, and strategies for coping with global ecological change.

Required Texts

Readings will be drawn from a broad range of academic and applied literature and distributed via Canvas. 

Credit/Evaluation

Primary Requirements for Credit and Evaluation:  Regular, informed contribution to class discussion;  A research project (documented by a paper and class presentation) on the origins and environmental impact of a consumer good of your choice;  Take-home final essay exam.     

Term

Winter 2023

Course Instructor(s)

John Tuxill