USNA 206:
Land and Life in the
Americas
Dr. Brad Ricca
107 Guilford
brad.ricca@case.edu
440.503.8267
Nord 212
T/R 4:30-5:45
Reading Material: Selected material that will be posted on Blackboard. You are required
to print out and make copious notes on all required reading. In addition, you must have a
notebook or folder in which you save all your readings, reading notes, papers, and
revisions.
Blackboard URL: http://blackboard.cwru.edu/
All of the material you will need for the class, including this syllabus, is posted on
Blackboard under Assignments.
Grading: Course grades will be based on the following:
Participation
Climate Debate
Paper 1
Paper 2
Paper 3
Paper 4
Class Presentations
25%
5%
10%
15%
15%
20%
10%
2/7
Due 1/24
Due 2/21
Due 3/20 (rough draft) and 3/27 (final draft)
Due 4/10
4/15-4/24
Participation will be graded based on attendance and completion/quality of reading notes
and responses, both in class and on Blackboard. See schedule for reading prompts. 5% of
Participation will be your Green Report, which we will talk about in class.
Revisions: You are welcome to revise any and all papers until you are satisfied with
them. The grade for the revision will replace the grade for the initial submission. To be
eligible for to revise, you must substantively revise at least one paper by March 30 and
must include a cover letter describing what was revised; all revisions must be
substantial to be accepted. The final date for submission of revisions is 4/28. See me if
questions. Late papers will not be accepted.
Schedule
Week 1
1/15,17
T: Introduction / Doomsday Clock, Who/What Can You Trust?
R: Reading Set 1
Harden, “The Tragedy of the Commons,” Science 1968.
McNeill, “Preface,” Something New Under the Sun, 2000.
Reading Prompt: Make copious margin notes. Don’t highlight. Use the
margins to identify important passages and to write in your own words
why there are important and what they say. Is it a major new point, an
important piece of support, a particularly strong or weak argument, the
thesis statement? Use the margins to have a conversation, to ask
questions, to agree or disagree with the author.
Week 2
1/22,24
Week 3
1/29-31
Week 4
2/5,7
Week 5
2/12,14
Week 6
T: Reading Set 2
Sagan, “Science and Hope,” A Demon Haunted World, 1997.
Alley, “Reading the Climate Record.”
Wright, "Glacial Man in Ohio."
R: In Class Project, Reading the Climate Record.
Writing Assignment 1 Due
Reading Prompt: Make four columns on a separate piece of paper, “The
Practice of Science,” “The Capabilities of Science,” “Goals and
Contributions of Science,” “Your Own Questions and Responses” Enter
your reading notes for each of the papers in the appropriate columns.
Notes should be keyed to the book page and paragraph.
R: In Class Project: Reading the Climate Record
PAPER 1 DUE
T: Reading Set 3
De Blij, “Climate and Civilization,” Why Geography Matters, 2005.
IPCC, “Summary for Policy Makers” 2007.
Kolbert, “The Darkening Sea” The New Yorker, 2006.
Reading Prompt: Use the readings and your own critical analysis to
address the question “Is human impact during the last century something
new under the sun? Tie you analysis to the reading by referring to the
page of specific passages, arguments, examples, and statistics in the text.
R: Writing Workshop, return of papers
T: Reading Set 4
Pacala and Socolow, “Stabilization Wedges…” Science 2004.
Pielke et al., “Lifting the Taboo on Adaptation,” Nature, 2007.
Morton, “Is this what it takes to save the world?” Nature 2007.
Reading Prompt: For each of the three papers make a restatement of the
text’s main arguments in your own words. You can write a summary,
make an outline, draw a flowchart or diagram. This page should help you
recall the structure and detail of the author’s arguments in some detail
several weeks later. You should also write one page with your own
personal reflections on or reactions to the articles.
R: In-Class Climate Debate
T: Reading Set 5
T: Pielou, After the Ice Age
R: Trip to Natural History Museum
T: Reading Set 6
2/19,21
Week 7
2/26,28
Week 8
3/3,5
Week 9
3/18,20
Week 10
3/25,27
Week 11
4/1,3
Week 12
4/8,10
Cronon: “A Place for Stories”
Reading Prompt: Read the prompt for writing assignment 2. Devise and
conduct your own reading prompt to help you prepare for this assignment.
R: TBA, Brief intro to Dust Bowl and causes of N. American drought
Movie, “The Plow that Broke the Plains”
Writing Assignment 2 Due
T: Reading Set 7:
Diamond, “The Maya Collapse,” Collapse.
Brin, A Glass Half Empty”
Reading Prompt: Make copious margin notes. Don’t highlight. Use the
margins to identify important passages and to write in your own words
why there are important and what they say. Is it a major new point, an
important piece of support, a particularly strong or weak argument, the
thesis statement? Use the margins to have a conversation, to ask
questions, to agree or disagree with the author.
R: Library Resources, TBA
T: Reading Set 8:
Bierman, “Henry’s Land,” The Earth Around Us: Maintaining a Livable
Planet.
Christopher, “Unearthing New Truths” Franklin and Marshal Magazine.
Reading Prompt: Use the readings and your own critical analysis to
address the question “Is human impact during the last century something
new under the sun? Tie your analysis to the reading by referring to the
page of specific passages, arguments, examples, and statistics in the text.
R: Peer Review of Papers/ Annotated Bibliography Due
T: Film screening.
R: Film Discussion. Rough Draft of Paper 3 Due
Revisions of Paper 1 and 2 Due
T: Worster, “Cowboy Ecology” “Hydraulic Society in California”, Under
Western Skies.
Reading Prompt: Write an imaginary dialogue with the author. Either
interview the author and make up his answers or play devils advocate,
arguing against the author’s views and then inventing the author’s
response.
R: Second Draft of Paper 3 Due
T: Gould, “ The Golden Rule,” The Earth Around Us, 2000.
Berry, “God and Country,” What Are People For, 1990.
Reading Prompt: Make three columns on a separate piece of paper, “The
Starting Point or basic premises from which the author builds his
argument,” “The Conclusions,” “Your Own Questions and Responses”
Enter your reading notes for each of the papers in the appropriate
columns. Notes should be keyed to the book page and paragraph.
R:
T: Pollan, “The Idea of a Garden,” Second Nature, 1993.
Reading Prompt: Write something, whatever you want.
R: Writing Workshop: Giving oral presentations.
Week 13
4/15,17
Week 14
4/22,24
Paper 4 Due
T: Class Presentations
R: Class Presentations
T: Class Presentations
R: Class Presentations
If we do not change our
direction, we are likely to end
up where we are headed.
-Chinese Proverb
Computer-generated model of next North American Ice Age.