Sample Syllabus – NRES 214
CULTURE AND THE USE AND MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Instructor:
Office Location:
Phone Number:
Email Address:
Office Hours:
Nancy Markee
FA 218B
775-784-7069
nlmarkee@unr.edu
TBD
Overview: As the overall population of the United States becomes increasingly diverse,
the integration and participation of racial and ethnic minorities is essential with respect to
the conservation and successful management of our nation’s natural resources. This
course will examine ethnic and racial differences associated with environmental
worldviews and the valuation and use of natural resources. Factors that may explain these
differences and/or continue to inhibit, deter or complicate participation by racial and
ethnic minorities in conservation and management efforts (for example, historical
relationships with nature, patterns of discrimination, types of resource use, access to and
control of resources, the role of government institutions and policies, and applicable social
and economic systems) will be explored. We will finish the course with discussions of the
role of “traditional” knowledge in the management process, strategies to facilitate
meaningful participation and involvement of underrepresented groups in planning,
conservation, and resource projects, and the need for and value of workforce diversity
within natural resource professions.
Catalog Description: Examination of cultural differences in environmental worldviews,
attitudes, values, and beliefs toward natural resources with emphasis on their influence on
resource use and management in the U.S.
This course satisfies Silver Core Objective 10: Students will demonstrate an understanding of
diversity through courses that focus on topics such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality,
religion, physical ability, language, and/or social class with an emphasis on the analysis of
equity. Students will apply and evaluate approaches or modes of inquiry used to analyze
diversity and equity and the social barriers to these goals.
Enrollment Requirement: Prerequisite: NRES 210
Required text: There will be no required text for this course. Students will be assigned
relevant articles and chapters from books. The reading list will be fully developed closer to
the semester in which the course will be first taught. A sample of the types of readings that
might be included follows:
Johnson, Cassandra Y., J. Bowker, Gary Green and H. Cordell. Provide it . . . but will they
come? A look at African American and Hispanic visits to federal recreation areas. Journal
of Forestry. 257-265. (July/August 2007).
Anderson, M. Kat. Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of
California’s Natural Resources. (2013).
Shephard, Krech III. The Ecological Indian: Myth and History. (1999).
Hendricks, R.L. A brief history of African-Americans and forests. Retrieved from
http://www.fs.fed.us/global/swnew/fs_history.htm (2006).
Stevens, Stan (ed.) Indigenous Peoples, National Parks, and Protected Areas: A New
Paradigm Linking Conservation, Culture, and Rights. (2014).
Donahue, John and Barbara Johnston (eds.) Water, Culture, and Power: Local Struggles In A
Global Context. (1997).
Finney, Carolyn. Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African
Americans to the Great Outdoors. (2014).
Chavarria, Pedro, Roel Lopez, Roger Rivera, Tulia Defex, Manuael Pina, and Maria Gutierrez.
La vida verde: Hispanic engagement in natural resource conservation and education.
Proceedings of the George Wright Society Conference. (2007).
Jeong, Woo. Asian Americans: attitudes, values and behaviors towards natural resources.
Transcending Boundaries: Natural Resource Management from Summit to Sea. (2000).
Pena, Devon. Mexican Americans and the Environment. (2005).
Payne, Claire. Cultural differences can impact how people value natural resources. Retrieved
from: http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/compass/issue14/03differences.html
Johnson, Cassandra and J.M. Bowker. African-American wildland memories. Environmental
Ethics. 57-75. (Spring 2004).
Latour, Francie. Hiking while black: the untold story. The Boston Globe. (June 20, 2014).
Lopez, Roel and Columbus Brown. Why diversity matters. The Wildlife Professional. 20-27.
(Summer 2011).
Lopez, Roel, Angelica Lopez, R. Neal Wilkins, Cruz C. Torres, Raul Valdez, James G. Teer, and
Gillian Bowser. Changing Hispanic demographics: challenges in natural resource
management. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 553-563. (2005).
Winter, Patricia and George Cvetkovich. Southwesterners’ views of threatened and
endangered species management: does racial/ethnic diversity make a difference?
Recreation Visitor Research: Studies of Diversity General Technical Report. 97-111. (2008).
Visiting and Listening: Meaningful Participation for Alaska Native Peoples in Conservation
Projects. A Resource Guide for Agency Employees and Partners. U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Alaska Region. (2012).
Finney, Carolyn. This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land: People and Public Lands
Redux. National Park Service Centennial Essay Series: The George Write Forum. 247-254.
(2010).
Schelhas, John. Race, ethnicity, and natural resources in the United States: a review.
Natural Resources Journal. 723-763. (Fall 2002).
Virden, Randy and Gordon Walker. Ethnic/racial and gender variations among meanings
given to, and preferences for, the natural environment. Leisure Sciences. 219-239. (1999).
Berkes, Fibret, Johan Colding, and Carl Folke. Rediscovery of traditional ecological
knowledge as adaptive management. Ecological Applications. 1251-1262. (October 2000).
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Describe how cultural differences in environmental worldviews, attitudes, beliefs,
and values can impact how ethnic and racial groups (specifically, Euro-Americans,
African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans and Hispanics) use and
manage natural resources.
2. Identify cultural, historical, socioeconomic, and political factors that have
contributed to differences in worldviews, attitudes, beliefs and values as well as
deterred, inhibited, or made more difficult the participation of racial and ethnic
minorities in the use, conservation and management of natural resources.
3. Discuss how “traditional” or “alternative” knowledge and perspectives of indigenous
peoples can complement scientific knowledge and positively contribute the
conservation and management of natural resources.
4. Detail strategies that can be used to increase the participation of previously
underrepresented groups in the conservation and management of natural
resources.
Course Requirements and Policies:



Attendance. Attendance will be randomly taken throughout the semester and will
be factored into final grades. It is the responsibility of the student to consult with
the instructor regarding any absences from class.
Exams. There will be four exams given. Under no circumstances will make-up
exams be provided unless arrangements have been made prior to the
administration of the exam to the class.
Assignments. Two short papers will be required. The first will examine the
development of your own environmental worldview and attitudes, values and
behaviors with respect to natural resource use. The second will be a final
paper/project on a topic to be decided.

All assignments must be turned in on time to receive full credit. The penalty for late
work is as follows:
o Minus 10% if turned in late on the same day
o Minus 25% if turned in one calendar day late
o Minus 50% if turned in the next class period
o After this point in time, late work will not be accepted unless previously
approved by the instructor
Grading:
 Assignments and attendance
 Exams
40%
60%
Grading Scale: 100-94 (A), 93-90 (A-), 89-87 (B+), 86-83 (B), 82-80 (B-), 79-77 (C+),
76-73 (C), 72-70 (C-), 69-67 (D+), 66-63 (D), 62-60 (D-), below 60 (F)
Statement on Academic Dishonesty: All students are expected to maintain a high
standard of intellectual honesty. Anyone involved in academic misconduct (i.e., plagiarism,
cheating) will receive no credit for that assignment. Any repeat offense will result in a
failing grade for the course. Information derived from the web, journals, newspapers,
books, etc. must have the source appropriately cited when used in any assignment. Failure
to do so is plagiarism. Policies of the University of Nevada, Reno regarding academic
dishonesty can be found at: http://www.unr.edu/student-conduct/policies/universitypolicies-and-guidelines/academic-standards/policy
Statement of Disability Services: Any student with a disability needing academic
adjustments or accommodations is requested to provide documentation from the Disability
Resource Center (Thompson Building, Suite 100; 775-784-6000) as soon as possible to
arrange for appropriate accommodations.
Statement for Academic Success Services: Your student fees cover usage of the Math
Center (784-4433 or www.unr.edu/mathcenter/), the Tutoring Center (784-6801 or
www.unr.edu/tutoring/), and the University Writing Center (784-6030 or
http://www.unr.edu/writing_center/). These centers support your classroom learning; it
is your responsibility to take advantage of their services. Keep in mind that seeking help
outside of class is the sign of a responsible and successful student.
Statement on Audio and Video Recording: Surreptitious or covert videotaping of class or
unauthorized audio recording of class is prohibited by law and by Board of Regents policy.
This class may be videotaped or audio recorded only with the written permission of the
instructor. In order to accommodate students with disabilities, some students may have
been given permission to record class lectures and discussions. Therefore, students should
understand that their comments during class might be recorded.
Tentative List of Topics for Lectures:
1. Introduction – definition of terms
2. Our changing demographics
3. Culture and resource use – environmental worldviews, attitudes, values and beliefs;
factors influencing their development; how they can influence natural resource use
and management; potential for conflict
4. Ownership and access to resources; property rights; history and patterns of
discrimination (examples related to Native Americans, Hispanics in the Southwest,
African Americans in the rural South, Asian Americans in the West)
5. Government programs related to natural resources – have they discriminated? Use
of resources located on indigenous lands
6. Ethnic differences in recreation use on public lands (National Parks, National
Forests) – analysis of underutilization by ethnic minorities; impacts of ethnic
tourism
7. The role of “traditional” or indigenous knowledge (local ecological knowledge) in
resource management
8. Strategies for increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in the
planning and implementation of conservation and resource management
programs/projects
9. The value of workforce diversity – why becoming more representative of the
nation’s changing demographics is important to natural resources professions