CFAN 3480, Sec. 4 Oil and Water: The Gulf Oil Spill of 2010
Class Times: M 4:05-4:55, W 4:05-6:00
Location: B25 Classroom Office Building
Instructor: Robert Gilmer
Email: gilme015@umn.edu
Office:
Office Hours: 2:30-3:30 MW, and by appointment
In the wake of one of the largest environmental disasters in United States
history, this course explores the many problems and paradoxes associated with the
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Water, and specifically the waters that flow down the
Mississippi River from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, is what makes possible the
large deposits of oil found in and around the Mississippi Delta. Over millions of
years the organic matter carried and broken down by the river combined with dead
algae and plankton in the Gulf, ultimately creating the oil deposits off the coast of
Louisiana. But while water and wetlands play a key role in the production of oil,
when that oil spills it causes widespread destruction to plant and animal life
throughout the region.
By exploring the history and ecology of oil drilling in the Gulf, this course will
raise questions about the economic, environmental, and social impact of the
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on communities throughout the Gulf region. If oil
drilling is so potentially dangerous to the region, why do many local politicians and
citizens demand that it continue? While the oil spill has wreaked havoc on the local
fishing industry, can it survive without offshore drilling? What lessons can we learn
from past spills about the environmental and economic impacts facing the Gulf
region? Who is ultimately responsible for the spill, and who is liable for the costs
associated with cleanup, restoration, and economic damages? Do laws such as the
Oil Protection Act of 1990, which were intended to hold oil companies responsible
for the effects of spills, actually empower them over the government when largescale spills do occur?
Liberal education is founded on the idea that exposure to a variety of
disciplines not only produces a more well-rounded education, but also creates
better citizens of the world by giving you the tools you need to evaluate future
challenges. This course meets the Technology and Society Liberal Education
requirement by exploring not only the technical and scientific issues involved in the
Gulf Oil Spill, but also its ethical and societal implications. Through class readings,
discussions, assignments, and guest speakers, we will approach the Gulf Oil Spill
from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, such as law, economics, history,
engineering, and conservation biology. This interdisciplinary approach will not only
give you a fuller understanding of the complex issues involved in the spill, but will
also provide you with a skill set for dealing with future conflicts over the effects of
technology on our changing societies and environments.
Readings:
Required Text: Mike Tidwell, Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of
Louisiana’s Cajun Coast, (Vintage Books: NY, NY, 2003).
There is only one assigned book for the class, but students will be required to read a
variety of academic journal articles, excerpts from both scholarly and popular
books, and numerous media accounts related to the Spill. Since we will be studying
an ongoing issue, I may change course readings in order to ensure that our
discussions stay timely and relevant to changing circumstances. If any changes
are made I will notify students both by email and in class. All readings for the
class (aside from Bayou Farewell) will be posted on the moodle site at the address
below:
Moodle Address: https://moodle.umn.edu/course/view.php?id=12537
-Assignments:
Weekly Posts: Because the topic of this class is an ongoing issue, it presents us with
an opportunity to steer lectures and class time in new directions as the
circumstances surrounding the spill change. In order for us to make the most of this
opportunity, each student will be assigned one of 15 different online news sources
(some American, some British, some national, some local to the Gulf, some
conservative, some liberal, etc). Each student will be responsible for browsing
through that news source each week and finding and posting an article (by noon
each Wednesday before class) related to the spill or issues we’re discussing in
class on the moodle site. Along with providing a link, you will need to write a
paragraph summarizing the major points of the article and saying what you found
interesting about it. If media coverage of the spill starts to become hard to find as
the semester goes on we may open this up to posting responses to the regular class
readings.
Participation and Attendance: is mandatory and will be expected in class. Students
who have documented reasons for being absent, such as military obligations, court
dates, death or serious illness in family, doctor visits, university sanctioned sporting
events, etc., will be excused. Students who need to be absent for religious holidays
that are not university-wide should email me in advance to let me know that they
will not attend class.
Students should come to class prepared to discuss the readings. As you read, write
down any insights, questions, or comments you have and bring these with you to
class. At times I may call on students to share their thoughts on the readings, so
make sure you have something to say. It is important that all students contribute to
class discussions and that they are not consistently dominated by a small group of
vociferous students.
Quizzes: At the end of each section of the course we will have a quiz based on the
readings, lectures (including guest lectures), and other course materials from that
section of class. These quizzes will be a mix of factual based questions (IDs,
matching, etc) as well as a short essay section.
Final Paper: Throughout the semester you will be expected to develop a research
paper topic related to the Gulf Oil Spill. Feel free to select topics ranging from the
technical issues involved in offshore drilling, to social, ecological, or economic issues
resulting from the spill, to analysis of media coverage, to historical issues that
shaped the context within which the spill occurred. These papers should be 10-12
pages long, double-spaced, Times New Roman size 12 font, one inch margins, have
consistently cited sources (parenthetical or footnoted are both fine, as long as you
are consistent and follow the guidelines within your discipline), and have a
bibliography.
You will also need to draw on peer-reviewed scholarly publications—either
books from the library or from academic journals, in addition to media coverage or
other primary sources (such as government documents, technical schematics, etc).
One of the best places to look for sources related to your topic will be the articles
you and your classmates post on the moodle site, so be sure to look through what
your classmates are posting and make note of any that could be helpful to your own
research. Since the research paper is due at the final exam time, late papers
will not be accepted.
Presentation: The last couple of weeks of class students will give 10 minute
presentations on their research papers to the rest of the class. Your presentation
itself should be no less than 5, and at most 8 minutes, with a couple of minutes left
for questions. Please bring in powerpoints or other visual aids to help illustrate the
research you’ve done. I want students to have fun with these and be creative in how
you educate the rest of the class on your topic. By this point in the semester you
should be an expert on what you’ve been studying, so think of this as your chance to
shine and demonstrate why you were excited about this topic and what you’ve
learned through your research.
Grades:
The breakdown is as follows:
10% Weekly Posts
15% Class Attendance and Participation
45% (15% each) Quizzes
20% Final Paper
10% Presentations
Classroom Environment:
While I hope and expect that discussions in class will sometimes get heated, it is
imperative that students treat one another with respect. Racist, sexist, and
otherwise bigoted comments will not be tolerated. Students will likely disagree with
one another on their understandings of historical events, political philosophies, and
general outlooks on life, but we should always remember to treat one another as
human beings, despite our differences. I want a free and open exchange of ideas to
happen in class, but this cannot occur if students feel threatened or intimidated by
each other.
Please turn off your cell phones and pagers before coming to class. I have a cell
phone too and know that sometimes you forget, but if it goes off in more than one
class period I do reserve the right to answer it. If you have childcare or other issues
that require you to be available, please speak to me about this ahead of time and we
will make arrangements as necessary.
Please use your laptops responsibly. If you want to take notes with it during
lectures, that’s fine, but please don’t surf the web, check your email, check facebook,
or play solitaire, etc. The same applies for reading the newspaper, talking, or
anything else that is disruptive and isn’t related to the course. As someone who’s sat
through many lectures before, I know how distracting it can be to have football
scores, CNN, or Sudoku flashing on a screen in front of you, so please be considerate
of your classmates.
Filming of Lectures: Because of the unique nature of this course and the high
degree of interest in making the course materials available to a broader audience,
the lectures for this course will be filmed and made available online, and may be
used in a documentary film. While the camera will always be focused on the front of
the room, anything you say in class might be recorded, and there’s a chance your
image could appear on screen. I’ve attached consent forms to be signed and
returned the second day of class. If you would prefer not to have your likeness
appear, please specify that and we will make sure your image is edited out of any
recordings before they’re made public. Any filming of student work (for example,
your presentations at the end of the semester), will require the university to get
additional permission from you. Any decision about whether or not you’d like to be
filmed will have no impact on your grade or participation level in this class.
Students with Special Needs, Academic Integrity, etc.
This course will follow all university guidelines regarding disabilities and Academic
Integrity. If you have a disability, please see Disability Services so that we can make
the necessary accommodations. My hands are somewhat tied unless you go through
the proper channels.
http://ds.umn.edu/ Disability Services
University Statement on Academic Integrity:
“Academic integrity is essential to a positive teaching and learning environment. All
students enrolled in University courses are expected to complete coursework
responsibilities with fairness and honesty. Failure to do so by seeking unfair
advantage over others or misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own, can
result in disciplinary action. The University Student Conduct Code defines scholastic
dishonesty as follows:
Scholastic Dishonesty: Scholastic dishonesty means plagiarizing; cheating on
assignments or examinations; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic
work; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission;
submitting false or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in
cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors,
awards, or professional endorsement; altering forging , or misusing a University
academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research procedures, or data
analysis.
Within this course, a student responsible for scholastic dishonesty can be assigned a
penalty up to and including an "F" or "N" for the course. If you have any questions
regarding the expectations for a specific assignment or exam, ask.”
Feel free to visit this site if you’re unsure about whether or not something is
considered plagiarism http://www.writing.umn.edu/tww/plagiarism/.
A Final Note:
Through my work as both an undergraduate and graduate student, the best advice I
can give you is to get to know your instructors. If you are having problems, come
talk to us and let us know what’s going on. Most of us have been through rough
times before, and you might be surprised by how willing we can be to work with
you.
Course Schedule:
Week 1: Introductions
Sept. 8:
* Course syllabus
Section 1: The Background
Week 2: Gulf History and Ecology
Sept. 13:
* Mike Tidwell, Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana’s Cajun
Coast, xi-65.
Sept. 15:
* Bayou Farewell, 69-107.
* John D. Sutter, “Minnesota Farmer Battles Gulf ‘Dead Zone,’” CNN.com 8/30/10,
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/08/30/gulf.dead.zone.minnesota.far
m/index.html?iref=obnetwork
Week 3: Oil Spills and Regulation
Sept. 20:
* Bayou Farewell, 108-141;
* Justin Gillis and Leslie Kaufman, “After Oil Spills, Hidden Damage Can Last for
Years,” NYT, 7/17/10,
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/science/earth/18enviro.html?_r=1&hp.
Sept. 22:
* Bayou Farewell, 142-180;
* Joe Hunt, Mission Without a Map: The Politics and Policies of Restoration Following
the Exxon Valdez Spill, 1-12.
Guest Speaker: Zygmunt Plater, former chair of Alaska’s Legal Task Force following
the Exxon Valdez disaster.
Week 4: History of Oil in the Gulf
Sept. 27:
* Bayou Farewell, 181-243.
Sept. 29:
* Bayou Farewell, 243-281.
Guest Speaker: Mike Tidwell, author of Bayou Farewell—meet on east bank,
location tba.
Week 5: Politics of Oil
Oct. 4:
* Finish Bayou Farewell, 282-344.
Oct. 6:
* Excerpt from Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth.
Guest Speaker: Professor of Sociology, Boston College, Juliet Schor (meet on East
Bank).
Week 6:
Oct. 11:
*****Quiz #1
Oct. 13:
Research Day
Section 2: The Spill
Week 7: The Explosion
Oct. 18:
* “Life on An Oil Rig in the Gulf of Mexico,” CNNMoney,
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/news/1007/gallery.oil_rig/index.html
* Ian Urbina, “In Gulf, It was Unclear Who Was in Charge of Rig,” NYT, 6/5/10,
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/us/06rig.html?hp
* Tim Dickinson, “The Spill, the Scandal, and the President” Rolling Stone, issue 1107,
54-63;
* Scott Bronstein and Wayne Drash, “Rig Survivors: BP Ordered Shortcut on Day of
Blast,” CNN.com, 6/9/10,
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/08/oil.rig.warning.signs/index.html?hpt=T2
Oct. 20:
* David Barstow, et al, “Regulators Failed to Address Risks in Oil Rig Fail-Safe
Device,” NYT, 6/20/10,
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/us/21blowout.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&
adxnnlx=1277121629-BFmjLM8l5q6j37Hm1Cg4MA
* Dara O’Rourke and Sarah Connolly, “Just Oil? The Distribution of Environmental
and Social Impacts of Oil Production and Consumption,”Annual Review of
Environmental Resources, (2003), 587-617.
* William R. Freudenburg and Robert Gramling, Oil in Troubled Waters: Perceptions,
Politics, and the Battle Over Offshore Drilling, 1994, 137-146.
Week 8: Containing the Spill
Oct. 25:
* Marian Wang, “In Gulf Spill, BP Using Disersants Banned in U.K.,” Propublica Blog,
5/18/10, http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/In-Gulf-Spill-BP-UsingDispersants-Banned-in-UK;
* “Stopping the Oil: An Interactive Guide,” BBC Special Reports,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10317116.stm;
* Leslie Kaufman, “Agency Agreed Wildlife Risk From Spill ‘Low,’” NYT, 7/5/10,
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/us/06wildlife.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=us
&adxnnlx=1282575627-St06aM2RA8aJTtNQor0Blw;
* Campbell Robertson and Clifford Krauss, “Gulf Spill Is the Largest of its Kind,
Scientists Say,” NYT, 8/2/10,
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/us/03spill.html?_r=1&hp;
Oct. 27:
* Presidential Address http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarkspresident-nation-bp-oil-spill;
* “For BP, Purgatory or Apology,” NYT, 6/18/10,
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/for-bp-purgatory-orapology/?ref=global-home;
* David M Herszenhorn and Eric Lichtblau, “A Tricky Balance for Oil-State
Politicians,” NYT, 6/18/10,
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/19/us/politics/19donate.html?hp;
* “Seepages near the leaking BP Oil Well ‘May be Natural,’” BBC, 7/20/10,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10692360;
Guest Speaker: Justin Revenaugh, Professor of Seismology
Week 9: The Media, Katrina, and International Perspectives
Nov. 1:
* “The Dirty Dozen: Who to Blame for the Oil Spill,” Time, 6/10/10,
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1995523_1995491,
00.html
* “Who is Tony Hayward?” Telegraph, 1/12/07,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/4653925/Who-is-Tony-Hayward.html
* Explore “Oil and Water: BBC Special Report,”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/Americas/2010/0il_disaster.stm
Nov. 3:
* Chris McGreal, “New Orleans Runs $5m Anti-British Campaign—Paid for by BP,”
Guardian.co.uk, 6/16/10, http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/jun/16/neworleans-ad-campaign-bp-britain
* Jane Wardell, “Nations Rethink Offshore Drilling: ‘No One On Earth is Free From
the Impact of this Disaster,’” AP, MSNBC.com, 6/20/10,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37815518/ns/business-oil_and_energy/
* John Vidal, “Nigeria’s Agony Dwarfs the Gulf Oil Spill: The Us and Europe Ignore it,”
The Guardian, 5/10/10, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/30/oilspills-nigeria-niger-delta-shell
Film: If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise, pt. 2.
Week 10: Economic Effects: Tourism, Fishing, and the Moratorium
Nov. 8:
* Abbie Boudreau and David Fitzpatrick, “Judge Favored by BP has Financial Ties to
Oil Industry,” CNN.com, 6/17/10,
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/17/bp.judge.oil.ties/index.html?hpt=T1
* “Government Says More Than 23k Workers affected by Gulf of Mexico Drilling
Ban,” Star Tribune, 8/21/10,
http://www.startribune.com/business/101218189.html?elr=KArksUUUU;
* “Offshore Drillers Want Their jobs Back,” CNNMoney, 7/3/10,
http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/01/news/economy/drill_rig_workers/index.htm;
* Sharon Cohen, “Vietnamese ‘Lost’ as Gulf Oil Spill Hits Community Hard,” MSNBC,
7/11/10, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38187473/;
* Ken Wells, “Ghost of Oil to Come Scares off Summer Tourists,” MSNBC, 7/12/10,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38168898/ns/businessbloomberg_businessweek/;
* Katy Reckdahl, “Beach Business Operators Anticipate unwanted Leisure over
Holiday Weekend,” Times-Picayune, 7/01/10, http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oilspill/index.ssf/2010/07/beach_businesses_anticipate_un.html;
* Derrick Ho, “BP Boycott Hurt Local Stations; Gas Giant Offers Help,” CNN.com,
7/21/10,
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/12/bp.protest.atlanta/index.html?hpt=T2
Nov.10:
* Susan Saulny, “Cajuns on Gulf Worry they May Need to Move Again,” NYT,
7/18/10, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/us/19cajun.html?_r=1&hp;
* John D. Sutter, “How the Gulf of Mexico Became the Nation’s ‘toilet bowl,’” CNN,
7/27/10,
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/27/gulf.history.environment.toilet/index.html;
* Explore Pointe-au-Chien website http://pactribe.tripod.com/index.html.
Week 11: The Clean Up
Nov. 15:
* Justin Gillis, “Where the Gulf Spill Might Place on the Roll of Disasters,” NYT,
6/18/10, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/19/science/earth/19enviro.html?hp
* Suzanne Goldenberg, “BP Oil Spill: US Scientist Retracts Assurances over Success of
Clean-up,” The Guardian, 8/19/10,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/19/bp-oil-spill-scientistretracts-assurances;
* “Gulf Wetlands Surviving---At Least for now,” MSNBC, 6/29/10,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37996021/ns/us_news-environment/;
* David A. Fahrenthold, “Determining Oil Spill’s environmental Damage is Difficult,”
Washington Post, 7/5/10, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2010/07/04/AR2010070403990.html?hpid=topnews;
* Finio Rohrer, “How Much Damage has the BP Oil Spill Done?” BBC, 7/13/10,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10603727;
* Rebecca Solnit, “Diary,” London review of Books, 8/5/10,
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v32/n15/rebecca-solnit/diary;
Nov. 17:
****Quiz #2
Section 3: The Aftermath: Where Do We Go From Here?
Week 12: Reconstructing the Gulf pt. 1
Nov. 22:
* James Carville, “Louisiana Demands Justice, Not Charity,” CNN.com, 6/13/10,
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/06/13/carville.louisiana.justice/index.html?
hpt=C1
* “Restoring the Gulf,” NYT Editorial, 8/18/10
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/opinion/19thu1.html?_r=2&hp;
* “Executive Summary of BP’s Internal Investigation”
Nov. 24:
****Field Trip (details tba).
Week 13: Reconstructing the Gulf pt. 2
Nov. 29:
* Explore Presidential Oil Spill Commission website
http://www.oilspillcommission.gov/.
* Explore LA Coast website http://lacoast.gov/new/
* Bob Marshall and Mark Schlifstein, “Last Chance Day 2: Losing Ground,” Times
Picayune, 3/5/07.
Dec. 1:
* Don Davis, Washed Away? The Invisible Peoples of Louisiana’s Wetlands, 2010, 407459.
Guest Speaker: Don Davis, Director Emeritus of the Sea Grant Program at LSU
Week 14:The Future of Energy
Dec. 6:
* Readings TBA
Guest Speaker: Barry Lehrmann, Lecturer, Landscape Architecture
Dec. 8:
****Quiz #3
Week 15: Class Presentations
Dec. 13: Presentations
Dec. 15: Presentations
****Final Exam: Dec. 20th, 4:05-6:05 PM (Turn in Final Papers and finish
presentations).
USE OF LIKENESS RELEASE
Name:
I understand that Regents of the University of Minnesota (the “University”),
other persons or entities (“Other Filmmakers”) or both may film and record some or
all of the sessions of the class offered at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
campus, in Fall 2010 entitled “Oil and Water: The Gulf Oil Spill of 2010” (CFAN
3480, Section 4). Among other uses, the University or the other Fimmakers may
create a film for commerical or noncommercial distribution or upload and display
on the Internet all or a portion of such works.
For good and valuable consideration, I authorize the University and its agents
and assigns and the Other Filmmakers and its agents and assigns to record
likenesses of me on videotape, audiotape, film, photograph or any other medium
and use, reproduce, modify, distribute, and publicly exhibit such recordings, in
whole or in part, without restrictions or limitation for any lawful purpose. I further
consent to the use of my name and voice in connection with such recordings.
I release the University, the Other Filmmakers and their respective
successors, assigns, and agents from liability for any violation of any personal or
proprietary rights I have or may have in connection with such use. I understand that
all such recordings, in whatever medium, shall remain the property of the University
or its assigns.
In Witness Whereof, this Release was agreed to, executed and delivered by the
undersigned on
, 2010.
By:
Print Name:
Print Campus Address:
CONSENT
Releasees under 18 years of age must have this agreement co-signed by their
parent or guardian.
This is to certify that I, as parent/guardian with legal responsibility for this
Releasee, do hereby consent and agree to the terms of the release as provided
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