RELS 247: Religion, Ethics and Ecology
Fall 2012
Instructor: Patricia (Micki) Lennon
Meeting times: MWF 11 a.m. in
Holt 266
Office: Trinity 234
Phone: 898-5263
Email: plennon@csuchico.edu
Office hours: Tuesdays 1-3,
Thursdays 3-5 and by
appointment
Course Description and Objectives:
How do our concepts of humanity, society, history, God, and nature, shape the way we live?
How do our religious and secular worldviews shape our lifestyles, and what resources do they
offer us in addressing the environmental issues shaping our planet?
In this class, we will look at human interactions with nature, using both historical and crosscultural perspectives. We will investigate how our relationship to the natural world has been
shaped historically, politically, culturally and economically. We will also examine the
controversies surrounding questions of values and ethics as they relate to creating a sustainable
future by studying religious and non-religious attitudes toward nature. We will examine
perspectives from Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Native American traditions,
and Neopaganism. We will also examine some modern secular movements such as deep
ecology, ecofeminism, and ecoactivism, which seek to offer new ways to imagine the human
relationship with the environment.
General Education Information
This class is a lower division humanities class in the Sustainability pathway. It meets several GE
SLOs, such as sustainability (we will analyze how religious beliefs and worldviews affect
human activities in relationship to the Earth’s ability to sustain physical and biological resources
and cultural diversity); diversity (we will examine different intellectual, religious, and cultural
identities and viewpoints); global engagement (we will analyze trans-national global issues
such as the environmental impact of the consumer lifestyle, the loss of wilderness and
biodiversity, and climate change) and personal and social responsibility (we will explore
current environmental controversies and discuss the opportunities and responsibilities to
become engaged in our various local, regional, national, and international communities).
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Required Texts:
David Kinsley, Ecology and Religion: Ecological Spirituality in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Julia Butterfly Hill, The Legacy of Luna
Numerous readings available on Blackboard Learn
Course Requirements and Grading
Participation
Homework
Exams
Research Project
10%
20%
50%
20%
100 points
200 points
500 points
200 points
Grading
Grading will be on a 1000 point scale. 935 or more points, A; 895-934 points, A-; 875-894
points, B+; 835-874 points, B; 795-834 points, B-; 775-794 points, C+; 735-774 points, C; 695734 points, C-; 675-694 points, D+; 595-674 points, D; below 595, F.
Participation (10%)
This will be a discussion-oriented course, so your attendance and participation is vital to its
success. Your participation grade will be based on attendance, level of preparation for class,
contributions to class discussion, and your listening skills.
I will take attendance, and I will monitor student participation. There will also be several in-class
exercises which will count towards this portion of the grade. If you have an illness or another
problem which will affect your ability to attend class regularly, you must let me know as soon as
possible. If you need to miss class for a university-sponsored event (such as student athletics)
please bring me official notification from your coach/advisor, though be aware that I may require
you to do extra work to make up such absences. Missing more than three class sessions without
a serious excuse will hurt your attendance grade.
In addition to attendance, it is important that you participate in class discussions. We will have
many small-group discussions as well as large-group discussions. Your participation grade may
be affected by your level of preparedness (see below), your actual participation, and your
courtesy to others in the class. Texting, using Facebook, or similar behaviors during class
discussion are distracting to others and may affect your participation grade. Consistently arriving
late or leaving early will also negatively affect your grade. If you are late to class, it’s your
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responsibility to make sure your attendance is noted. If you need to leave early, please let the
professor know in advance.
Occasionally our class discussions will involve close examination of the readings. On those days
in the class calendar there will be a note that you should bring the readings to class. These are
usually the readings posted on Blackboard, so you can bring a printout of the readings or a
laptop or other device you can read them on in class.
Homework (20%)
It is essential that you complete the assigned readings and reflect on them to allow class
discussion to take place. Throughout the calendar of required readings you will find Homework
questions. These questions are due by the start of class on the date listed in the syllabus, and
should be turned in via Blackboard. Responses to questions should be one page (250 words,
which is about 2-3 long paragraphs). Please type directly into the submission box on Blackboard
(or cut-and-paste from a Word file) rather than submitting an attachment.
Homework questions will be worth 10 points each. If you submit an assignment late, you will
receive half-credit for it—this will be true even if you are sick or have to miss class for a
university-sponsored event. In both cases you should still submit the assignment online. If
Blackboard goes down, email me at plennon@csuchico.edu and let me know that, and I will give
the whole class an extension.
The last day late homework will be accepted is Friday December 14 at 5 p.m.
Exams (50%)
There will be two exams in this class. They will be a combination of multiple choice and essay
questions. I will hand out study guides at least one week before the exam. Each exam will be
worth 250 points.
Research Project (20%)
Every member of the class is required to conduct a research project for the course. The
preferred method for this project is a group presentation, but students will have the option to
write a research paper instead. This research project is designed to examine a controversial
issue related to culture and the environment. You or your group will need to select a
controversial topic that relates both to sustainability/the environment and to a religious, cultural,
or ethics issue, and fairly and objectively examine at least two sides of the controversy, either in
a 20-25 minute presentation or in a 5-8 page paper. Some controversies you might examine
include the following:

Are Catholic teachings on birth control harmful to the environment because they promote
overpopulation?

Should indigenous peoples be exempt from certain restrictions on fishing, whaling, etc. if
they prevent them from following a traditional way of life?
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
Is hunting ethical? (In general, or from the perspective of a particular religious/cultural
group)

Is violence or property damage justified to defend the earth? (e.g. People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals, Earth First!, Earth Liberation Front)1

Is vegetarianism morally better than meat-eating?

Are Hindu devotional practices good or bad for the environment?

Is the assumption that God is in control of everything good or bad for the environment?

Can we say that the religious beliefs of one group are better for than the environment
than another?

Are humans more likely to protect the environment out of self-interest, or out of a deep
sense of kinship with other species?

Is fracking ever ethical?
Steps in the research project:
1. Decide whether you prefer a group presentation or a research paper (by October 17).
2. Select a topic. Note that two groups cannot choose the same topic, but it’s fine if you want to
write a research paper on a topic a group is presenting on.
3. Do preliminary research to be sure your topic is researchable.
A. A note on sources

Every group must eventually have a minimum of two scholarly sources per group
member (so 4-10 total), and everyone writing a paper must have a minimum of five
scholarly sources per paper. By “scholarly source” I mean (a) a piece of secondary
literature (b) taken from an academic book or journal (c) that is a minimum of 5 pages
long and (d) has footnotes or endnotes. Generally articles found through the library
search engine meet all these criteria, though be careful not to rely on book reviews as
scholarly sources.

Newspaper and magazine articles may be reliable sources, but are not usually very
substantive; you may count two newspaper articles as one scholarly source, for the
purposes of numbers.

Websites on environmental issues may or may not be reliable; websites on religion can
be even less reliable. If the website is an online journal, government repository of
documents, or the official site for a religious, political, or other group, it might be
acceptable, but check with the instructor if you have any doubts.
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B. Demonstrating your topic is researchable
To show your topic is researchable, and to get feedback from the instructor on your
research, you must submit a preliminary research proposal by October 31. Paper
writers should list your topic and a bibliography of at least 3 scholarly sources on your
topic. Groups should list your topic, how you’re dividing responsibilities, and a
bibliography of at least four scholarly sources on your topic.
4. Expectation for all research projects:
Both paper writers and groups need to fairly and objectively present two sides of a topic. Paper
writers can, if they would like, conclude by arguing which side they find most persuasive, though
that should take no more than 1/3 of the total length of the paper. Groups should present two (or
more) sides of the debate and then conclude with some sort of interactive exercise or discussion
that allows the class to discuss which side they found most convincing.
Both papers and presentations need to be informed by research, and in both cases you will need
to narrow your topic enough that you can fairly present arguments for two sides in 5-8 pages or
20-25 minutes.
All research projects will be graded on research, clarity of arguments, and fairness/objectivity.
Grades for the papers will also take into account general writing effectiveness, which includes
factors like grammar, spelling, organization style, etc. Grades for the group projects will also take
into account overall group organization and creativity (e.g. using visual aids in the presentation,
designing a good discussion/interactive exercise).
5. Specific requirements for groups:
On the presentation day, each group must give me an outline of the presentation (this can be a
printout of the powerpoint) and each individual group member should turn in a paper with their
name, one paragraph outlining the specific duties they completed for the presentation, one
paragraph summarizing the specific arguments they researched, and complete bibliographic
information on two scholarly sources they consulted.
Presentations will take place on the following dates: 11/30, 12/3, 12/5, 12/7. If more dates are
needed, there is a possibility we might have presentations 11/26 and 11/28.
6. Specific requirements for paper-writers:
Papers are due December 5. On that day, you should bring a hard copy of the paper to class
(remember your bibliography should have a minimum of five scholarly sources). You will also
need to upload your paper to Turnitin; I will give you more instructions on how to do this in class.
General Guidelines for writing assignments

Most written assignments for this class will be turned in via Blackboard Learn. Please
type (or cut-and-paste) directly into the submission box; don’t submit your assignments
as attachments.
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
For papers you submit in hard copy format (the research paper and possibly essays for
the exams) please use standard 8 1/2 by 11 paper. Margins should be one inch on all
sides, and papers should be double spaced. Please use a 12 point font. All assignments
should include your name, class and section number, the day the assignment is due, and
(for exams) the number of the question you are responding to or (for papers) the title of
your paper. A title page is not necessary. Please staple your papers! If you turn in an
assignment in which the pages are not stapled together, I accept no responsibility for lost
pages. Please do NOT turn in assignments in binders or plastic covers.

All assignments should be accompanied by a bibliography or works cited page, in
addition to citations you use in the text.

Any instance of plagiarism or other academic dishonesty (e.g. cheating on exams) will
result in an “F” for the course and a report of academic misconduct submitted to
Student Judicial Affairs. If you borrow the ideas of others in composing your written work,
they must be cited; if you borrow the words of others, they must be enclosed in quotation
marks and cited. If you have any doubts as to whether or not something needs to be
cited, play it safe and cite it—or ask me about it. Any standard citation format (MLA, APA,
etc.) is fine.

If you are having health problems or personal crises which might tempt you to plagiarize,
please talk to me. In some cases, I may be able to make accommodations for your
situation; in other cases, I may advise you to take the late penalty (see below). Students
who plagiarize on more than one occasion will be expelled from the university. In the long
run, it is far better to receive a lower grade (or even a failing grade) than to jeopardize
your entire academic career.

Please note that material from the internet is still someone else’s work, and must be cited
appropriately! If you are unsure of how to do this properly, consult the following website:
http://www.csuchico.edu/engl/Links/style_guide.html

Students with certified disabilities
Please notify me of any special need relating to your disability within the first two weeks of the
semester. I will make every reasonable effort to facilitate your success in this course. Please
note that you may be required to show documentation of your disability.
If you have a documented disability that may require reasonable accommodations, please
contact the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC, formerly called Disability Support Services) for
coordination of your academic accommodations. The ARC is located in Student Services
Center 170; their phone number is 530-898-5959 and their website is
http://www.csuchico.edu/arc/
Course Calendar and Reading Assignments
Readings Kinsley are from David Kinsley, Ecology and Religion; those labeled Legacy of Luna
are from Julia Butterfly Hill, Legacy of Luna; those labeled “Blackboard” are available as PDF or
Word files on the Blackboard Learn page for our class, where they can be found under the “ad”
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“Class readings not in the textbook” folder and are listed by date. Please note that this schedule
is subject to revision and may change if necessary.
ALL READINGS ARE DUE BY THE DATE LISTED
For example, by August 29 you need to have read the Friedman piece and be prepared to
discuss it in class on that date.
Introductory Unit
8/27: Introduction to the Class
I encourage you to take the syllabus quiz on Blackboard learn right after class today. It’s
available until 11:59 p.m. on 9/7 since people will be adding the class, but it’s a good idea
to take it while it is still fresh in your mind. The syllabus quiz is worth 20 points.
8/29: The state of the environment
Reading: Thomas Friedman, “Global Weirding” (Blackboard)
Homework question: bring in a passport size photo of yourself (hint: make an enlarged color
copy of your ID or driver’s license if you don’t have a recent photo. Photos will not be returned!)
8/31: Film: Earth on the Edge
Reading: Introduction to Robert Glennon, Unquenchable (Blackboard).
9/5: Worldviews and the Environment
Reading: Robert Glennon, “The Crisis Masked.”
Homework question: Based on Earth on the Edge, what connections do you see between
cultural assumptions and the way humans treat their environment?
Unit One: Jewish and Christian Worldviews and the Environment
9/7: What does religion have to do with the environment? Syllabus quiz due by 11:59 p.m.
tonight.
Readings: “Introduction,” (Kinsley, xv-xxi); Meredith McGuire, “The Provision of Meaning and
Belonging (Blackboard).
9/10: Creation stories and biblical cosmology: Genesis.
Readings: Genesis 1:1--4:16; Genesis 6:1--9:17. (These chapters are available online in
Blackboard Learn. You may also find them online at biblegateway.com, or use a translation of
the Bible that you own. Please bring the readings to class, either as a printout or on a
laptop/tablet). If you are getting them electronically, please be sure to bring a hardcopy to class
with you.)
Homework question: There are 4 stories in this reading (creation of the world; creation of the
world and human beings; Cain & Abel; Noah and the flood). You should read them all, but you
will be assigned two to compare for your homework question. Write on the following questions:
What messages do your two stories convey about nature? How is it described? W hat, if
anything, does God say about it? Does nature change somehow in your story? Are different
aspects of nature categorized in some way? What do these texts say about the human
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relationship with nature and animals? Is the message the same in both of the stories? (NOTE:
not all of these questions will be relevant to your stories; just answer the ones that are relevant).
9/12: The Bible and nature: the Jewish tradition
Reading: Jeremy Benstein, “Creator, Creating, Creations, Creatures and Us” (Blackboard).
9/14: Controversies in Christianity: Lynn White and his critics
Readings: “Is Christianity Ecologically Harmful” and “Christianity as Ecologically Responsible,”
(Kinsley, 103-124). Optional: Lynn White, “The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis,”
(Blackboard).
Homework Question: According to Kinsley, what aspects of the Judeo-Christian worldview have
been criticized by some environmentalists as contributing to environmental exploitation? How
convincing do you find these arguments?
9/17: Christian Environmentalism
Readings: “Contemporary Ecotheology,” (Kinsely, 164-177); also read at least two official
Christian statements on the environment from this site and be prepared to summarize them for
the class: http://greenfaith.org/religious-teachings/christian-statements-on-the-environment. (Be
sure to read statements from two different branches of Christianity).
Homework question: You will get homework points if you’re in class and prepared to summarize
two official Christian statements on the environment.
9/19: Islam and nature
Readings: Lewis Hopfe and Mark Woodward, “Islam.” (Blackboard)
9/21: Documentary on religion and ecology
9/24: Islamic environmentalism
Reading: Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, “The Earth is a Mosque,” (Blackboard).
Homework Question: What are some of the principles of “Green Deen,” according to AbdulMatin? How do they compare to environmental principles in Judaism or Christianity?
9/26: Science, Technology, and Consumerism
Readings: David Loy, “The Religion of the Market,” (Blackboard). Optional: “Nature
Disenchanted: The Modern View of Nature”, (Kinsley, 125-140).
Film: “The Story of Stuff”
Homework question: Do you think Loy is correct to argue that the “religion of the market” has
displaced Christianity as the dominant religion in the west? Does the “religion of the market”
share any values in common with Judaism or Christianity?
Unit Two: Asian traditions and Environmental Ethics
9/28: Hinduism: Worldview and History
Reading: David Kinsley, “Central Hindu Beliefs.” (Blackboard)
10/1: Hinduism and the environment.
Reading: “Hinduism: Ecological Themes” in (Kinsley, 54-67).
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10/3: Case study: Sacred rivers in India
Readings: Selections from David Haberman, River of Love in an Age of Pollution (Blackboard)
Homework question: How do Hindu concepts of pollution differ from scientific ones? How is
devotion to the Yamuna River connected to environmental activism?
10/5: Buddhism
Readings: Buddhism: Ecological Themes (Kinsley pp 84-91)
10/8: Buddhism and the environment
Readings: Sulak Sivarasksa, “True Development.” (Blackboard); be sure to bring this reading to
class, either printed out or on a laptop
Homework question: What, according to Sivaraska, is “true development”? How is it different
than Western ideas of development?
10/10: Buddhist environmentalism in Japan: a case study
Readings: “The Buddha of Rocks and Trees,” (Kinsley 91-98).
10/12: Princess Mononoke and Japanese Buddhist environmentalism
Film: Princess Mononoke
Reading: Midori Kagawa-Fox, “Environmental Ethics from the Japanese Perspective.”
(Blackboard)
10/15: Princess Mononoke
10/17: Princess Mononoke.
10/19: Discussion of Princess Mononoke and Wrap-up of Units 1 & 2. SIGN-UPS FOR
GROUP PRESENTATIONS TODAY
Homework question: Answer one of the following questions:
1. Where do we see evidence of Buddhist and/or Shinto values in the film? Give at least three
specific examples.
2. How do the various main characters (Eboshi, San, Ashitaka) change over the course of the
film? How do you think this relates to the main message of the film?
3. How do you interpret the end of the film? Is it hopeful or pessimistic? Are we to believe that
true change is possible, or will Irontown simply be rebuilt just as it was?
10/22: Exam one
Unit Three: Native American Worldviews and the Environment
10/24: Controversies in Native American religion: are Native Americans “natural”
environmentalists?
Reading: Shepard Krech, “Introduction,” The Ecological Indian: Myth and History, (Blackboard).
Homework question: What does Krech mean by the “Noble Indian,” and what role has the image
of the “noble Indian” played in the history of the environmental movement?
10/26: Case study in Native American worldviews: Cree/Algonkian peoples
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Reading: Calvin Martin, “Pimadaziwin” (Blackboard).
10/29: Native American encounters with Europeans
Film: Black Robe. As you watch the film, keep track of these questions (which will help you
answer the homework question on the film): How do Chominah, Annuka, Fr. LaForgue and
Daniel’s attitudes to each other change during the journey? What do the Algonquins find strange
about the French? What do the French find strange about the Algonquins?
10/31: Algonquin culture and nature. Paper and project proposals due today
Film: Black Robe
11/2: Cree culture, historical and modern
Reading: “The Mistassini Cree” (Kinsley, 7-21).
Homework question: What did “Black Robe” reveal about the differences between the Christian
and Algonkian worldview? How similar was the way of life in the film to the modern Cree as
discussed in Kinsley?
11/5: Controversies in Native American religion: Sacred ground.
Reading: Vine Deloria, “Sacred Places and Moral Responsibility;” Optional reading: Bron Taylor
and Joel Geffen, Battling Religions in Parks and Forest Reserves (Both on Blackboard)
Homework question: How, according to Deloria, are Native American concepts of holy places
similar to/different from Judeo-Christian concepts of sacred places? How do the differences
affect Amerindian religious freedom?
Film: In the Light of Reverence
Unit Four: Creating New Worldviews: the Emergence of Modern Environmental
Philosophies and Spiritualities
11/7: Deep Ecology
Readings: Aldo Leopold, “Excerpts from A Sand County Almanac” (Blackboard); Deep Ecology:
From Anthropocentrism to Biocentrism” (Kinsley, 184-192); Devall and Sessions, “Principles of
Deep Ecology,” (Blackboard). Optional: “Ecological Spirituality in Thoreau, Muir, and Leopold,”
(Kinsley, 141-158).
11/9: Deep Ecology and Religion
Readings: Bron Taylor, “The Tributaries of Radical Environmentalism” (Blackboard). Optional:
Bill Devall, “Ecocentric Sangha” (Blackboard).
Homework question: According to Taylor, how have religious/spiritual concepts of nature helped
motivate environmental activism?
11/14: Ecological spiritualities: Neopaganism
Readings: Sarah Pike, “Introduction to the Religious Worlds of Neopagans and New Age
Practitioners” (Blackboard).
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11/16: Ecological spirituality in action: Earth First!
Readings: David Foreman, “Strategic monkeywrenching “ (Blackboard); “Ecoactivism” (Kinsley,
193-202). Optional reading: Taylor, Bron, “Earth First!’s Religious Radicalism (Blackboard)
Homework question: What ethical principles seem to motivate Earth First!? What do you think of
their principles?
11/26: Ecological spirituality in action: animal rights
Readings: Peter Singer, “All Animals are Equal” (Blackboard); Gary Snyder, “Nets of Beads,
Webs of Cells” (Blackboard). Be sure to bring the readings to class today, either as a
printout or on a laptop/tablet.
Homework question: Compare Singer’s perspective on animal rights to Snyder’s. Why does
Singer think animals should have rights? What is Snyder’s perspective on animals? Do you
agree with any of their arguments? Why/why not?
11/28: New paradigms: Ecofeminism.
Readings: Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva, “Ecofeminism,” (Blackboard); Carol Adams, “The
sexual politics of meat.” (Blackboard). Optional: Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, Religion, Ecology, and
Gender: A Jewish Perspective” (Blackboard)
11/30: Group Presentations.
12/3: Group Presentations
Reading: Legacy of Luna
12/5: Group Presentations; Research papers due today.
Reading: Legacy of Luna.
12/7: Group Presentations
Reading: Legacy of Luna
12/10: New paradigms in action: The Legacy of Luna
Readings: The Legacy of Luna chapters 1-6
Homework question: What are some of the factors that motivated Julia Butterfly Hill to sit in
Luna? How effective do you think her treesit was? Why?
12/12: New paradigms in action: The Legacy of Luna
Readings: The Legacy of Luna chapter 7-epilogue
Homework question(worth double points): Describe Julia’s relationship with Luna. Does her
personal philosophy seem to reflect any of the groups we have discussed in this unit (e.g. deep
ecologists, ecofeminists, pagans, etc?)
12/14: Legacy of Luna and final reflections on the class
12/17: Final exam due at noon in the regular classroom.
This syllabus is subject to revision if necessary.
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