Sustainability: Writing and Rhetoric
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“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe—a part limited in time and
space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from
the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of
prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons
nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles
of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
-Albert Einstein
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this writing-intensive course, we will examine the ways in which sustainability and
environmentalism have been shaped and defined through a variety of literary, scientific,
political, and popular texts. Class discussions will trace the roots of sustainability in
environmental writing, will analyze the diverse debates surrounding sustainability, and
will consider local, national, and international texts about sustainability.
Our goal for the course is to develop two types of awareness. First, we seek to develop
an awareness of the key discussions about sustainability in society today. Second, we
will work to develop a critical awareness of how debates about sustainability are shaped
through the written and spoken word.
Sustainability is more than just preserving resources or protecting the great outdoors. It
is also a product of the discourse surrounding it. In other words, sustainability—and
what we think, say, and do concerning it—is influenced by what other groups and
individuals have written or said about it. Sustainability debates are shaped by more
than simply “the facts” surrounding environmental issues; they are also shaped by the
persuasive tactics and rhetorical choices writers and speakers make. We will spend our
time this semester analyzing, discussing, and creating texts that engage the topics of
sustainability and environmentalism.
Students will interact with invited guest speakers, conduct field research on
sustainability in local communities and institutions, and create their own narratives and
scenarios for sustainable futures based on their findings and speculations.
TEXTS AND MATERIALS
Sustainability: A Bedford Spotlight Reader
Christian Weisser, ed.
(Bedford/St. Martins, 2015)
Rules for Writers, 7/e
Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers
Bedford/St. Martins, 2014)
A notebook w/ lined white paper
(for notes, in-class assignments)
GRADED WORK
Environment in Popular Culture
Expert Interview
Defining Sustainability
Campus Sustainability Report
Video Project
Class Blog
Class Participation/Attendance
15%
15%
15%
15%
15%
15%
10%
Environment and Popular Culture Assignment: Find a cultural product that is
associated with some environmental or sustainability theme or topic. This can be any
type of product, from a box of cereal to a pair of hiking boots. Write a 3-4 page analysis
of this product and the text and images used to market and define it. These may
include the actual product, its packaging, and any advertising or web-based material
created around it. Your analysis should describe how the environment or sustainability
is associated with this product, how the text and images present a particular
environmental message or perspective, and why this message does or doesn’t present
an effective rhetorical stance.
While you should make an assessment on whether or not this product is created and
distributed using sustainable methods, your primary goal is to analyze the ways in
which the object asserts an environmental or sustainable message. Your analysis may
draw on class readings and your own insights, though it is not required that you do so.
You’ll need to bring the item (and its marketing and advertising documents) to class
and make a short presentation to the class about your findings.
Expert Interview: Make contact with a local or regional leader in sustainability or
within an environmental organization. Conduct a detailed interview with that person to
find out about their organization’s central goals, the interviewee’s personal perspective
on sustainability, and other related topics. We will spend time in class brainstorming to
select interviewees and to create suitable interview questions. You will need to
structure your interview in memo format—not as a Q&A. Consequently, it will be
important for you to take careful notes during your interview and to look for themes
and topics that might translate into paragraph format. The interview memo will be 3-4
pages long.
Defining Sustainability Assignment: We have read a great deal of material about
sustainability, and by now you understand that it is a complex subject. Use this
assignment as an opportunity to define the term sustainability. What does it mean?
Where did the term come from and how has it changed? What are the primary aspects
or components of sustainability? What are the essential texts and figures involved in
sustainability? Please draw on sources we’ve discussed in class as well as other sources
you find on your own. This extended definition essay should be 3-4 pages long.
Campus Sustainability Report: Working in small groups, you will choose one aspect
of sustainability on your campus. This might include sustainability in campus
architecture/buildings, sustainability in the curriculum, landscape design and
horticulture, sustainable foods, campus sustainability/environmental committees,
energy and water use, and so on. Your group will conduct research, interviews, and
other forms of information gathering, and you will collectively write a 2-3 page report
on your findings. Your group should be prepared to make a short presentation to the
class about those findings.
Campus Sustainability Video: For this final assignment, we will work together to
create a video describing the various sustainability initiatives taking place on our
campus. Much of the information for this video will come from the sustainability reports
from each group, but the info will need to be reconsidered and rewritten as part of our
“script” for a 2-3 minute video. We will need leaders to create the scripts, to shoot
video, to edit video, to select sounds and background music, to act and narrate the
video, and to manage the whole process. Everyone will be involved in some way.
Our audience will be the general public, who may be interested in what our campus is
doing concerning sustainability. The video will be published and viewable on the web.
If the video is very good, we may be able to include it on our campus website, so your
work may become a public text. We will also present the video to a group of faculty,
administrators, community leaders, and others interested in the topic of campus
sustainability.
Class Blog: To continue our discussions outside of class, we’ll use a class discussion
blog. You are responsible for creating at least one detailed comment on the blog per
week. Generally, I’ll post a question or writing prompt to the blog at the beginning of
the week. You should send your response by the end of the week (Friday), since these
responses will often be the focus of our in-class discussions. I encourage you to post
additional comments and to create new threads on our blog; feel free to discuss class
projects, work on your portfolio, your current or future job search—really anything that
might be of interest and use to your classmates.
Each message you post to the blog should be approximately 2-3 paragraphs, though
some may be longer. Overall, we’ll generate about 25-30 messages per week on the
blog, and it is important that you read your classmates’ comments, too. Your grade on
this assignment will be based upon the completion of the responses in a timely fashion
as well as the degree to which you interact with your classmates and lead our blog
discussions. Occasionally, I’ll give BONUS prompts, to which you can reply to earn
additional credit.
CLASS POLICIES
Participation
Class participation and in-class quizzes can “swing” your final grade for the course as
much as a full letter grade in either direction. The following components of class
participation are expected:
 you are present in class
 you arrive on time
 you are prepared for class
o you completed the reading and writing assignments due for that class
period
o you completed the in-class assignment
o you brought assigned readings with you;
o and you brought your in-progress work to class
 you are attentive and engaged
 you contribute to group work and class discussions.
Email
I regularly correspond with my students via email about assignment changes,
research resources, and other important aspects of the class. I encourage you to
check your university email twice daily. Please use professional language when
corresponding with me by email. As we will discuss in class, the audience and subject
of your writing should dictate the level of formality rather than the genre. In other
words, email messages may be formal or informal depending upon who you are
writing to and why you are writing.
Instructor Availability
I want to help you to be successful in this course, and I encourage you to visit my
office during office hours to discuss the readings, your essays, or any part of the
course. You can reach me most any time at my email address as well. Please feel
free to email for an office appointment during busy times of the semester.
The Writing Center
The Writing Center provides free assistance to writers at all levels and in all stages of
the writing process. The writing center tutors do not edit or proofread student
writing, but they can provide valuable help with brainstorming, revising, and other
stages of the writing process. I encourage you to visit the Writing Center at least
once this semester.
SCHEDULE OF READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS
UNIT 1: What Are the Foundations of Sustainability?
Week 1:
Course Introduction
Henry David Thoreau, Walden, "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For"
John Muir, "The American Forests"
Rachel Carson, "The Obligation to Endure"
Aldo Leopold, "Thinking Like a Mountain"
Week 2:
Discuss Assignment #1
David Suzuki, "The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature"
Donella Meadows, Jorgen Randers, and Dennis L. Meadows, "Limits to
Growth: Tools for the Transition to Sustainability"
Ethan Goffman, "Defining Sustainability, Defining the Future"
UNIT 2: How is Sustainability a Political Issue?
Week 3:
Assignment #1 Due
World Commission on Environment and Development, "Our Common
Future: From One Earth to One World"
Al Gore, "Climate of Denial"
David W. Orr, "Framing Sustainability"
Carolyn Merchant, "Earthcare: Women and the Environment"
Tim McDonnell, “Why Do Conservatives like to Waste Energy?”
Week 4:
Discuss Assignment #2
Bjorn Lomborg, "Yes, it Looks Bad, But…"
Larry Miller, “Sustainability, the New Holy Grail”
Ron Ross, "Now Playing: The Sustainability Con"
Alex Zorach, "Sustainability: Building a Consensus between Liberals and
Conservatives"
UNIT 3: How do Crises and Disasters Create Challenges for Sustainability?
Week 5:
Workshop Assignment #2
Kaid Benfield, "Sustainable New Orleans: How Katrina Made a City
Greener"
David Biello, "How Did the BP Oil Spill Affect Gulf Coast Wildlife?"
Week 6:
Assignment #2 Due
Julia Whitty, "Animal Extinction: The Greatest Threat to Mankind"
Jared Diamond, "The Last Americans: Environmental Collapse and the End
of Civilization"
Russell Mittermeier, “Language Diversity is Highest in Biodiversity
Hotspots”
UNIT 4: How is Sustainability Connected to Local and Urban Environments?
Week 7:
Discuss Assignment #3
Jeffrey Kaplan, "The Gospel of Consumption"
Amy Westervelt, "Can Recycling Be Bad for the Environment?"
Michael Pollan, "Wendell Berry’s Wisdom"
Week 8:
Workshop Assignment #3
Fritjof Capra, “Ecology and Community”
Douglas MacMillan, "Switching to Green Collar Jobs"
Brian Handwek, "’Blue Jobs’ Key to Future Fisheries"
Dave Newport, "Campus Sustainability: It’s About People"
Week 9:
Assignment #3 Due
Jaymi Heimbuch, "How Cell Phones are Changing the Face of Green
Activism"
Daniel Goleman and Gregory Norris, "How Green is my iPad?"
UNIT 5: How is Sustainability a Transnational Issue?
Week 10:
Discuss Assignment #4
Ker Than, "Americans Least Green—And Feel Least Guilt, Survey
Suggests"
UN Panel on Global Sustainabilty, “The Panel’s Vision”
Week 11:
Workshop Assignment #4
Brendan Smith, "The Coming Green Wave: Ocean Farming to Fight
Climate Change"
Stuart Biggs, "Tsunami Cities Fight Nuclear Elites to Create Green Jobs"
Nathan Myhrvold, "After Fukushima: Now, More Than Ever"
Week 12:
Assignment #4 Due
Jeneen Interlandi, "A Tree Grows in Haiti: Recovery Efforts May Hinge on
Something Green"
Jeremy Rifkin, "The Third Industrial Revolution: Toward a New Economic
Paradigm"
Michael Moyer and Carina Storrs, "How Much is Left? The Limits of Earth’s
Resources"
UNIT 6: How is Tourism and Recreation Connected to Sustainability?
Week 13:
Discuss Assignment #5
Heather E. Lindsay, "Ecotourism: The Promise and Perils of
Environmentally Oriented Travel"
Bob O’Brien, "Our National Parks and the Search for Sustainability"
Ted Bowen, “The Wildlife Conservation Society Makes Zoos Sustainable”
Week 14:
Workshop Assignment #5
Rick Bass, "Why I Hunt"
Yvon Choinard, "Let My People Go Surfing"
Auden Schendler, "Climate Revelations"
Week 15:
Assignment #5 Due
Review