SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
LETTER-OF-INTENT TO CAMPUS DEAN(S)
PROPOSER E-MAILS LETTER-OF-INTENT AS WORD DOCUMENT TO DR.
ALLEN JACOBS, COLLEGE ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR CURRICULUM AND
ASSESSMENT. Dr. Jacobs determines which campuses are affected by proposal
and forwards the Letter-of-Intent to the appropriate Campus Dean(s) for Letters-ofSupport.
Proposer _John Parbst________
(name)
Campus:
A__X__
E____
G_____
Department/Discipline __English_______________________
Telephone___451-4154_____________
E-mail__parbstj@sunysuffolk.edu_
Name of Curriculum/Course Proposal__EG73: Environmental Literature________
Proposer attaches a brief description and rationale for the proposal on a separate page.
Date____11/9/06___________________________________
College Associate Dean for Curriculum and Assessment completes form below this line.
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Type of Proposal
Course
New__________________________________________
Revised_______________________________________
Adoption_EG73, by Ammerman from East_
Curriculum
New__________________________
A.A._____ A.S. _____ A.A.S _____
Revised________________________
Certificate
___
Expedited Revision_______________
This proposal requires the following approval(s)
Single Campus _____
*College__X__
*College approval is required when the proposal has an
impact on more than one campus.
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Inter-Campus Course-Adoption Proposal Form
Dean Jacobs:
Below you will find a description and rationale for a course that currently exists on the Eastern
Campus that the Ammerman Campus English Department would like to adopt. The course is
EG73, Environmental Literature.
Brief Description of the Course
“Environmental Literature” focuses on literature that investigates humankind’s relationships with
the natural world. Among writers whose works are considered are H.D. Thoreau, R. Carson, E.
Abbey, A. Dillard, W. Berry, H. Beston, W. Heyen, A. Leopold and R. Nelson. Prerequisite:
EG11.
Rationale for Adding this Course
In the academic year 2002/03 the Ammerman Campus English Department offered a special
topics course entitled “Nature and Literature” which ran as a popular offering for two semesters.
Although listed under a different title, the content of this course was the same as EG73,
Environmental Literature, which is currently listed as an Eastern Campus course.
Offering Environmental Literature on the Ammerman Campus would fill a gap in our current
English Department curriculum. Although some professors may include environmental writings
into a general survey course like EG13, we do not currently offer a course that focuses on this
specific collection of writers. The debate about environmental issues—overpopulation, pollution,
energy sources—is very current and emotionally charged within our society at this time (both
locally and worldwide) and would serve as an excellent source for learning and critical thinking
for our SCCC students.
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SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
LETTER-OF-SUPPORT FROM CAMPUS DEAN(S)
CAMPUS DEAN(S) E-MAILS LETTER-OF-SUPPORT TO THE FACULTY MEMBER
INITIATING THE LETTER OF INTENT. (Dr. Allen Jacobs, College Associate Dean
for Curriculum and Assessment, receives an electronic copy of Letter-of-Support
sent to proposer.)
******************************************************************
*
TO:
John Parbst, Assistant Academic Chair, English
FROM:
William F. Connors, Jr. , Executive Dean – Ammerman Campus
DATE:
November 13, 2006
***********************************************************
Comments:
I applaud the Ammerman Campus English Department for proposing to
adopt Eg 73, Environmental Literature, which is currently offered at the
Eastern and Grant Campuses. It is a timely and worthwhile offering and, as
stated in the proposal,” would fill a gap in our English Department
curriculum.”
cc:
Dr. Allen Jacobs, College Associate Dean for Curriculum and Assessment
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Inter-Campus Course-Adoption Proposal Form
SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
INTER-CAMPUS COURSE-ADOPTION PROPOSAL
Date Submitted to College Curriculum Committee __01/07_______
This form is to be used for adopting a course that is already in existence at another campus. Course
adoptions are multi-campus proposals and must be approved by the College Curriculum Committee.
If possible, please attach an electronic copy of the original documentation establishing the course. If
the proposer wishes to initiate an inter-campus curriculum adoption, the New Curriculum Proposal
Form should be used.
Requesting Campus: __X___Ammerman
_____Grant
Course Currently Given On: _____Ammerman
_____East
_____Grant
__X___East
Discipline/Department:__English_________________________
Course Number and Title:__EG73: Environmental Literature____
PROPOSAL CHECKLIST
( X ) Electronic Letter of Intent
( X ) Electronic Letter of Support from Campus Dean at Adopting Campus
( X ) Vote of Department at Adopting Campus:
For: __19___ Against: __0___
Abstentions: __0___
Date of Vote: _12/06/07_________
Proposer's Initials: __JP___
Check One:
__X___APPROVED
_____NOT APPROVED
( X ) Campus Dean Final-Approval Form
Proposer completes form to this line before sending entire proposal packet to the College
Curriculum Chair.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------College Curriculum Committee Chair completes form below this line and, upon approval, the
College Curriculum Committee Chair e-mails the entire proposal packet to the College
Associate Dean for Curriculum and Assessment, with electronic copies to the appropriate
Campus Deans. (If the proposal is not approved, the College Curriculum Committee Chair e-mails
proposer and explains why proposal was not approved and sends an electronic copy of explanation to
the College Associate Dean for Curriculum and Assessment.)
( )
Vote of College Curriculum Committee
For: _____
Against: _____
Abstentions: _____
Date of Vote: __________
Check One: _____APPROVED _____NOT APPROVED
( )
Vote of Ammerman Faculty Senate
For: _____
Against: _____
Abstentions: _____
Date of Vote: __________
Check One: _____APPROVED
_____NOT APPROVED
_____ABSTAINED
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( )
Vote of East Congress
For: _____
Against: _____
Abstentions: _____
Date of Vote: __________
Check One: _____APPROVED _____NOT APPROVED
_____ABSTAINED
( )
Vote of Grant Assembly
For: _____
Against: _____
Abstentions: _____
Date of Vote: __________
Check One: _____APPROVED
_____NOT APPROVED
_____ABSTAINED
cc:
Dr. Allen Jacobs, College Associate Dean for Curriculum and Assessment
Campus Deans
Academic Chairs of affected departments at all three campuses
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NAME OF PROPOSAL:_EG73: Environmental Literature__________________
DEPARTMENT/DISCIPLINE:_____English________________
I.
GENERAL RATIONALE
Discuss reason(s) for teaching existing course at additional campus.
In the academic year 2002/03 the Ammerman Campus English Department offered a special
topics course entitled “Nature and Literature” which ran as a popular offering for two semesters.
Although listed under a different title, the content of this course was the same as EG73,
Environmental Literature, which is currently listed as a Grant and Eastern Campus course.
Offering Environmental Literature on the Ammerman Campus would fill a gap in our current
English Department curriculum. Although some professors may include environmental writings
into a general survey course like EG13, we do not currently offer a course that focuses on this
specific collection of writers. The debate about environmental issues—overpopulation, pollution,
energy sources—is very current and emotionally charged within our society at this time (both
locally and worldwide) and would serve as an excellent source for learning and critical thinking
for our SCCC students.
II.
RELATIONSHIP TO STUDENTS
A.
Proposed cycle for offering (e.g., fall, spring and summer)
Once a year (either fall or spring).
B.
Estimate of student enrollment
35
III.
COSTS
A.
List costs and space requirements
None.
B.
Number of faculty available to teach course
Three (Professors Parbst, Lipnick, and Penna).
IV.
COURSE SYLLABUS
(See Appendix below.)
This is attached as a separate document.
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Section #:
Meetings:
Room:
EG73: Environmental Literature
1152
M/W 9:30-10:45
Islip Arts 200
Professor:
John Parbst
Office:
Islip Arts 2I
Office Hours: M-Th 7:30-8 am, M 11am-12noon, T 11am-12:30pm and 5-6pm, Th 11am11:30am.
Contacts:
451-4156 (office phone/voicemail), parbstj@sunysuffolk.edu (e-mail)
Welcome to Environmental Literature. This course will explore the long tradition of
nature writing (including poetry, fiction, and non-fiction) in this country and how the ideals in
this writing address our notions of the world we live in and our most pressing environmental
issues. We will survey some of the great American nature writers and their works, and I will
encourage you to shape (reshape?) your vision of nature and your surroundings. Although I will
lecture a very small amount of the time, most of our class time will consist of whole class or
small group discussions as well as writing activities.
What You’ll Need:
 Literature and the Environment by Lorraine Anderson, Scott Slovic, and John P. O’Grady
 Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
 Hunting for Hope by Scott Russell Sanders
 A notebook with standard 8 1/2” by 11” paper for a journal
 A curious mind along with time for study and walks in wild places
Course Requirements:
 Attendance and Preparation
Regular attendance and thorough preparation will be vital to your success in this course
as well as the success of the class as a whole. Absences beyond two will seriously affect
your final grade in this course. Absences for any reason beyond five will result in a final
grade of “F.” Finally, two tardies equals one absence. Persistent tardiness is very disruptive
and, frankly, it annoys me.
 Talking Points/Participation
Every day we meet I will ask you to write down ahead of time and bring to class at least
three “talking points.” Talking points are thoughts or opinions or insights or connections or
questions you have from our readings and can also be insights from your experiences in wild
places that connect to our readings. They are a chance for you to write down and articulate
ahead of time some ideas that might lead to class discussion that day. Every day I will
randomly ask students, “What’s one (or two, or three) of your talking points today?”
Answers like “I don’t have any” or quick, sloppy points thought up on the spot will
negatively affect your participation grade in this course. Keep a running list of your talking
points in the back of your journal and bring these to class every day. I’ll collect these ideas
at the end of the semester along with your journal.
 Journal
In keeping with the spirit of much of the nature writing in this course, your journal will
be a place for you to keep a semester-long diary of your experience in a wild/natural/outside
place. You must write a minimum of one page each week.
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The diary of your experiences in nature can take many forms. First, experience a natural
place each week. That doesn’t mean you need to fly off to some exotic locale, but instead
ramble the many beautiful, undiscovered spots near your own space on earth. Right here on
campus we have a wild plot of land with trails running through it just south of the athletic
fields. Or wander a beach, a garden (often a heavily human-influenced wild place), or one of
the many town or state or national preserves around Long Island. And no need to go to a
different place each week. Feel free to become friends with one specific spot and notice the
changes as the weeks roll by.
Don’t overly concern yourself with grammar and correctness in your journal. It should
be readable, but I’m not going to lower your grade because of occasional language errors. A
good portion of this journal is a “field book,” and you shouldn’t worry about matters of
spelling or grammar when trying to capture insights from your walks in the wild. I’m much
more interested in your efforts to understand the readings and your engagement with the
outdoors.
The first time I taught this course I had the pleasure of reading some excellent journals.
One student kept a detailed account of a small plot of land near her home, going to great
lengths to notice and catalog the natural changes in this place as the season rolled by.
Another student made a point of visiting a different natural spot on Long Island each week,
and in his journal he compared and contrasted these spots detailing the unique aspects of
each ecosystem.
You’ll notice I have assigned 10% of your final grade to your journal. I would like to
state here that your journal is the one opportunity for extra credit in this course. For any of
you who want to be a little more ambitious with your journal—perhaps go well beyond a
page each week or incorporate some other insights or study beyond a basic observation
journal (in short, if you want to really impress me)—I will certainly apply that extra effort to
your final grade.
 Essays
You will write two formal essays in this class, each in the neighborhood of two to four
pages in length. All essays must be typed, double-spaced documents and unlike your journal
these essays must show a high level of language competence (some of you might want to
take advantage of the excellent services offered at our campus Writing Center). I will
provide you with a list of essay topics to choose from, and each topic will connect to the
readings from that portion of the course. Due dates for the essays are listed on the
“Schedule” page of this document. You may turn in your essays early, however I will not
accept essays for any reason after the due date.
 Exams
We will have mid-term and final exams this semester, with the mid-term covering
roughly the first half course material and the final exam covering the second half. All
material on the exams will come from readings and classroom discussions—if you carefully
read all of the assigned material, bring an alert mind to class, and take good notes both when
reading and when in class you will likely do well on these exams. I will talk more about the
format of these exams later in the course.
 Grading
I will give you multiple opportunities to construct your identity as a student and earn a
fair final grade. Keep in mind that excessive absences (or a combination of absences and
tardies) can greatly lower any earned final grade. I will base final grades on the following
percentages:
Participation/Talking Points
10%
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Journal
Essay #1
Essay #2
Mid-term Exam
Final Exam



10%
20%
20%
20%
20%
A note about dropping the course. I will not record a grade of “W” for you if you stop
showing up in this course. Instead, I will record a grade of “F.” If this course is not right
for you or you can no longer attend and you would prefer a grade of “W,” officially
withdraw yourself through the registrar’s office prior to the mid-semester deadline. In
only the most severe/rare cases will I give students a “W” after the deadline, and under
no circumstances will I change a student’s grade to “W” after the semester ends.
A note about plagiarism. Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s words, writing, or
ideas and representing them as your own. I expect each student to do his or her own
writing and to document other ideas accurately. Plagiarism is a serious offense and could
subject you to disciplinary action, up to and including grades of “F” and academic
dismissal. Plagiarism is easily detected, and every instance, including inadvertent
plagiarism, will be dealt with according to the severity of the offense.
A note about conduct. Unfortunately, due to recent experiences in some courses, I am
forced to write this warning: I will not tolerate inappropriate conduct in my classroom.
Such conduct includes: talking with others in the class about issues unrelated to the
course; racist, sexist, vulgar remarks; any disruptive talking or whispering; any disruptive
electronic devices (beepers, phones, radios, etc.). My policy on disruptive behavior is to
give a student one warning and then, should the behavior continue, immediately initiate
and follow the official college policies for disruptive students.
Some pet peeves:
 Don’t pack up your belongings early (before I signal the end of class).
 Don’t allow beepers, phones, or any other electronic communication or pleasure devices
to beep, hum, ring, clatter, flash, or leak radiation near me.
 If you need to leave class early, let me know before class starts.
SCHEDULE
All readings can be found in Literature and the Environment unless noted otherwise.
Part One—The Human Animal: How do we think? How do we see ourselves and other
creatures?
9/3:
Intro to course. “Piute Creek.”
9/8: Read “To the Student.”
9/10: “Living Like Weasels,” “Solitude.”
9/15: “Song of the Taste,” (and other poems by Gary Snyder).
9/17: “Come into Animal Presence,” “The Buck.”
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9/22: “Thinking Like a Mountain.”
Part Two—Inhabiting Place: What are our natural connections to the places we live?
9/24: “Touching the Earth,” “A Wind Storm in the Forests,” “A Blizzard Under Blue Sky.”
9/29: “Haciendo Apenas La Recoleccion,” “Stay Home,” “On Willow Creek.”
10/1: “Nature,” “Black Women and the Wilderness,” “Building a More Inclusive
Environmental Movement.”
10/6: No Class/Holiday.
10/8: “Eco-Defense,” “The Clan of the One-Breasted Women.”
10/13: Ceremony (this is the novel by Silko—read the entire novel by this date)
10/15: Ceremony
10/20: Ceremony
10/22: Essay #1 due. Discuss exam format.
10/27: Mid-Term Exam.
Part Three—Economy and Ecology: How do political/economic ideas and values affect
ecosystems?
10/29: “The World Is Too Much With Us,” “The Conundrum of Consumption,” “Living Lightly
and Inconsistently on the Land.”
11/3: “Line of Credit,” “from An Island.”
11/5: “Wilderness Letter,” “The American Indian Wilderness.”
11/10: “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity,” “Not So Fast.”
11/12: “Of Man and the Stream of Time.”
11/17: “The Circle is the Way to See.”
11/19: “Tar.”
Part Four—The Future: What’s in store down the road?
11/24: current essays handout
11/26: No Class/Tuesday day classes meet today
12/1: Hunting for Hope (this is the book by Sanders—read the first half of book this week)
12/3: Hunting for Hope
12/8: Hunting for Hope (second half of book)
12/10: Hunting for Hope. Essay #2 due. Last required journal entry is this week.
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12/15: Prep for final exam/tie up loose ends.
12/17: Final Exam. Journal Due.
12/22: No class meeting/receive final grades in my office during class time.
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SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
CAMPUS DEAN FINAL-APPROVAL FORM
PROPOSER E-MAILS COMPLETED PROPOSAL TO APPROPIRATE CAMPUS
DEAN(S) AND REQUESTS A COMPLETED CAMPUS DEAN FINAL-APPROVAL
FORM. Proposer sends electronic copy of request to Dr. Allen Jacobs, College
Associate Dean for Curriculum and Assessment. The Campus Dean(s) completes
this form and returns it to the proposer with an electronic copy to Dr. Jacobs.
******************************************************************
*
The Campus Dean Final Approval acknowledges a campus’s ability and
commitment to support a proposal in terms of:
 Academic Merit
 Availability of Personnel
 Adequacy of Facilities
 Budgetary Needs for Supplies and Equipment
******************************************************************
*
EG 73: Environmental Literature
Name of Proposal: ___________________________________________________
Campus:
A__X__
E____
G_____
Type of Proposal:
___New Curriculum ___Curriculum Revision
___New Course
___Expedited Curriculum Revision
___Course Revision __X_Inter-Campus Course Adoption
William F. Connors, Jr.
Approved_______________________
(Name of Campus Dean)
March 6. 2007
Date____________________________
Not Approved____________________
(Name of Campus Dean)
******************************************************************
Comments:
cc:
Dr. Allen Jacobs, College Associate Dean for Curriculum and Assessment
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