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Keith Douglass Warner OFM's
Research and Education Website

Spirituality & Sustainability

Spirituality & Sustainability flyer winter 2012 and the syllabus for winter 2012

Dear students

Since we will not have class on Wednesday 11 January or Monday 16 January, I would like you to provide an initial response to the Julia Butterfly Hill story, in light of the spirituality material in this class. Please email me the following by Friday noon, 13 January kDwarner@gmail.com  You can attach this, or just put it in an email. It will count for class participation for Wednesday.

Before you begin, read the assigned pages in JBH and ASV. Then, watch the “3 Key Questions” video by Michael Himes about vocations and callings. You can find this in 3 parts at the bottom of this webpage. Note that Camino/Angel does not allow video to stream through their webpage, so you must copy and paste this into a new browser window
 http://food4thought.tv/fft-bin/f.wk?fft.cont.display+@CCODE=himes 

First, create a list of 6-8 key events in JBH’s story thus far. You can do this in a bullet point list, one sentence each.
Second, describe in your own words, in one paragraph, an experience JBH had of listening to the Earth calling. Try to get further into the book than page 10.
Third, describe an experience you have had of listening to the Earth calling. Be as specific as possible. Was it spiritual? Was it religious?

Points to bring to your reading of JBH 63-183. Make some notes in your notebook, and bring these to class on Wednesday 18 January.

  1. Did you detect any change in JBH’s religious beliefs, or spirituality, over the course of the book so far?
  2. List several of the spiritual practices JBH describes.
  3. How does she make sense of the suffering she observes?
  4. Is she an environmentalist? Is she a sustainability advocate?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spirituality & Sustainability syllabus for Spring 2011

Richard Preston on the ecosystems in the canopy of redwoods

Julia Butterfly Hill on Adventures in Tree Sitting

Links to the environmental ethics webpage I co-wrote with David DeCosse:

Thinking ethically about the environment

The ethical dimension of sustainabililty

Environmental vitue ethics

I assign reflection papers because I am interested in how you are engaging class material for the education of your whole person. I am interested in knowing how you interpret class material, and how you integrate it into your existing knowledge. Interpretation means explaining the content and significance of ideas, and how these ideas relate to other concepts. Recall that religious studies classes ask students to “clarify and express beliefs in light of the critical inquiry into the religious dimensions of human existence.” Thus, religious studies classes ask you the student to evaluate the beliefs and vocations of others; to think critically about the relationship between the religious dimension of others and your own experience as a human being; and to clarify your personal beliefs. Note that you do not need to “be religious” to do this task; it is for all students at SCU. This is different than writing a composition and rhetoric paper because it asks you to shuttle back and forth between the external phenomena of the spirituality of others and your own beliefs, values and practices (whether you are spiritual or not, or religious or not). This asks you to express your beliefs about these phenomena, which is more than simply saying “I like it” or “I don’t like it.” You will receive a passing grade for that kind of answer, but that’s all.

Reflection paper assignment on Julia Butterfly Hill's vocation

 

 

The Contraction & Convergence model for addressing climate disruption

The St. Francis Pledge and Catholic teaching about climate & social justice

White Paper on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some carbon calculators -- probably easier for folks who are not already interested in sustainability issues

An Inconvenient Truth (climate crisis) website http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/

The US EPA: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html

The Nature Conservancy: http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/

Ecological footprint: take the Ecological footprint quiz (for background, see Redefining Progress) The full ecofprint analysis

 

 

 

About the midterm May 21 Friday: There will be two parts to the midterm. The first will be keyword definitions. I will provide a list of the keywords that emerge from the texts and our class discussions, along with short definitions. I will provide that in early May. The second will be a set of short answers about concepts in the three texts: Uhl, C4C, and ESL. I will limit the chapters from which I draw material to the following:

  • Uhl chapters : 5-10
  • C4C chapters: Introduction, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12
  • ESL chapters: Introduction, 1, 2, 4, 5
I will indicate many of these concepts during class discussions between now and May 19. This midterm is only 10% of the grade, and will not take the full hour

 

Sandra M. Schneiders IHM (2000) Religion and Spirituality: Strangers, Rivals, or Partners? Print pages 4-26

 

Brian Swimme on youtube: the Universe Story

Richard Preston on the ecosystems in the canopy of redwoods

 

 

Global Warming Art site

 

Explore Sustainability at Santa Clara University; read article by Meghan Mooney "Toward a Culture of Sustainability on Campus" before her presentation Thursday. Sustainability at SCU How to get involved!

 

How to write a reflection for Keith's classes & assignment: The Vocation of JBH

 

 

 

About the midterm May 21 Friday: There will be two parts to the midterm. The first will be keyword definitions: a list of the keywords that emerge from the texts and our class discussions, along with short definitions. I will provide that in early May. The second will be a set of short answers about concepts in the three texts: Uhl, C4C, and ESL. I will limit the chapters from which I draw material to the following:

  • Uhl chapters : 5-10
  • C4C chapters: Introduction, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12
  • ESL chapters: Introduction, 1, 2, 4, 5

I will indicate many of these concepts during class discussions between now and May 19. This midterm is only 10% of the grade.

 

For May 5 (new date): Our Changing Climate-- Assessing the Risks to California:
The 2006 Summary Report from the California Climate Change Center
Print pages 2-15

 

Some carbon calculators -- probably easier for folks who are not already interested in sustainability issues

An Inconvenient Truth (climate crisis) website http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/

The US EPA: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html

The Nature Conservancy: http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/

Ecological footprint: take the Ecological footprint quiz (for background, see Redefining Progress) The full ecofprint analysis

 

 

 

SCU Library resources on global climate change

 

Sustainability and the engineering profession - (audio file) a lecture given to Ed Maurer's Sustainable Water Resources class April 2, 2008

Reading :Origins of the term "sustainability"

 

 

Resources for the Religious Dimension of Sustainable Development

 

 

Metta suta

 

Julia Butterfly Hill's Circle of Life Foundation Circle of Life: pictures and diary from Julia Butterfly Hill: http://www.circleoflife.org/education/kids/butterflys_tale.htm More pictures: http://www.circleoflife.org/inspiration/luna/

 

 

 

 

Another resource:

due Wednesday Feb 20, a write up from leading an Earth Meditation. Confer with wikipedia on eco-psychology ership

Sandra Schneiders, Religion and Spirituality: Strangers, Rivals, or Partners? p 4-30 For MONDAY 20 OCTOBER

Some pictures of monks on the march

 

Water for Life: In Defence of Our Sister Water (Franciscan reflection on water)

 

 

 

 

 

Drammatis personae -- a list of characters for each chapter for ethics skits June 11

 

 

A link with more information about the Council of All Beings

Guidelines for the Council of All Beings: June 2

Interview protocol, questions, and departments/disciplines selected

Due Monday, December 1: the ethics of global climate change and The climate ethics assignment (note: the deadline on the assignment pdf is wrong). A diagram of Contraction & Convergence. Here is the kind of job position which would use this kind of material, for the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change. Some ethical principles, and : Virtue ethics for environmental leaders. The wikipedia entry on the precautionary principle. Background on the use of the precautionary principle in environmental ethics and regulation. The Cornwall Declaration on Environmental Stewardship hosted by the Cornwall Alliance.

The amoeba of change: Innovation of Diffusion game and slides

Rock piece

A reading about development and social sustainability in Mexico

 

 

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© 2005 SCU Faith Ethics & Vocation Project
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