Economics of Sustainability ECON 412/612  
Spring 2009  Class e-mail c2209 & c2217
Larry Smith, MAC B 331 email  smithl@uwgb.edu
Phone 465-2161 message 2355

  5:15-7:45 M  MAC 225
Office Hours MW 1:20-1:45; M 3:30-4:45
after class, or by appointment 
Syllabus available at
http://www.uwgb.edu/smithl/298412_0103.htm  

Consistent with federal law and the policies of the University of Wisconsin, it is the policy of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to provide appropriate and necessary accommodations to students with documented physical and learning disabilities. If you anticipate requiring any auxiliary aids or services, you should contact me or the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities at 465-2671 as soon as possible to discuss your needs and arrange for the provision of services.

SOME DEFINITIONS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:

and associated very useful web sites
…meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

World Commission on Environment and Development, UN, 1987

http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/and http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/

Act today with concern for the future for seven generations

Many Native American (in Canada First Nation) Cultures

http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/white mountain et al.htm

I have asked the people I work with at Interface to help me create a second industrial revolution because the first one is not sustainable.

Ray Anderson, CEO Interface and keynote speaker Sustainable Green Bay Conference 3/99

http://www.interfaceinc.com/goals/sustainability_overview.html
The future that is not sustainable will be terminal.

Rocky Mountain Institute http://www.rmi.org/

 ...securing people’s quality of life within the means of nature

Sustain Dane, Madison, WI http:/www.sustaindane.org/
Natural capital: natural resources and ecosystem services that make possible all economic activity, indeed all life.    

 Natural Capitalism http://www.natcap.org/ 

...do what is right, for our customers, employees, communities and environment 

Tom's of Maine http://www.tomsofmaine.com/

Also check the new sustainability initiative at UW Madison

http://www.sage.wisc.edu

The gap between what we need to do to arrest deterioration of Earth and what we are doing continues to widen.

http://www.earth-policy.org/About/index.htm 

Redefining Progress's Sustainable Econ Program works to develop and promote creative, market-based policies that protect the environment, grow the economy, and promote social equity.
http://www.redefiningprogress.org

EcoSecurities and ClimateBiz announce the findings of their recent carbon offsetting trends survey 2008.

EcoSecurities - Carbon Offsetting Trends Survey 2008

Textbooks:

 

Brown, Lester.  Plan B 3.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble. NY, NY: Norton.  2008 ((Abbreviated LB below.) ) This book is entirely available on the web and, I expect, most of you have already interacted with it in other courses.

 

Robert Costanza , John H. Cumberland, Herman Daly, Robert Goodland, Richard B. Norgaard.An Introduction to Ecological Economics St. Lucie FL: St Lucie Press 1997 (Abb. C)  Costanza, Daly and Norgaard are founders of the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE)  http://www.ecoeco.org/ .  This now available entirely on-line book and the vast collection of web links, many to the new and very exciting Encyclopedia of Earth, is our primary text book.  You can buy the book in a print edition  but I strongly recommend working with the web version for instant access to the very up to date web links.

 

Edwards, Andres.  The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift.  Gabriola Island, CA: New Society Publishers. 2005. (Abb. E)

 

Also, while no book is required to support it, though the supplemental Senge et.al book below is very useful, systems dynamics perspectives and the social interaction tool of Dialogue will inform all aspects of this class.  You can get a very useful economics-focused orientation to system dynamics (SD) from http://sustainer.org, especially SI Projects: commodities , http://sustainer.org/pubs/Leverage_Points.pdf , and, much lighter, SI - Dancing with Systems, and http://www.stewardshipmodeling.com which provide excellent links to many other resources.   Among such resources http://www.sustainabilityinstitute.org/pubs/NatCapPrimer.pdf   and  http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Depts/IGSD/IQPHbook/ch15a.html provide explicit SD-grounded discussions of issues related to the economics of sustainability.  Also e-reserve readings numbers 1-3 provide useful perspectives on System Dynamics.  An SD related assignment from electronic sources is included for each of the first several weeks of the semester and should be read and commented on in a one-pager as for all other text assignments.  You are expected to include at least some SD perspectives, which can be borrowed or adapted from existing literature in most cases, in the personal project that serves as the major vehicle for documenting your engagement with this course.  These sites will help you become acquainted with dialogue http://www.infed.org/archives/e-texts/bohm_dialogue.htm   http://www.david-bohm.net/dialogue/ .

 

Supplemental Books: (Purchase is not necessary but you should become aware of these and other relevant books and other materials)

 

Barnes, Peter. Capitalism 3.0: A Guide to Reclaiming the Commons. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc 2006 (Abb. PB) (Available in full at http://www.eoearth.org/.)

 

Benyus,  Janine M.  Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.  New York: William  Morrow. 1997. (Abb. JB) http://www.biomimicry.org/ . Though excellent, this book is a bit dated.  Purchase is not necessary but at least check the web site and reviews of this outstanding book and essential perspective.  This would be a wonderful book for your library.  Try to find a clean used copy.

 

Common, Michael and Sigrid Stagl, Ecological Economics: An Introduction. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2005 (Abb. CS) Here’s a useful review

http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/172593218.html.  (This or the Daly and Farley Book below are recommended for students with limited economics background.)

 

Daly, Herman E. and Joshua Farley.  Ecological Economics: Principles and Applications Washington D.C.: Island Press 2004 (Abbreviated DF below.)  Daly is a founder of the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE)  http://www.ecoeco.org/ .  (This or the Common and Stagle Book above are recommended for students with limited economics background.)

 

Diamond, Jared.  Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York: Penguin. 2005.  (Abb. D) but not included in the "assignment table.  This important book will interest many of you and some of you may be reading it for other classes.  At least become aware of the book and the general outline of what it addresses.  There are many useful reviews of the book, one, in Science, considers it one of the most important books ever written.

 

Edwards, Andres.  The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift.  Gabriola Island, CA: New Society Publishers. 2005. (Abb. E)

 

Hawken, Paul.  Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came Into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming. New York: Viking. 2007 (Abb. PH) This Wiki, which is a real-time live version of the roughly one-third of this book that is its appendix, is all you need explore beyond a few reviews of the book WiserEarth: Community Tools for Creating a Just and Sustainable World (wiserearth.org).

 

Hawken, Paul, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins.  Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution. New York: Little Brown. 1999. (Abb. HLL) Purchase not necessary: available in full at http://www.naturalcapitalism.com/ and reviewed here  (www.sustainabilityinstitute.org/pubs/Seville.Nat.Cap.html) in system dynamics perspective. 

 

Hokikian, Jack.  The Science of Disorder: Understanding the Complexity, Uncertainty, and Pollution in Our World  Los Angeles: Los Feliz Publishing: 2002  (Abb JH)  Purchase not necessary, but seeking out a used copy is strongly suggested for those of you unfamiliar with thermodynamics. Useful overviews available at http://www.losfelizpublishing.com/.  Introduction and final summary chapter available on e-reserve as electronic reserve readings #s 4 and 5.

 

Ikerd, John.  Sustainable Capitalism: A Matter of Common Sense. Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press. 2005. (Abb. I)

 

Kuttner, Robert.  Obama's Challenge: America's Economic Crisis and the Power of a Transformative Presidency. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green. 2008. Here’s a similar but shorter statement (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/25456948/what_obama_must_do) from Paul Krugman, the most recent winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics.

 

Peter Senge, Joe Laur, Sara Schley and Bryan Smith, Learning for Sustainability. Cambridge, MA: Society for Organizational Learning. 2006. (Abb S) Here’s a link to continuing work in this direction Learning and Leading for Sustainability with Peter M. Senge | GreenBiz.com


Topics to be covered:

 

  1. Economic logic and sustainability The ISEE website is very useful here http://www.ecoeco.org/  especially the encyclopedia at http://www.ecoeco.org/education_encyclopedia.php and the working papers at http://www.ecoeco.org/publications_papers.php
  1. Earth, thermodynamics, human roots, economics and environment
  1. Dialogue, system dynamics, economics and sustainability
  1. Governance for a sustainable economy
  2. Case studies in sustainable economy: some examples include http://www.redefiningprogress.org/newprograms/sustIndi/gpi/index.shtml.  http://www.undoit.org/http://www.stewardshipmodeling.com/ , and http://www.sustainer.org/ among others
  3. Presentations by all class members based on extensive individually-selected research projects, to be written and reported as research proposals, on topics approved early in the semester by Larry, and worked on steadily by each student throughout the semester.


Course Requirements  (approximate proportion of course grade allocated to this item = .x)

 

Class attendance and prepared participation with preparation and participation regularly documented by writings, especially one-pagers; some postings and responses to D2L on at least three days per week other than Mondays, to avoid treating the class as if it were only a once a week episode, and self reflections in your portfolio (explained next)                                                                (.4)

 

A course portfolio (which you can accumulate mostly electronically, perhaps in D2L) documents all aspects of your work.  The portfolio should include especially                                                                                                    (.3)

  1. one-pagers or D2L postings, commented on by at least some other class members, on all readings and other activities you engage in the course
  2. two timelines: 
    The larger of the timelines addresses sustainable economics in general.  It starts with pre-industrial sustainability insights like “mother earth” and long-maintained sustainably managed production systems like that of the New Guinea Highlands, mentions early sustainability-oriented economic insights, like those of the physiocrats and some classical economists, especially Thomas Robert Malthus and John Stewart Mill; the role and timing of Newtonian and thermodynamic insights in the evolution of conventional and sustainability-oriented economics, with special attention to Nicholas Georgescu-Rogen and his, still living, disciple Herman Daly, and  leading to today’s renewed interest in the topic, including the formation and growth of the International Society for Ecological Economics and many other sustainability-fostering organizations and initiatives.  E is an excellent resource for getting started on this.  The ISEE encyclopedia article on the early history of Ecological Economics and of the ISEE is very useful here http://www.ecoeco.org/pdf/costanza.pdf and the whole encyclopedia is a great reference tool.

    The other timeline will focus on your own personally-selected topic which will be a subset of the larger topic of the economics of sustainability (or ecological economics) in general. 
     

    While timelines may be created manually, and a hand-generated draft is an excellent starting point, timelines are ultimately most effectively produced (and revised) in a spread sheet program like Excel or a word processing program's (like MSWord) "table" function, or one of several templates for timelines as can be downloaded from both MSWord and MSExcel and other software, and presented in a printed "landscape" format on a few (3 or 4) joined sheets of paper with a horizontal time scale. Timelines from web sites or print sources are useful input into a timeline you organize and produce for yourself, but published timelines produced by someone other than yourself do NOT satisfy this course expectation for any of the topics you pursue.
      Both of your timelines must include some reference to relevant system dynamics (SD) applications.  A useful introduction to SD applications to sustainability issues is available from Chapters 3 "In the Gallery of Global Trends" and 4 "It's the System" of Alan AtKisson's Believing Cassandra which are available on e-reserve  as readings 1 - 3 on the course e-reserve list.
  3. exploration of at least three possible topic areas and associated institutions with which you might, or might have had you known of the possibility, pursue an internship related to sustainability issues; E (The Sustainability Revolution) is especially useful for this
  4. pursuit of a serous research project related to some aspect of sustainability and economics which is to be reported in a research proposal.  A research proposal for this purpose is a formal research project stated in terms of what has been learned and what would be pursued next if time and resources allowed.  The proposal must be grounded in a significant, appropriately formatted peer-reviewed-author-based bibliography and an associated timeline
  5. a self-reflective statement about your research topic selection choices or process with the topic finally chosen approved in writing on that statement  by Larry by no later than Feb 18 and documented in your portfolio
  6. an extensive (big) and preliminary bibliography with at least tens of, if not more than one-hundred, potentially relevant [directly captured from electronic sources, photocopy and etc. and not otherwise reformatted or even printed, but somewhat categorized] entries.  (Note, you are not expected to read or necessarily even examine all of the items included in your big initial bibliography.  The point of finding a lot of items is to then find the best among them to consider in more detail.) At least 12 (undergraduate) or 20 (graduate) of the most potentially relevant entries from your big bibliography should be supplemented by Web of Science citation information and, for some, reviews or abstracts and further supplemented by your own annotations regarding identifying the BEST of the larger pile of resources in terms of relevance, credibility and potential usability for your personally-focused project.  If this expectation does not make clear sense to you as THE ONLY REASONABLE WAY TO PROCEED WITH A SERIOUS RESEARCH PROJECT go immediately to the library and consult with a reference librarian until you do see that this is really "the only way to go" if you truly care about quality information to support a research project. Your personal project bibliography  must include a significant system dynamics (SD) component and and your final report must include at least some application of SD concepts (like mental model, reference mode, stocks, flows, rates and delays) to your topic.
  7. an alphabetized glossary, developed by you from whatever resources seem relevant and useful, of terms and definitions relevant to the sustainable economics topic on which you focused your research
  8. at least two preliminary drafts and a "final" draft of your research proposal (paper) on that project with comments on the first draft by at least two other class members and on the second draft by the writing center (for all class members) and subsequently, after revisions based on the writing center feedback,  by Larry (graduate students).  Graduate students note: since no topic is outside of the purview of sustainability there is no reason not to use the paper/proposal for this class as an opportunity to get started toward your thesis or to link aspects of the class, like dialogue or system dynamics, to your thesis if it is already started.

And a  formal, appropriately documented, at least third-draft, research proposal - paper and class presentation on appropriate aspects of your selected topic.        (.2)

(Undergraduate maximum 12 pages, min 20 bibliographic resources; graduate minimum 12 and maximum 18 pages, min 35 bibliographic resourcesYour paper/proposal must be properly documented [for the realm in which you aspire to work see  http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/ and printed in an easily read type no smaller than 12 point or 10 characters per inch. If needed, supplement your proposal with an appendix or appendices to elaborate on issues you are not able to cover fully in the allotted page limits.)

 

Tentative Schedule:

 

Week 1 (Jan 26) In-class activities

  1. Video on The Next Industrial Revolution, introduction to the Sustainability Institute and ISEE http://www.ecoeco.org and Encyclopedia of Earth (http://www.eoearth.org/) web sites and introductory dialogue about what sustainable development and the economics of sustainability are, how the movement toward sustainability is progressing, and the role of our books, authors, and ourselves in it and specific student goals related to it. 
  2. Introduction to sustainability projects and agendas in Wisconsin, especially N.E. Wisconsin, with special focus on Campus Sustainability Issues, Door County, the Sustainable Green Bay Initiative, The Fox River  Lower Fox River Cleanup | Region 5 Cleanup Sites | US EPA  Fox River Watch  and the Wisconsin Comprehensive Planning (Smart Growth)   Land Use Smart Growth - Science Services - WDNR  agenda Sustain Dane  growing opposition to war in general and especially resource wars (Group: Resource Wars - WiserEarth)  and opportunities to interact with them.  Review other highly visible sustainability projects in the US and in the rest of the world  with emphasis on system dynamics and those mentioned in the course texts.
  3. One- to two-page statement written by hand and circulated in class on: “What I hope to do with my life. What I think I understand about 'The Economics of Sustainability.' or 'Sustainable Development' more generally, and what topic areas I think I would (a) like to work on as a project in this class and (b) consider as (at least hypothetical) internships that might support my personal goals and plans.”   Rewrite this draft based on discussion the first night of class and turn it in at the second class (see #2 under Week 2 below) as your first assignment for the Writing Emphasis aspect of this class.
  4. Informal class discussion focused on identifying several realms of possible interest-grounded collaboration among class members, based especially on topics covered by the texts, will follow sharing of these statements among class members with similar interests. I will collect data on the interests and experience of class members and, with your permission, take your pictures to help me more quickly associate your names and faces.

 

NOTE: The rest of this table is divided for each week into an Assignment portion and a Class Activity portion.  In general, to help you avoid falling into the trap of treating the course as just a single weekly episode and to qualify for a grade of B or higher in the course, at least some of the assignments must be "completed" by noon on Thursday of the week for which they are assigned and posted to the Course D2L.  Sometimes specific parts of the assignments are specified for "completion" by Thursday and sometimes not, but in general you must make several substantial postings to D2L and respond to several others' D2L postings before noon on Thursday each week.  The remainder of the assignment for each week must be "completed" BEFORE class on Monday and at least a few of your one-pager reactions must be brought to class on paper and circulated early in the class.  The proportions of your class work that you do on D2L or in hard copy, and accumulate with other materials in your course portfolio, are for you to choose, but you must do at least several, 3 or so minimum, activities in each mode each week. 

 

Week 2 (Feb 2) assignment: Reading, reviews of texts, and one-pagers (some to be completed before and shared on D2L by Jan 29

1.  Readings: Try to find at least two formal reviews for each of the Brown (LB), Costanza et.al (C), and Edwards (E) books and find at least one review each for at least two of the supplemental books: Barnes (PB,) Benyus (JB), Common and Stagl (CS), Daly and Farley (DF), Diamond (D), Hawken (PH), Hawken, Lovins and Lovins (HLL), Hokikian (JH), Ikerd (I), Kuttner (K) and Senge et.al. (S).  Make sure that (1) all the reviews are substantive - not either written primarily for librarians about audiences the books might interest or general interest reviews posted by readers at electronic bookstores, for examples of less substantive reviews you will probably also find - and (2) that at least one of them is from a formal academic publication accessed through Cofrin Library data bases , this exercise will help you do this Using Scholarly Articles Exercise-Cofrin Library-University of Wisconsin Green Bay - Cofrin Library - University of Wisconsin - Green Bay, and at least one is from a purely electronic but document-ably credible, www, source. Try to find reviews that express at least two different perspectives on each book. Be sure to read the system dynamics (SD) oriented review of HLL available at http://www.sustainabilityinstitute.org/pubs/Seville.Nat.Cap.html (click on http://www.sustainabilityinstitute.org/pubs/NatCapPrimer.pdf for a clearer view of the diagrams) and include at least some reference to SD in at least some of your overview one-pagers.  In developing the overview one-pager for each book, overview each book’s Table of Contents and preliminary sections, such as Acknowledgements, Prologue, Introduction, Notes on Usage ("Resources" sections for LB and E) and documentation styles (notes, bibliography, etc.) and "read" (NOTE: In this course “read” means spend some quality time with and produce a reaction (one-pager) to what you found in the time available.  It does NOT mean r-e-a-d every word)  each book’s first chapter and prepare at least part of a one-pager touching on each of the three primary books and at least one supplemental book, based (1) on your reaction to the reviews of the book,  (2) on having spent 30 to no more than 45 minutes over-viewing each book in general and (3) having spent no more than 30 minutes with each book's first chapter or web site.  Eventually include hard or electronic copies of the book reviews and of your reaction one-pagers for each book and a summary one-pager on your experience with book reviews and systems perspectives in general in your course portfolio.  Your portfolio and the course D2L site will accumulate and document all of your work in the class.  Be sure to share some of your work, say at least 3 or 4 one-pagers, and to respond to at least several other's one-pagers on D2L by Thursday Jan 29 and to bring hard copies of at least 3-4 different one-pagers to class.


2.  Getting started toward a project over the next two to three weeks  


Edit, and elaborate on or rewrite the hand-written statement you prepared the first night of class in light of this week’s readings.  The ISEE web site, especially its encyclopedia, C and the Encyclopedia of Earth  web site, LB (Plan B 3.0) and E
(The Sustainability Revolution), the resources and annotated bibliography sections where available, should be especially useful for this assignment. Turn that statement or subsequent revisions, or complete rewrites, of it into a 2-4 double-spaced page preliminary proposal accompanied by a preliminary bibliography of at least a dozen to twenty mostly scholarly or peer-reviewed or, if books, widely-cited, potential sources (which need not be retyped or otherwise processed from the electronic or photocopy form in which they were initially generated).  The goal of this exercise is to help you get started on a project for this course that addresses issues like those suggested by the questions behind the initial one- to two-page, in class, statement.  Append any brief materials like book reviews, or abstracts of scholarly articles, that you can find on several, and write brief annotations on at least half a dozen, of the most promising bibliographic resources.  

 

Exchange your proposal with at least two other class members with each of you making editorial suggestions and commenting on the other’s proposal and re-write the proposal based on that feedback.  Get Larry's initials on one copy of your draft statement, that includes other student's comments, and take another, clean, copy of the redrafted statement and annotated bibliography to the Writing Center, CL 109, for assistance in rewriting it yet again and to learn about the Center and the help it provides. Call the Writing Center at extension 2338 for an appointment before you go there.  While you are at the Center ask about suggestions and handout materials they may have on formal bibliographic and research documentation styles.  On this topic also check Research and Documentation Online and include reference to your experience in this regard in relation to your career aspirations, and documentation styles common for such careers, in your one-pager on the Writing Center experience.

 

Start to prepare a "formal" self-reflective statement about your research topic selection choices or process with the topic finally chosen clearly identified along with at least some (5-8 minimum) properly (per your explained choice of standard formats) formatted and annotated bibliographic entries and a preliminary draft timeline. Note: You MUST file this statement and have it returned signed and dated by Larry by Feb. 23 and subsequently include it in your portfolio to qualify for a grade of B/C or higher in this course.  Include copies of and comment on papers in either electronic form (Word's comment and track changes functions, in the Word Review Tab menu, is especially useful for this) or hard copy of all iterations of your proposal and of your one-pager(s) on the experience in your evolving portfolio. NOTE: Serious work on the research project has been the weakest and most frustrating area of work by students in this and others of Larry's upper-level courses in the past. Thus, if you choose not to pursue the research project identification activities as and when suggested above, and do not secure Larry's signature of approval by Feb 23, either drop the course immediately or PROVIDE A WRITTEN STATEMENT Indicating CLEARLY AND WITHOUT ARGUMENT that you understand that you will be unlikely to earn a grade above C for the course.  

 

Week 2 (Feb 2) Class First part of class: share one-pagers; dialogue review of introductory chapters of C, LB and E and the resources and annotated bibliography sections of LB and E, and some (at least via the web) of PB, JB, CS, DF, D, PH, HLL, JH, I, K and S in context of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) , http://www.rprogress.org/http://www.stewardshipmodeling.com  and Sustainability Institute and other related web sites with special reference to global trends and system dynamics, see especially this climate change modeling site .  All students are expected to participate in this and all subsequent dialogues on assigned and optional reading, and, if you miss a class you MUST initiate a catch-up discussion on D2L. 

 

Second part of class; form interest groups among class members where possible and share preliminary bibliographic, including especially Internet and library database, leads among interest group collaborators or the whole class.  Share one-pagers over-viewing texts and individual chapters in these groups and when relevant with the whole class. Continue discussion / overview of sustainability-related projects with emphasis on this region and globally.

 

Week 3 (Feb 9) assignment (some to be completed before and shared on D2L by Feb 5)

NOTE: In this course “read” means spend some quality time with and produce a reaction (one-pager) to what you found in the time available.  It does NOT mean r-e-a-d every word.

“Read” Chapt 1 of C, Chapt 2 of E, and Chapt 2 or 3 of LB, and prepare several one-pagers touching on each chapter.  Continue to explore some of PB, JB, CS, DF, D, HLL, JH, I, K and S and examine Donella Meadows' classic article on SD available at http://sustainer.org/pubs/Leverage_Points.pdf and prepare at least one and probably two, three or four one-pagers on your explorations as seems appropriate.  (If you choose not to buy course books that are not available on the web, seek book reviews, other, related, articles the authors have written or web resources related to the books and write your one-pagers on them. ISEE - Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of Earth are great places to start for this alternative activity.)  Finally, also prepare a one-pager integrating the issues covered by all of your reading and reflections to date. Be sure to share some of your work, say at least 3 or 4 one-pagers, and to respond to at least several other's one-pagers on D2L by Thursday Feb 5 and to bring hard copies of at least 3-4 different one-pagers to class.

 

Continue to develop bibliographic and web resources focused around your personal interests.  Look for brief overview materials related to your evolving bibliography especially book reviews and abstracts of scholarly writings like journal articles or overview materials from relevant web resources.  Bring copies of, or urls to access, these overview materials and of your evolving bibliography to class to circulate among others who share your interests. 

 

Prepare the statement referenced below to file regarding your research topic. 

 

Week 3 (Feb 9) Class

First part of class share one pagers on C, LB and E; dialogue review of these "readings" with reference to related issues raised in other resources as examples where relevant.    

Share one-pagers on and discuss perspectives from PB, JB, CS, DF, D, HLL, JH, I, K and S and Meadows' "Leverage Points" article.

 

Second part of class: gather in evolving interest groups that started forming the previous week and share your integrating one-pager and any others of your one-pagers that seem especially relevant.  After sharing your perspectives on reviewed materials, share your bibliographic resources with others, presumably in your interest group, who may find them interesting. 

 

Continue discussion of sustainability related activities in NE Wisconsin and beyond and begin to define individual projects or internship possibilities in relation to those projects.

 

File a preliminary "formal" self-reflective statement about your research topic selection choices or process with the topic finally chosen clearly identified along with at least some (5-8 minimum) properly (per your explained choice among standard formats formatted and annotated bibliographic entries and a start on a draft timeline. Note: You MUST present a final version of this statement and have it returned signed and dated by Larry by Feb. 23 and subsequently include it in your portfolio to qualify for a grade of C or higher in this course.

           

Week 4 (February 16) Assignment (some to be completed before and shared on D2L by Feb 12) 
          

"Read" C Chapt 2 through item 2 Economics and Ecology Specialize and Separate, E Chapt 3, LB Chapts 5 and 4 or 6 and continue to overview / explore some of PB, JB, CS, DF, D, HLL, JH, I, K and S and write one-pagers as before.  Pay special attention to LB in relation to C chapt 1, the "Waste Not" theme of HLL Ch 3, the "Waste Equals Food" theme of the video The Next Industrial Revolution." As before, spend more time with C and less on the other resources but do at least one and preferably 2 or more one-pagers on other resources and on your evolving sense of our subject.  Be sure to share some of your work, say at least 3 or 4 one-pagers, and to respond to at least several other's one-pagers on D2L by Thursday and to bring hard copies of at least 3-4 different one-pagers to class. 

 

Week 4 (February 16) Class

First part of class share one pagers on readings assigned above; dialogue review of these readings with reference to issues raised in other resources as examples where relevant. 

 

Second part of class: share the current version of the proposal you started the first night of class and have redrafted based on classmates and Writing Center suggestions, and your one-pager on the experience, within interest groups and possibly more widely.  Schedule first round, prospective, research proposal presentations for next three weeks.

 

Week 5 (February 23) Assignment  (some to be completed before and shared on D2L by Feb 19)

Read C Chapt 2.3 The Reintegration of Ecology and Economics, E Chapt 4 and LB Chapt 8 and 7 or 9.  Continue exploring your choices of optional books and begin to explore chapters 3 "In the Gallery of Global Trends" and 4 "It's the System" of Alan AtKisson's Believing Cassandra and JH Introduction and Chapter 11 “The Thermodynamic Imperative” which are available on e-reserve and check the Redefining Progress web site http://www.rprogress.org/ with special emphasis on their Genuine Progress Indicator http://www.rprogress.org/newprograms/sustIndi/gpi/index.shtml and prepare one-pagers touching on each chapter and Redefining Progress as before.

Continue to overview other books and read either http://web.mit.edu/jsterman/www/cloudy_skies.html or http://www.sustainabilityinstitute.org/pubs/siclimate.PDF both of which address public awareness of climate change in system dynamic perspective.

Start preparing an annotated bibliography that will ultimately include at least 15-20 items, a related and elaborated draft timeline on your research topic and a preliminary outline of the research proposal / paper you plan to write.  Secure Larry’s signature on your evolving research proposal plan by the end of class this week or submit a statement of your acceptance of a grade of C or less for the course.

Week 5 (February 23) Class First part of class; Share one pagers on readings assigned above and Redefining Progress web site http://www.rprogress.org with special emphasis on http://www.rprogress.org/projects/gpi/ 

 

Share relevant one-pagers on biomimic, thermodynamic or other systems perspectives including AtKisson's Chapters 3 and 4 and JH’s Intro and Chapt 11 followed by dialogue review of these topics.

Share one-pagers and dialogue review of continued exploration of other books and either global warming article.  

Second half of class meet in interest groups and share / work on evolving proposals and bibliography.  Perhaps move to computer lab to work on bibliography.

Week 6 (March 2) Assignment (some to be completed before and shared on D2L by Feb 26)

Read C Chapt 3 through part 3 Substitutability vs Complementarity…, E Chapt 5, and LB Chapts 11 and 10 or 12 and prepare one-pagers referencing each chapter as before.

Continue to overview other books
and prepare one-pagers as before and explore http://www.iseesystems.com/ (suppliers of STELLA SD software) and http://www.vensim.com/ (suppliers of Vensim SD software).  Explore the http://www.sustainer.org web site and especially the Commodity Sector Project Model Reports and the Donella Meadows Archive available there for examples of SD commentary and applications and prepare appropriate one-pagers.

 

Week 6 (March 2) Class First part of class; Share one pagers on and dialogue review of assigned readings.


Share one-pagers on and dialogue review of other books, SD examples and software vendor sites.

 

Last part of class work on projects and bibliography as appropriate. Note: See statements below about draft project proposal progress due March 23.

 

Week 7 (March 9) Assignment (some to be completed before and shared on D2L by Mar 5)

Read C Chapt 3, parts 4 Population and Carrying Capacity through 7 Trade and Community, E Chapt 6 and prepare one-pagers addressing each chapter as before.  

Continue to overview other books and prepare one-pagers as before, overview and prepare a one pager on "Designing an environmental mitigation banking institution for linking the size of human activity to environmental capacity"  by Khalid Saeed available at http://www.csdnet.aem.cornell.edu/papers/Saaed.pdf  Note. This is a large and complex paper.  Please just try to comprehend what it addresses and the way it suggests SD can be used to "test" social innovations but don’t worry about reading the whole paper.

 

Week 7 (March 9) Class First part of class; Share one pagers on and dialogue review of assigned readings.


Share one-pagers on and dialogue review of Saeed paper and, later, other books.

 

Last part of class work on projects as appropriate.  Note: See statements below about draft project proposal progress due March 23.           
        
  

Week 8 (March 23)  Assignment  (some to be completed before and shared on D2L by Mar 12)

                      

C Chapt 4, parts 1-4 through and including Successes, Failure and Remedies and E Chapt 7 and prepare one-pagers as before.    

 

Continue to explore other books and begin to "play" with Vensim which you can download from http://www.vensim.com/freedownload.html  and prepare one-pagers as before.

 

Note: Preliminary Draft Research Proposals / Papers, in the form of a minimum of 12 scholarly bibliographic references annotated regarding their citation history, which you can get from Web of Science, and probable importance to your research proposal and identification of at least 10 other references you expect to use, based on included information about their citation frequency, but have not yet annotated, an associated draft timeline, and an outline of your final draft paper with comments from at least two other class members, is due March 23.  NOTE: If you choose not to submit this evidence of work toward your research proposal / paper at this time you MUST submit a statement indicating your acceptance of a grade no higher than B/C for the course. 

 

Week 8 (March 23) Class First part of class; Share one pagers on and dialogue review of material assigned above including discussion of your experience playing with Vensim or other SD software. 

 

Second part of class, first share with appropriate class members and then turn in preliminary draft research proposals / papers, in the form of a series of "properly" formatted and extensively annotated, especially regarding citation history, bibliographic references and identification of other references you expect, based on indicated citation history, to use but have not yet annotated, and an associated draft timeline, and a proposed outline of your final draft paper with comments from at least two other class members.  If you choose not to submit the expected draft materials, submit a statement indicating your acceptance of a grade no higher than B/C for the course.  Students failing to meet either of these requirements will be immediately assigned a grade no higher than C for the course and will have no recourse for earning a higher grade. Note: absence from class is not an acceptable alternative to meeting these expectations as the material can be submitted electronically if you must miss class.

 

Final part of class can be used for research if useful.

 

Week 9 (March 30) Assignment  (some to be completed before and shared on D2L by Mar 26)
 

C Chapter 4, Part 5, Policy Instruments and LB Ch 13, prepare one-pagers as before.

Continue to explore other books and uses of Vensim, ot other SD software, perhaps in your paper, and prepare one-pagers as appropriate.

 

Week 9 (March 30) Class  First part of class; Share one pagers on and dialogue review of C and LB assigned above.

Share one pagers on other books and Vensim or other SD software; continue dialogue in light of global warming and other planetary scale impacts of economic activity, and prospects for mitigation or other market adjustments.

 

Second part of class: Dialogue on applications of sustainability to individual’s real-life contexts. Schedule research project presentations for weeks 11-14 (Apr13 – May 4).  Note: Draft of final paper / proposal must be brought to class April 6 for Larry to initial and to circulate among interest group members for comment and taken to Writing Center no later than April 7 in preparation for Final Draft which is due April 13.

 

Week 10 (April 6)  Assignment  (some to be completed before and shared on D2L by April 2)Explore optional books, SD software, useful web links, or issues arising from your research and submit one-pagers as previously, at least 3 by April 2 and at least 3 more by April 6.

 

Week 10 (April 6)  Class

Share one-pagers as indicated above and dialogue review of issues linking to previous discussions and themes.

Further dialogue about or presentations by those engaged with sustainability projects in NE Wisconsin and by members of the class in relation to their individual projects.  

 

Schedule project presentations for April 13 - April 30.

 

Note: Final Proposal / Paper must be submitted April 20 complete with a properly formatted bibliography, based on your choice of format, and timeline to qualify for a course grade of B or higher.

 

Week 11 (April 13) Assignment   Continue to explore optional books, SD, dialogue, or other topics of interest and post a minimum of 3 one-pagers to D2L by April 9 and bring a minimum of 3 others to class.

 

Portfolios with self evaluations of work done to date and planned for the rest of the term due. Include general discussion of work posted to D2L but do not include copies of items posted.

 

Week 11 (April 13)  Class 

Share one-pagers followed by dialogue review linking issues raised back to previous discussions and themes.

 

Second Part of Class: Project presentations as scheduled April 6

 

Week 12 (April 20) Assignment Continue to explore optional books, SD, dialogue, or other topics of interest including topics covered by class member’s projects and post a minimum of 3 one-pagers to D2L by April 16 and bring a minimum of 3 others to class.

 

Final proposal / papers due with properly and consistently formatted bibliography and timeline due, with Writing Center feedback on a prior draft, also submitted..

 

Week 12 (April 20) Class

Share one-pagers followed by dialogue review.

 

Second Part of Class: Project presentations as scheduled April 6

 

Week 13 (April 27) Assignment Continue to produce one-pagers on optional books or other topics with at least three completed and shared on D2L by Apr 23 and at least three brought to class.

 

Course Evaluation April 27.  Attendance required or otherwise-earned course grade will be reduced by ˝ letter grade.

 

Week 13 (April 27)  Class

Dialogue review of issues of interest to class members.

 

 Course Evaluation.  Attendance required,
 

Second Part of Class: Project presentations as scheduled April 6

 

Week 14 (May 4)                       

Prepare one-pagers and circulate in class as previously.

Final course dialogue.

 

Final project presentations as scheduled April 2

 

Final Exam May 11  5:15 p.m.

  

Answer to Final Exam question can be written in class or filed by D2L or e-mail by 7:00 p.m. Monday May 11.

 

DO NOT USE ATTACHMENTS.  Enter or copy and paste your answer directly into D2L or e-mail body.

Final Exam Question: Review your engagement with the course and the products you produced in it and discuss how you might or will continue to engage with issues at the interface of sustainability and economics as you proceed through your education and on into your life after graduation.