PHIL 314 - Course Calendar

The readings referred to below are all from either:
  1. Varner, In Nature's Interests? for sale at the TAMU bookstore, but also on reserve at Evan's library,
  2. Leopold, A Sand County Almanac, for sale at the TAMU bookstore
  3. on the world wide web for free (if highlighted like this)
  4. or, finally, on reserve at Evan's library

Click here for the course syllabus

NOTE: The links under "lecture topics" will in some cases be created before the day's lecture and discussion -- in other cases, they will be created afterwards as a summary. In any event, right now, at the beginning of the semester, they are almost all "dead" links.

Week #1: January 17-21
Tuesday Lecture Topics: Reading:
    None
Thursday Lecture Topic: Reading:
  • Varner, "The Role of Environmental Ethics in Environmental Education" (handout)

Week #2: January 24-28
Tuesday Lecture Topics: Reading:
  • "Introduction" to In Nature's Interests?
Thursday Lecture Topic:
  • Aldo Leopold's "shack sketches"
Readings:
  • From A Sand County Almanac:
    • "Foreword"
    • "January"
    • "February"
    • "March"
    • October: "Smoky Gold" and "Too Early"
    • November: "Axe in Hand"
    • (Probably next time I should add April: "Draba," "June," and "July")

Week #3: January 31-February 4
Tuesday Lecture Topics: Readings: From A Sand County Almanac:
  • "Wisconsin"
  • "Arizona and New Mexico"
  • "Chihuahua and Sonora"
Thursday Lecture Topics: Reading: "The Land Ethic," from A Sand County Almanac:

Week #4: February 7-11
Tuesday Lecture Topic: Reading:
  • J. Baird Callicott, "Animal Liberation: A Triangular Affair"
Thursday Lecture Topics: Reading:
  • J. Baird Callicott, "Conceptual Foundations of the Land Ethic"

Week #5: February 14-18
Tuesday Lecture Topic:
  • Previous week's topics, concluded
Reading:
  • None
Thursday Lecture Topic: Reading:
  • "A Critique of Environmental Holism," in In Nature's Interests?, pp. 21-25

Week #6: February 21-25
Tuesday FIRST MIDTERM EXAM
Thursday Lecture Topic: Reading:
  • "Localizing Desire," in In Nature's Interests?

Week #7: February 28-March 3
Tuesday Class canceled
Thursday Lecture Topic:

Week #8: March 6-10
Note: midsemester grades are due in the Registrar's office by 10:00 a.m. on Monday of this week.
Tuesday Lecture Topic: Reading:
  • "Biological Interests," in In Nature's Interests?
Thursday Lecture Topic: Reading:
  • "The Principle of Inclusiveness," in In Nature's Interests?

Week #9: March 13-17
Note: There are no classes this week due to Spring Break.

Week #10: March 20-24
Tuesday Lecture Topic: Reading:
  • "Can Animal Rights Activists be Environmentalists?" in In Nature's Interests? pp. 98-111
Thursday Lecture Topic: Reading:
  • "Can Animal Rights Activists be Environmentalists?" in In Nature's Interests? pp. 111-20

Week #11: March 27-31
Tuesday Lecture Topic: Reading:
  • "Justifying the Environmentalist Agenda," in In Nature's Interests?
Thursday Lecture Topic: Reading:
  • "Justifying the Environmentalist Agenda," in In Nature's Interests?

Week #12: April 3-7
Note: Daylight savings time begins on Sunday, April 2, so be sure to set your clocks ahead one hour before the exam on Tuesday of this week. Finally, note that Monday of this week is the last day to Q-drop a course.
Tuesday SECOND MIDTERM EXAM
Thursday Lecture and discussion topic: Reading:
  • Christopher D. Stone, "Should Trees Have Standing?" on reserve at Evan's library. For today, read pages 113 and 114, plus the first column of page 115.

Week #13: April 10-14
Tuesday Lecture and discussion topic: Reading:
  • Christopher D. Stone, "Should Trees Have Standing?" on reserve at Evan's library. For today, read through p. 120.
Thursday Lecture and discussion topics: Reading:
  • "Wilderness" in A Sand County Almanac

Week #14: April 17-21
Note: Friday of this week is a reading day on which there are no classes. Officially, the fact that it is also Good Friday, has nothing to do with the cancelation of classes.
Tuesday Lecture and discussion topicsa: Reading:
  • "Wildlife Management in the National Parks" (on reserve at Evans Library)
Thursday No class (Varner is out of town on business)

Week #15: April 24-28
Tuesday Lecture and discussion topic:
  • Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Readings:
Thursday Lecture and discussion topics:
  • Students' comments on genetically modified organisms and what anthropocentrists, sentientists, biocentric individualists, and holists might have to say about them

  • Course summary and evaluation

Week #16: May 1-5
Monday of this week is a dead day. Tuesday is the last day of classes, but it is "redefined" as a Friday, so you will attend your Friday classes that day instead of this class. Wednesday and Thursday are reading days and finals begin on Friday.

Week #17: May 8-12
Note: Exams continue through Wednesday of this week. Graduation is on Friday and Saturday.

Monday

Click here for the course syllabus