Faculty Development Workshop

Integrating Ethics Into Environmental Studies: 
Ethics, Science, and Civic Responsibility

May 24-27, 2004

New York University

Cosponsored by:
Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs
Center for Humans and Nature
Environmental Conservation Education Program, New York University

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

There is a general consensus among scholars and scientists that the
world is experiencing a global environmental crisis. However, there is
no consensus as to the extent of the crisis, the appropriate responses
to it, and--most importantly--the moral principles that should guide
efforts to address global environmental problems.

Starting in the mid-1980s, academic institutions responded to this new
challenge by developing interdisciplinary environmental studies
programs. Over the last two decades educators have struggled to address
the crisis by combining scientific knowledge with an awareness of the
diverse geographic, cultural, political, and economic realities that
affect the environment. Yet in this process the ethical dimensions of
environmental issues have been poorly attended to.  While many
college-level environmental programs in the United States offer courses
on environmental ethics, the overarching goal of devising tools for
systematically examining environmental ethics and values in social
science and natural science curricula is under-achieved.

The primary goal of this three and a half day workshop which builds upon
a Carnegie Council faculty development workshop hosted by Holy Cross
College (Worcester, MA) in May 2003--is to devise intellectual and
pedagogical tools that will enable faculty to incorporate an
understanding of environmental ethics and values into their research and
teaching. In addition to the themes described above, this workshop will
focus on two subjects related to these objectives: first, the
development of the concept of  "ecological citizenship" as a component
of environmental ethics and environmental education; and second,
overcoming the gap between the academy and those public and private
organizations involved in environmental advocacy and protection.

"Ecological citizenship" refers to a set of normative goals in
environmental education that extend from the substantive civic
obligations necessary for the creation of what Harvard professor Robert
Putnam termed "social capital."  According to this concept, the
healthiest public sphere is one in which citizens see their moral
obligations to each other to be fulfilled not simply through minimal
acts of citizenship, such as voting, but through more active involvement
in public affairs.  Ecological citizenship extends these ideas from the
social realm, involving only humans, to the natural world as well.  The
question is whether and how integrating ethics into environmental
education can enable students to see themselves as members of a
community that encompasses both humans and nature and hence to see that
their civic obligations to their communities are not limited to
obligations to each other but to taking an active interest in critical
environmental issues.

If the creation of better ecological citizens is seen as a worthy goal
of environmental education, then it is necessary to first overcome the
tendency for insularity in academic discourse on topics such as this
one.  Too often those in the academy working on environmental problems
seek only to communicate with each other.  Accordingly, this faculty
development workshop will also focus on the question of how to create
opportunities for those in the academy working on these issues to better
serve those in public agencies and NGO's who grapple with these problems
on the ground.

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

The workshop is open to faculty involved in environmental studies at the
undergraduate level and within professional schools. We especially
welcome applications from faculty interested in developing environmental
studies programs within their home institution.  Participants are
selected on a competitive basis through the application process
described below.  We strive to reach a balance between the number of
faculty in the social and physical sciences to help to ensure that the
full range of ethical issues that affect the study of environmental
problems are considered.

WHAT IS PROVIDED?

The workshop will feature talks and discussion sessions led by guest
scholars and practitioners in the field (including Andrew Light and Dale
Jamieson from NYU).  Topics will include approaches to ethics,
environmental ethics, the international dimensions of environmental
ethics, the concept of ecological citizenship, politically engaged
environmental studies, pedagogies, and organizational aspects of
environmental studies programs.  In addition, two or more sessions will
be devoted to topics of specific interest to the selected participants,
who will be invited to lead those sessions.

Local accommodations and meals will be provided to all participants for
the duration of the workshop on the Washington Square campus of New York
University, in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village.  In
addition, participants will receive in advance of the workshop a CD-Rom
containing relevant readings and sample syllabi.  Participants must
arrange their own travel to and from New York.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications must include:

*A completed cover page, available in PDF form at
http://www.cceia.org/page.php/prmID/50?PHPSESSID=56ed92fbc2672485861389439ba187ad

*Resume or Curriculum Vitae
*A 2-3-page statement of interest, including how the workshop would
benefit your future research and teaching
*List of three references
*Letter of support from your university or college

Completed applications must be received by January 15, 2004; selected
participants will be notified by February 15, 2004.

Applications may be sent by email or post to:

Yesim Yemni
Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs
170 East 64th Street
New York, NY 10021
(212) 838-4120
yyemni@cceia.org

Please feel free to copy this message to any list which may find it of interest.

Back to ISHPSSB Listserv on the Web