ENS299 Basic texts of environmentalism

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2019
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Ľuboš Slovák (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Bc. Petra Burišková
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Thu 18:00–19:40 U44
Prerequisites
! ENSb1299 Basic texts of environment. &&!NOW( ENSb1299 Basic texts of environment. )
Basic knowledge of history of Western philosophy at the level of knowledge gained in ENSb1115 - Introduction to Philosophy or similar basic course.
Ability to read philosophy/academic texts in English.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course has two main objectives:
- to acquaint the students with some of the main branches of mostly environmental philosophy and ethics and their "founders" or other important thinkers by reading of texts fundamental to the emergence and shaping of environmental thought;
- to cultivate critical thinking, (self)reflection, ability to discuss and argue one's views through writing reflective accounts of the read texts and through class discussions;

Secondary objectives are to give an overview of the development of environmental thinking (esp. philosophy and ethics) from approx. half of 19th century to present time, introduce some of the main themes (value of individuals, ecosystems and non-human nature in general, causes and solutions to environmental problems, question of what nature means, social construction of nature, anthropocene, etc.) and to deepen the understanding of philosophical context of environmental problems.
Learning outcomes
After finishing this course, the student will be able to:
- sum-up the key ideas of the texts read in the course and put them into the particular context of their authors' work and general context of the environmental thought;
- critically reflect on simpler environmental philosophy works (comparable to the ones read in the course in complexity);
- formulate and argue for her attitudes and views on the topics of environmental philosophy discussed in the course;
- apply selected approaches to theoretical reflection of environmental themes to today's problems, real-life situations and to other issues encountered during the study.
Syllabus
  • Introduction to environmental philosophy and thinking
  • Rights of animal and other beings (Peter Singer, Tom Regan)
  • Biocentrism and ecocentrism (Albert Schweitzer, Paul Taylor, Aldo Leopold)
  • Searching for root causes of environmental problems
  • Root causes - religion (Lynn White, jr.)
  • Root causes - věda (Carolyn Merchant, David Abram)
  • Root causes - individualization and alienation from the world (deep ecology) (Arne Naess, Pat Fleming, Joanna Macy, John Seed)
  • Root causes - opression among humans (ekofeminismus, sociální ekologie) (Ynestra King, Murray Bookchin)
  • Nature, culture and the Age of humans
  • Wilderness and wildness (Henry David Thoreau, Gary Snyder)
  • The end of nature (Bill McKibben)
  • Great or dar Anthropocene? (ekomodernisté, Chris Smaje)
Literature
    recommended literature
  • JAMES, Simon P. Environmental philosophy : an introduction. First published. Malden: Polity, 2015, viii, 182. ISBN 9780745645476. info
  • KOHÁK, Erazim. Zelená svatozář : kapitoly z ekologické etiky. 2., přeprac. vyd. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2000, 204 s. ISBN 8085850869. info
  • BRENNAN, Andrew and Y. S. LO. Understanding environmental philosophy. First published. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2010, vi, 234. ISBN 9781844652013. info
  • A companion to environmental philosophy. Edited by Dale Jamieson. First published. Malden: Blackwell publishers, 2001, xvi, 531. ISBN 1557869103. info
  • KOLÁŘSKÝ, Rudolf, Igor MÍCHAL and Erazim KOHÁK. Závod s časem : texty z morální ekologie. Edited by Dagmar Nárožníková. Vyd. 1. Praha: Torst, 1996, 228 s. ISBN 808563970X. info
  • THOREAU, Henry David. Chůze. Translated by Jaroslava Novotná Kočová. Praha: Dokořán, 2010, 102 s. ISBN 9788073633172. info
  • THOREAU, Henry David. Toulky přírodou. Translated by Jan Hokeš. Vyd. v tomto souboru a přek. Praha: Paseka, 2010, 213 s. ISBN 9788074320385. info
  • LEOPOLD, Aldo. Obrázky z chatrče a rozmanité poznámky. Edited by Robert Finch, Illustrated by Charles W. Schwartz. Vyd. 1. Tulčík: Abies, 1999, 269 s. ISBN 8088699134. info
  • SEED, John, Joanna MACY, Pat FLEMING and Arne NÆSS. Myslet jako hora : shromáždění všech bytostí. Translated by Jiří Holuša, Illustrated by Dailan Pugh. Vydanie prvé. Prešov: Nadácia Zelená nádej, 1993, 144 stran. ISBN 8088699010. info
  • ABRAM, David. Procitnutí do živé země. Edited by Jiří Zemánek, Translated by Michaela Melechovská. 1. vyd. Nymburk: OPS, 2008, 166 s. ISBN 9788090377394. info
Teaching methods
Reading, writing of reflections of the reading, class discussion.
Assessment methods
For each seminar class it is mandatory to read one of the given texts and to actively engage in classroom discussion. Alternatively a written reflection of the text may be submitted.
For each seminar a student can get 1 point - either for active engagement in discussion or for the written reflection
For successful completion of the course it is required to have at least 9 point out of 12. Those who have 7 or 8 points might gain the missing points by a larger substitute task (e.g. writing an essay).
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
General note: Vzhledem k rozdělení předmětu ENS115 Úvod do filosofie pro environmentalisty + seminář na 2 předměty: ENS115 - Úvod do filosofie a ENS299 - Základy environmentální filosofie (seminář), je při zápisu potřeba dbát pokynů (viz odstavec: Předpoklady slovně).
Information on course enrolment limitations: Kurz se otevírá při 5 a více přihlášených studentech.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2018.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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