UC Davis, Nature and Culture 1

WELCOME TO THE NATURE AND CULTURE 1 HOMEPAGE!

``Intersections of Nature and Culture''

Winter Quarter, 2004
Roessler 55, TR 10:30-11:50

Instructors:

Office Hours:

  • Daniel Cox, 12-1 THursdays and by appt.; Scott McLean: 1:30-2:30, Tu,Th. .

o        Daniel L. Cox: TBA.

Contents of this Page

·  Global Warming Limericks

·  Helpful remarks from Mike Zizer (last years grader) about the grading scale and how to write the Great American Paper. :) (here in jpeg (page 1), page 2, and page 3.

Course Description and Information

Course Goals: In this class we will study the intersections of nature and culture through the perspectives of both scientific and literary approaches. In particular, we hope to expose how science and literary narratives have provided histories of the universe, especially, histories of matter and consciousness in the universe. We will explore how science is firmly embedded in culture, and what the strengths and limitations of science and literature are in exploring and explaining the cosmos. As examples of such intersections, we will consider religious and scientific narratives of the history of the universe, the study of life by modern biologists, restoration of ecosystems by citizen scientists, and the problem of global climate change.

Prerequisites: None. However, the Subject A requirement must be satisfied.

Format: Discussion/Lecture

Grading: Based upon two five to six page essays (25% each), one take home midterm examination and one take home final examination (20% each), and 3-4 ``overnight essays'' (10% total, graded +,check,-).

Late Policy:  Overnight essays accepted one day late with no penalty, not accepted after that. Long essays, midterm, and final, are accepted late with a letter grade per day penalty (eg, a paper that grades an A turned in one day late goes to A-, and goes to B+ if two days late).

Required Texts: ``The Universe Story,'' B. Swimme and T. Berry (Harper San Francisco); ``Consilience,'' by E.O. Wilson; ``Life is a Miracle,'' W. Berry (Counterpoint); ``Discourse on Method and Meditations,'' R. Descartes, translated by F.E. Sutcliffe (Penguin Books); ``Totem Salmon,'' F. House (Beacon); ``Mountains and Rivers Without End,'' G. Snyder (); ``Nature and Culture 1 Reader,'' available from Campus notes, ``Nature and Culture 1 Reader Supplement’’ available from Campus notes.  

 

Syllabus

Date

Reading/Assignments

Subject

1/8

 

Course Introduction: what is NAC, a

narrative arc for the course

1/13

Genesis Reading from The Jerusalem Bible

(Course Reader)

Universe Story, Ch. 1,2,3,4

Narratives: Creation myths;
the cosmological narrative
What was the beginning,
and how can we know it?

The Big Bang to the Solar System

1/15

Universe Story, Chs. 5,6,7

The Primitive Organisms
Emergence of Complex Life
How do we know?
Metaphor
Nature as resource, cathedral, organism

1/20

Descartes, Discourse on Method

Nature as object;
The mathematization of nature

1/22

Descartes, Discourse on Method
Readings from Galileo, Newton
(Reader, excerpts from ``Encompassing Nature'')

Key Scientific concepts;
Further discussion of Cartesian Metaphysics

 

1/27

More on Descartes;

 

 

1/29

More on Descartes; Ch. 1 of Wilson

 

The nature and history of sciences
From the perspective of a world leading

scientist
 ``THESIS’’

2/3

``Consilience'' by E.O. Wilson
Chs. 1 (LONG ESSAY I DUE)

Online readings by by Sara Blaffer-Hrdy, and by Evelyn Fox-Keller, about Barbara McClintock.

Feminist approaches to science and the approach of a great scientist.  Different ways of knowing!

2/5

``Consilience,'' Chs. 2-4 (SECOND OVERNIGHT PAPER OUT, DUE 2/10)

 

2/10

``Consilience,'' Chs. 10-11 (SECOND OVERNIGHT DUE)

Can science encompass art and religion?

2/12

Portion of Mountains and rivers, TBA(MIDTERM OUT, DUE 2/24)

Poetic Interlude

2/17

``Life is a Miracle'' by W. Berry
pp. 1-91

Mr. Berry rebuts Prof. Wilson

``ANTITHESIS’’

2/19

``Life is a Miracle'' pp. 93-153

 

2/24

``Totem Salmon,'' by F. House, pp. 1-94 (approx.)
 MIDTERM DUE, LONG PAPER II ASSIGNED

Restoration of an ecosystem
On the experience of place and
others (the nonhuman)
Phenomena: gates to our

Understanding

``SYNTHESIS’’

2/26

``Totem Salmon,'' pp. 95-210 OVERNIGHT PAPER 3 OUT

Recovering the Wild I

3/2

``The Watchful World,'' (Reader)
``Nature and the Koyukon Tradition'' (Reader)
``Epilogue'' (from `Make Prayers to
Raven', Reader)

OVERNIGHT PAPER 3 DUE

Recovering the Wild II

¾

Science Readings on ozone depletion (on-line)

Restoration on a grand scale—ozone depletion

 

3/9

Science Readings on global warming (on-line)

Restoration on a grand scale—basic science of

Global warming

3/11

Global warming: impacts and mitigation (on-line); `The Battle for the Control of Nature’ from R. Gelbspan, The Heat is On (course reader); `The Third Man, the Birth of Spin, Global warming is Good for you,’ by S. Rampton and J. Stauber, from Trust Us, We’re Experts (course reader)

 

Global Warming
Impacts and Mitigation, and the Nature and Culture war about global warming.
 

3/16

``Mountains and Rivers'' II (Sections TBA)
LONG ESSAY II DUE FINAL; HANDED OUT,

DUE MARCH 18

 Class summary:  who are we and where do we

go from here?

3/25

FINAL DUE BY 6Pm at Room 109

Voorhies

 

 

Assignments

Long Paper 1 (jpg) and PDF

 

Overnight Paper 1 (doc) and PDF

Overnight Paper 2

Midterm (html format) and Midterm(pdf format)

Long Paper 2

Overnight Paper 3(doc) and here in pdf

Useful WWW Links

 

 

 

 

Prof. Daniel Cox
1/29/04