Ecology & (Non)violence

Note from Instructor. This syllabus is under construction. Everything you need to begin the first week of the course, and numerous links to describe much of the course content, are available. If you find there are materials or content that you feel you need that are not accessible to you in this moment, please let me know.

Before the course begins I will provide a video to orient yourself to the early course materials and expectations.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course exposes students to the theories and practices of individual and collective (non)violence in pursuit of ecological justice. By questioning the violence-(non)violence dichotomy itself and clarifying definitions/usage of the terms violence and (non)violence, students consider the structures of power and violence within which violence and (non)violence as ecological justice strategies operate. While surveying historical organized resistance to ecological devastation, students reflect on how religious traditions, theologies and spiritual practices contribute to ecological destruction and/or promote earth justice for the other-than-human.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

REQUIRED TEXTS

ALSO CHOOSE ONE:

If you are really struggling with which one of these books to pick, please also look at the Zoom meeting link, as I am going to attempt to get those of you who are reading the same book to be on the same Zoom call to discuss the book together later in the quarter. Perhaps the choices of day/time will help you to make a choice about which book to read. And if you really want to read one of these books and can't make the currently scheduled Zoom meeting, I will try to work out the Zoom meeting arrangements later in the quarter. In other words, don't necessarily let the the way the Zoom meeting is currently scheduled constrain your choice of books. 

The rest of the materials will be provided by way of documents and links to resources on the internet.

1) General Participation: Learning is not merely about receiving information from a variety of expert sources; it is about everyone, including the instructor, asking questions and seeking to understand from the materials and all participants. In this class, every participant is a teacher and a learner. I expect students will:

  1. Invest in the course by establishing a regular and respectful online presence;
  2. Genuinely try to learn the concepts, principles, and material by reading and listening; collaborate in the spirit of learning critically and enthusiastically;
  3. Participate in online discussions. Respect other students' preparation by being prepared, having read and watched the assigned materials carefully and thoughtfully;
  4. Participate in Zoom meetings;
  5. Turn in all assignments in a timely fashion;
  6. Communicate with the instructor when you anticipate being unable to participate in discussions, Zoom meetings, or turning in assignments in a timely manner.

2)  Discussion Forums:

This same information is posted under the link “Online Discussions.”

Every week, you must post your own original response to the discussion questions by Wednesday night at Midnight MST.

This course relies heavily on online discussions. This is where much of the collective aspect of the course “takes place.” Here we share ideas, ask questions, and deepen our understanding of course concepts. Every week, I will post numerous questions related to the weekly topics. By no means are you expected to answer all of questions I post. Respond to the ones that make you want to answer. What I really want you to do is to respond critically and personally to the course materials and one another. My expectation is that you will participate in all discussion threads as often and as well as you are able.

Every week, you must post your own original response to the discussion questions by Wednesday night at midnight MST. I encourage you to post your original responses earlier than that. Even if you are not ready to post your own original answers to the questions early in the week, I nonetheless encourage you to log in to the course website early on, read your classmates' posts that have posted early, and respond to them. Ideally, participation in online discussions should be completed within the week assigned. Each week, the discussions will start on Monday and last through Sunday night. This allows us all to focus on the same issues at the same time. Being present in an online format requires you to make your presence known. 

3) Zoom Meetings

We will have two different Zoom Meetings during the quarter Week 2, Week 7. Each time we have a Zoom Meeting, there will be choices of time slots. You are required to sign up for one of these slots. The content and necessary preparation for each Zoom meeting will be delineated in a link on the course home page.

4) Completing Initial and Final Learning Agreements

See link on Self-Grading and Evaluation/Grading

5) Practice of Connection and Repair

I expect you to develop a practice of connection and repair with your local environment. This practice should take place at least once a week.

6) Introductory Essay, Critical Reflection on Practices of Connection and Repair.

These are two short, personal and critical reflections on yourself and your practices related to ecology and (non)violence. See separate guidelines for this practice.

7) Final Project/Reflection

Create a final project or reflection on what you have learned this quarter about what it means to live (non)violently in the current moment. You may choose to write a reflection on your growing commitment to what it looks like concretely to develop a (non)violent practice in relation to your human and other-than-human ecosystem. You may choose to develop a study for a relevant local community. You may decide to outline a project you would like to implement in your community. Whatever is most relevant and helpful to  you and your context.

Every week, you must post your own original response to the discussion questions by Wednesday night at Midnight MST.

This course relies heavily on online discussions. This is where much of the collective aspect of the course “takes place.” Here we share ideas, ask questions, and deepen our understanding of course concepts. Every week, I will post numerous questions related to the weekly topics. By no means are you expected to answer all of questions I post. Respond to the ones that make you want to answer. What I really want you to do is to respond critically and personally to the course materials and one another. My expectation is that you will participate in all discussion threads as often and as well as you are able.

Every week, you must post your own original response to the discussion questions by Wednesday night at midnight MST. I encourage you to post your original responses earlier than that. Even if you are not ready to post your own original answers to the questions early in the week, I nonetheless encourage you to log in to the course website early on, read your classmates' posts that have posted early, and respond to them. Ideally, participation in online discussions should be completed within the week assigned. Each week, the discussions will start on Monday and last through Sunday night. This allows us all to focus on the same issues at the same time. Being present in an online format requires you to make your presence known. 

There will be a number of materials throughout the course that will get you thinking about if and how you connect with the land, with human and other-than-human inhabitants in your local eco-system around matters of ecosystem support or ecological devastation. I am asking you to engage with a weekly, personal and/or collective practice of connection and repair in your local area/with your local community. Such practices of connection and repair could look like a lot of things, and I am providing you a list of possibilities and thoughts to get you started thinking about what your practice/s might look like. You don't have to engage the same practice every week, though you may choose to do so and that may be most helpful for you to go more deeply into the practice of connection and repair.

Make use of the following handout, Bioregional Ecology Survey, which provides a series of questions about connecting with your local ecosystem and its history. Week Five's online Discussion thread will largely focus around these questions. By no means are you expected to know the answers to all of these questions (though eventually you should). Use the questions on this handout as a guide to focus your current area of desired knowledge and practice. 

I am developing a way for you to share your practice/s, as a matter of sharing a (non)violence practice with others within and beyond this class, and which will serve as an accountability structure for the requirement.

In your second Critical Reflection, you will write (or share in other creative ways) the practice/s you engaged in, reflections on the Bioregional Ecology Survey, what you learned from them, and where you are leaning as far as a  final project.  Therefore I recommend that you document your practice and what you are learning from it as a resource for writing that reflection, including what you write for your Week Five Discussion thread.

In addition, the required text that you choose to read (Jensen, Kimmerer, Williams) may be another resource for you to consider and reflect upon your personal practices of connection and repair. 

Ideas for Practice of Connection and Repair:

FIRST ZOOM MEETING: Monday, January 13 at NOON MST OR 6PM MST

Please add your name below to one of the meeting slots by clicking "Edit" in the upper right-hand corner of the page, typing your name below the desired meeting day/time, and then don't forget to SAVE by clicking at the bottom of the page.

If you are not able to make one of these meetings, please inform me and we will see what works in terms of adding another slot.

Monday, January 13 NOON MST

 

Monday, January 13 6PM MST

Deb Dahlke

In the first Zoom meeting, we will introduce ourselves, including some of the ways you introduced yourselves to the instructor in your introductory essay. What is your relationship with the ecosystem where you live and where you are from? In addition we will discuss your initial sense of the materials from the first weeks of the quarter. 

SECOND ZOOM MEETING

For the second Zoom Meeting I am going to attempt to get those of you reading the same chosen text from Jensen, Kimmerer and Williams to be in a meeting at the same time.

I am hoping these times work out for people, based on the book choice. I am willing to shuffle this around if it doesn't work for folks.

JENSEN A Language Older Than Words Wednesday February 19 Noon MST

 

WALLS-KIMMERER Braiding Sweetgrass Wednesday February 19 6PM MST

 

TEMPEST WILLIAMS Erosion Thursday February 20 6PM MST

 

 

LEARNING AGREEMENT: I will provide written feedback on assignments, but all students will evaluate their own work in the course and assign themselves a grade. The learning agreement is an informal learning contract, a narrative description of your intentions for fulfilling all of the course requirements as they are delineated in the syllabus (see the course requirements page, and the actual written assignment links, for more detailed information on many of these items):

1) General Participation: 

  1. Invest in the course by establishing a regular and respectful online presence;
  2. Genuinely try to learn the concepts, principles, and material by reading and listening; collaborate in the spirit of learning critically and enthusiastically;
  3. Participate in online discussions. Respect other students' preparation by being prepared, having read and watched the assigned materials carefully and thoughtfully;
  4. Participate in Zoom meetings;
  5. Turn in all assignments in a timely fashion;
  6. Communicate with the instructor when you anticipate being unable to participate in discussions, Zoom meetings, or turning in assignments in a timely manner.

2)  Discussion Forums:

Every week, you must post your own original response to the discussion questions by Wednesday night at Midnight MST. Respond critically and personally to the course materials and one another. My expectation is that you will participate in all discussion threads as often and as well as you are able. Being present in an online format requires you to make your presence known. 

3) Zoom Meetings

We will have two different Zoom Meetings during the quarter Week 2, Week 7. 

4) Completing Initial and Final Learning Agreements

5) Practice of Connection and Repair

I expect you to develop a practice of connection and repair with your local environment. This practice should take place at least once a week.

6) Introductory Essay, Critical Reflection on Practices of Connection and Repair.

These are two short, personal and critical reflections on yourself and your practices related to ecology and (non)violence. 

7) Final Project/Reflection

 

By reading the syllabus and course assignments, you should be able to reflect upon what you will do. Describe how you will evaluate what you have done in each of these areas by the end of the course.

I also encourage you to include in your learning contract personal challenge goals around being a student (time management, more insightful participation in online discussions) and reflecting upon what it means to be a person committed to (non)violent engagement with and for the environment in this historical moment, and in your life. 

This document will essentially serve as a learning agreement between you and me, and with yourself. This learning contract can be as long or as short as you wish in order to communicate your intentions. You may not be completely sure of what you will do for all of your project/reflections, but you can indicate where you are leaning. At the end of this narrative, please tell me what grade you intend to achieve.

By the last day of the quarter, and making reference to this first learning agreement, evaluate in writing how you think did in achieving your stated objectives and goals throughout the quarter, and whether or not you achieved the grade you anticipated. At the end of this reflection, you must give yourself a final grade.

As the instructor, I am responsible for assigning final grades. In almost all cases, I will assign the grade you give yourself. However, if you wildly overrate or underrate your work, we will enter into negotiations about the final grade.

Communications Policy: I will log on to the classroom most days. The discussion forum is generally the best place to ask most questions. If there is a question about class requirements or other questions that do not fit into a weekly discussion, I encourage you to use the internal Canvas communication system. If you need to contact me on an individual basis, please email me directly and I will try to reply within 24 hours. If you would like to arrange to communicate by Skype, Google, Zoom, or phone, please email me directly to set up an appointment.

If you need technical support for anything related to your laptop or device, how CANVAS works, how to do live video conferencing, you should contact the IT helpdesk at helpdesk@iliff.edu.

Degree Learning Goals: Please take some time to look over the Professional Degree Learning Goals (MDiv, MASC, MAPSC) and the Academic Degree Learning Goals (MTS, MA).

Incompletes:  If incompletes are allowed in this course, see the Master's Student Handbook for Policies and Procedures.

Pass/Fail:  Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the second class session.

Academic Integrity and Community Covenant:  All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook, or the Joint PhD Statement on Academic Honesty, as published in the Joint PhD Student Handbook, as appropriate.  All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant.

Core Values: As a community, Iliff strives to live by this set of Core Values.

Accommodations:  Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs.   Students are encouraged to contact their assigned advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations.  The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146. 

Writing Lab:  Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments.  Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab, which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft. 

Inclusive Language:  It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community. 

Julie Todd, Ph.D.

E-mail: jtodd@iliff.edu

John Wesley Iliff Senior Lecturer in Justice and Peace Studies

JTodd Half Shot for Web2.jpg

Dr. Julie Todd is a scholar-activist living in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She received her Ph.D. in 2012 from University of Denver-Iliff School of Theology Joint Program in Religious and Theological Studies. The title of her dissertation was “Evaluating Violence and (Non)violence: A Critical, Practical Theology of Social Change.” As John Wesley Iliff Senior Lecturer in Justice & Peace Studies, she teaches all of her courses in online and hybrid formats, and primarily teaches courses in the area of justice and peace. Her scholarship focuses on social change theory and praxis, violence and (non)violence, and matters of privilege, oppression and solidarity across axes of difference.

She is a published essayist and poet on matters of justice-seeking and the spiritual life. She recently released a book of her own personal writings called 50 thorns & blossoms.

As an activist, she works in her community to create transformative, grassroots spaces for social justice education and practice. She works locally and nationally to end the anti-LGBTQ policies and practices of the United Methodist Church through the group Love Prevails.

She is also a trained herbalist and aromatherapist, working with other healers in Lawrence, MA on collective healing projects. She is the owner of her own business called JustJulie. 

DateDayDetails
Jan 06, 2020MonWeek One Reading & Listening/Viewing Materialsdue by 08:00AM
Jan 07, 2020TueIntroductory Essaydue by 06:59AM
Jan 09, 2020ThuWeek One Discussion of Materialsdue by 06:59AM
Jan 13, 2020MonWeek Two Reading & Listening/Viewing Materialsdue by 08:00AM
Jan 16, 2020ThuWeek Two Discussion of Materialsdue by 06:59AM
Jan 20, 2020MonLearning Agreementdue by 06:59AM
Jan 20, 2020MonWeek Three Reading & Listening/Viewing Materialsdue by 08:00AM
Feb 03, 2020MonWeek Five Reading & Listening/Viewing Materialsdue by 08:00AM