Spring+2011,+Sustainability+Problems+Essay+Exam

Sustainability Problems Take Home Cumulative Exam (contributes 20% to your final grade) Fall 2010

Answer ten of the following questions in essay form, using 300-400 words for each response. A printed copy of your exam is due in class Tuesday, December 7.

1) Identify ways that globalization is a sustainability problem, referencing at least four examples from films you watched this semester.

2) Identify ways that corporations are a sustainability problem, referencing at least four examples from films you watched this semester.

3) Describe how U.S. law, in some instances, is a sustainability problem, referencing at least four examples from films you watched this semester.

4) Describe how science can be a sustainability problem, referencing at least four examples from films you watched this semester.

5) Describe ways that mainstream media is a sustainability problem, referencing at least four examples from films you watched this semester.

6) Identify key characteristics of the best environmental media (recognizing that few films or other media are likely to have more than a few of these characteristics). Reference examples from films we’ve seen this semester.

7). Write a letter to a university president arguing for the importance of the humanities, arts and social sciences in educating for sustainability. See this recent letter (published in Genome Biology) from Gregory Petsko (a biochemist at Brandeis) to George Phillip, President of SUNY (about recent cuts in the humanities at SUNY) for ideas (http://genomebiology.com/2010/11/10/138). Also see the class handout that we discussed at the start of the semester http://sustainabilityproblems.wikispaces.com/humanities%2C+arts%2C+social+sciences+and+sustainability.

8). There is considerable concern among scientists about the climate change skepticism evident in the recent U.S. elections. What do you think best explains the skepticism? What do you think scientists should do to further enroll the public in concern about climate change? The articles listed below will provide material for your argument. Reference at least two of these articles in your answer. http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.118-a484
 * The Perception Factor: Climate Change Gets Personal. (Environmental Health Perspectives, 11/1/2010)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/vergano/2010-11-05-climate-story_N.htm
 * Heroes wanted in climate science story (USA Today, 11/20/2010)

9) Evaluate the United States’ responsibility to address global climate change. Consider the United State’s contribution to the problem, other countries’ contributions, impacts in different countries and the different capabilities countries have to help solve the problem.

10) Explain, from your point of view, what the US government should do to advance environmental protection. What should the US government not do? Together, your lists should include at least six items. Include concrete example to illustrate your points.

11) Design a modern society that does not depend on personal cars. Where would people live and work? How would they get around? What would it take (in the built environment, politics, incentives, etc) to make this society work? What would be the benefits beyond environmental benefits? What would be the challenges?

12). Describe the key message of The Age of Stupid, providing illustrative examples from the film, then evaluate its strategy and effectiveness as environmental media.

13) Identify at least twenty stakeholders in global climate change, briefly explaining how they contribute to and are likely to be affected by climate change.

14) Identify ten developments (in education, law, media, etc) that you think would help mobilize greater public awareness of and commitment to environmental sustainability.

15) The hazards posed by Bisphenol-A have been researched and debated with great intensity in recent years. Imagine that you are teaching high school seniors about environmental controversies. How would you advise them to make sense of the controversy around Bisphenol-A? What questions would you encourage them to ask in analyzing all environmental controversies they encounter? In answering this question, you can draw on coverage in Environmental Health Perspectives, Nature, Science, etc., and on this portal to environmental health news: http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/.

16) Scientific research demonstrating a link between toxic chemicals and skewed sexual development has developed considerably in recent years. Describe how this could be effectively communicated. What audience would you target? What media form (film, website, radio show) you would use? What research studies would you highlight (see news coverage of some of this research below)? How would you represent the state of the science? What kind of environmental and scientific literacy would you aim to cultivate? What “go fix it” strategies would you suggest? In answering this question, you can draw on coverage in Environmental Health Perspectives, Nature, Science, etc., and on this portal to environmental health news: http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/.

17) Design a curriculum that teaches elementary students about the matrix of problems that threatens the environmental health of oceans.

18) Write two exam questions that creatively test students’ analytic sophistication about environmental sustainability. Answer one of these questions.

19). Write a 400-word biosketch that describes where you will be and what you will have accomplished twenty years from now. The biosketch should be narrative rather than resume style. Include basic biographical and educational information, the expertise you have built and have become known for, and a brief description of important projects you have been a part of over this period of time. For an example, see the Wikipedia entry for Paul Farmer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Farmer