ENVS 195/295
Tom Hudspeth
Summer, 2006
l53 S.Prospect St.
656-0171
Thomas.Hudspeth@uvm.edu
COURSE
DESCRIPTION:
Natural
History, Cultural Heritage, and Community-based Ecotourism Initiatives
of Ecuador's Upper Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands
1. Objectives:
• Consider the process of creating communities which are
environmentally sound, economically successful, and socially
just--i.e., from conceptual and operational points of view, gain an
understanding of sustainability/sustainable development (SD)
[development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs], with
emphasis on community-based sustainable development
• Become familiar with successful sustainable development
strategies/initiatives in Ecuador
• From conceptual and operational points of view, gain an understanding
of ecotourism [travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas
that strives to be low impact and (usually) small scale; it helps
educate the traveler, provides funds for conservation, directly
benefits the economic development and political empowerment of local
communities, and fosters respect for different cultures and for human
rights] and its role in sustainability
• Become familiar with ecotourism initiatives in Ecuador
• Gain an understanding of the philosophy, principles and concepts, and
techniques of environmental interpretation (EI) [communicating
environmental values, natural history processes, and cultural features
to visitors to recreational settings through the use of interpretive
media] ] and its role in sustainability and ecotourism
• Become familiar with EI initiatives in Ecuador
• Gain an understanding of the natural history and ecology of the
Amazon rainforest and the terrestrial and marine aspects of the
Galapagos Islands
• Gain an understanding of the cultural heritage of Ecuador
• Gain an understanding of non-governmental organizations engaged in
environmental conservation and protection of biodiversity in Ecuador
• Gain a better awareness of yourself and your own culture through
exposure to “otherness”
• Learn about positive solutions to environmental problems, and gain
empowerment in the process
• Employ “Writing Across the Curriculum” approaches to improve thinking
and writing skills
• Explore potential careers in international development, environmental
interpretation, community development, natural resource management,
ecotourism, sustainability, etc.
2. Prerequisites:
Background in Environmental Studies, Natural Resources,
Community Development, International Development, Sustainability (e.g.,
ENVS 1 and/or 2, NR 1, CDAE 2, ANTH 23, or equivalent experience).
NATURE OF THE
LEARNING EXPERIENCE
1. Class Format:
In keeping with the subject matter, ENVS 195/295 has a strong emphasis
on learning through direct experiences. The heart of the course is a
field trip/site visit to Ecuador from 24 May through 11 June, with
guest speaker presentations, demonstrations, case studies,
participatory activities/assignments, and journals. Preparatory class
activities include: lectures, seminar discussions of readings,
and videos, and follow-up activities include researching and writing a
research paper or carrying out a project related to Ecuador.
Because of the nature of the course, active
participation in all class activities is essential. Sharing your
knowledge, feelings, and skills with others in the class will enrich
the course immeasurably. Also, it is important that you provide
continual feedback as to the degree to which the class is meeting your
needs; changes can be made if necessary to meet the individual learning
needs of class participants.
2.
Readings: The required readings for this course are
drawn from a wide variety of
sources and relate to: natural history and cultural heritage of Ecuador
and the Galapagos Islands, Charles Darwin, evolution, sustainability,
ecotourism, environmental interpretation, etc . They are drawn from:
• D’Orso, Michael. 2002. Plundering Paradise: The
Hand of Man on the Galapagos Islands. New York City, NY:
Harper Collins. UVM Library: GF852.G35 D67
• Miller, Jonathan, and Borin Van Loon. 1982. Darwin for
Beginners. New York City, NY: Pantheon.
• Vonnegut, Kurt. 1985. Galapagos. New York City,
NY.: Delta.
• Weiner, Jonathan. 1994. The Beak of the
Finch: A Story of Evolution in our Time. New York City,
NY: Vintage. UVM Library: QL696.P246 W45
• Course packet for ENVS 195/295: Natural History, Cultural Heritage,
and Community-based Ecotourism Initiatives of Ecuador's Upper Amazon
Basin and Galapagos Islands
• Handouts from a variety of sources in Ecuador
• Pp. 3-44 in Ham, Sam H., Environmental Interpretation: A Practical
Guide for People with Big Ideas and Small Budgets (North American
Press, 1992) On e-reserve under ENVS 204.
And while in the Galapagos Islands, during free time it will be
important to read more about the natural history and ecology of the
organisms we are experiencing from these two books in the boat’s
library:
• Jackson, M.H. 1985. Galapagos: A Natural History Guide.
Calgary, AL, Canada: University of Calgary Press. UVM
Library: QH198.G3J33
• Kricher, John. 2002. Galapagos. Washington, DC:
Smithsonian Institution Press. UVM Library: QH198.G3 K75
3. Assignments:
Because this course seeks to provide you with an opportunity to
experience directly the work of sustainability, ecotourism, and
environmental interpretation, assignments are a significant part of the
course. You should think of these exercises as a chance to field
test what you read in your reading assignments and what we discuss in
class, and as a case study by which you gain a better understanding of
these fields.
*Journal/Field
Notes:
Journal writing is different from almost all other
writing that you do in that its end is really the process of writing,
rather than the written product itself. In your journal you
engage in a form of writing known as "expressive writing." This
is the form of writing closest to thought. It is the same as the
voice that you use to talk to yourself all the time ("Uh oh! I
can't believe I..."). In contrast, "transactive writing" is the
form of writing that you use to communicate to others. While
transactive writing must be clearly organized, and carefully worded,
expressive writing can be raw -- pure thought poured out onto the page.
The wonderful thing about journal keeping -- as
those of you who already keep journals know -- is that it offers the
opportunity to give full range to your ideas, exploring and clarifying
your thinking in a way not possible without the written word; yet it
frees you from the constraints of conforming your writing style to the
standards necessary to communicate with others. In your journal,
you become actively engaged with your ideas and experiences.
Through the free writing process you make connections, build
relationships, focus, and stretch your thinking.
In this course, we will write in our journals each day while in Belize
as a way to develop our thinking before class discussions, to process
events and activities (guided walks, guest speaker presentations,
student presentations, etc.) personally, and to draw connections
between background readings and class discussions. These entries will
give you an opportunity to reflect on course ideas and experiences and
to relate them to other parts of your life.
For each of these journal entries, you should try to write continuously
for a minimum of five minutes, or about a page (really continuously --
without lifting your hand if possible!). Longer entries are even
better, giving you an opportunity to develop your thoughts, insights,
ideas, and questions more fully.
Each journal entry should have a short identifying
title and date. You do not need to type your journal
entries. Your journal will be collected after we return to
Burlington from Belize. It will be evaluated not on writing
style, but rather on my sense of your commitment to the journaling
process and on the depth with which you explore the ideas and
experiences of the course. Your journal should show a serious,
continuous involvement with the course material. Make sure your
table of contents is up-to-date before submitting your journal for my
review.
In my experience, when you make frequent entries in
your journal, and when you take those entries seriously, you will enjoy
writing them. Your journal will make the class material more
meaningful, more focused, and more fun. The more you write, the
more you will be actively engaged in your subject. You will be
writing what you choose to write and to remember about this course.
Your initial journal entry should record your pre-course
impressions: Why would you like to participate in this course,
what do you expect to learn, and what do you expect to see?
Your final journal entry or conclusion should record
your post-course impressions: Re-read all your journal entries for the
entire course. Then summarize what you have learned from this
course—e.g., highlight knowledge or skills or changed values you have
gained.
*Scorecard/criteria for assessing ecotourism:
Develop a scorecard or list of criteria for
analyzing/ assessing/ evaluating/measuring ecotourism. You will
apply your scorecard to Sacha Lodge and the Ecoventura boat and
determine to what degree they are examples of ecotourism. You
will then write recommendations for them to improve their “ecotourism
scores.”
*Research paper:
Identify a topic related to this course (tropical rainforests,
Galapagos Islands, Charles Darwin, evolution, environmental issues in
Ecuador, ecotourism, etc.) that you are especially interested in or
passionate about. Research it in depth and write a research
paper, properly documented. Be sure to have the instructor
approve your topic as soon as you have decided on it. The final
draft of the paper is due no later than one month from the last day in
Ecuador, or 11 July 2006 (in Tom’s mailbox at The Bittersweet, 153 S.
Prospect St., Burlington, VT. 05401).
Content information on the topic of your paper may
come from books and journals in the library, interviews with
knowledgeable people, the Internet, etc. In this sense, your work
will be very much like that of international development consultants
with severe time constraints who must use best available information
and who must “satisfice.” It is essential that you draw upon your own
and others’ knowledge and skills to accomplish what needs to be done in
a limited time period.
In past years, I have found that it works out far
better for students to decide on a topic for their research paper,
conduct research, and write a first draft of their paper BEFORE going
to Ecuador, and then make an oral presentation to the entire class on
their topic while in Ecuador …than to wait until returning to
Burlington to work on the research paper. That way, the students
become co-instructors for the course!
4. Grading
and Expectations: Each class participant is expected to
participate and
become actively involved in all class sessions, contributing to the
growth of other class members as well; to read all class handouts and
reading assignments; to complete required assignments, journal entries,
etc. on time.
In grading for this course, I employ
criterion-referencing assessment. You must reach certain
criteria; that is, I have minimum-accepted standards regardless of who
is in the class. My task is to help you succeed. If
everybody in the class performs excellent quality work, everybody
receives a grade of A. (This approach is quite different from
norm-referencing assessment, which assumes that there is a
normally-distributed range of abilities within the class and the grades
are, therefore, spread accordingly).
Class participation and
journal
30
Ecotourism scorecards/assessments, with paper on
recommendations
20
“Practical exam” while in Ecuador (everybody should
score 100 on this!) 15
Research paper
35
TOTAL
100
Creationism: belief that God has created all species exactly as
we know them, whole and immutable.
Evolution: in his landmark Origon of the Species, published in
1859, Darwin “proposed that all species had descended from common
ancestors through an evolutionary process that favored the individuals
of each generation who happened to inherit the traits most advantageous
for their time.”