Critical Thinking Exercise

There are lots of controversial issues on campus, in Lubbock, in Texas, and in the USA that would allow us to practice our critical thinking skills. However, sometimes I think it is easier to think critically about issues that don't seem to immediately affect us. Thus, I would like us to explore an issue that has been in the news recently that is happening in Malaysia.

Malaysia is a very interesting county. If you would like to know more about Malaysia, their environment, and the people that live there you can check out this powerpoint presentation. This slideshow, which is think is pretty cool, was developed by one of my Natural History and Humanities classes to be used in a 5th grade classroom. Even though it was intended for kids, it still serves as a useful introduction to Malaysia.

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/3JwD4G3hq4RjhQ

Crticial Thinking Exercise

Here is a link to the slideshow that I used in class.

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/9SnjQ9zV1GFQMX

Further Viewing

Malaysian woman to be caned for drinking beer - 23 Aug 09
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnOWgCz5fj4

Further Reading

If you want to learn more about this story then here are links to a couple of CNN and BBC articles. It seems to me that the outcome of this story is still uncertain, so it will be interesting to follow it to see what happens.

Malaysian model, mother to be caned for drinking beer in public
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/20/malaysia.caning/index.html?iref=newssearch

Malaysia postpones woman's caning
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/24/malaysia.model.caning/index.html?iref=newssearch

Malaysia delays caning beer woman
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8217440.stm

Critical Thinking

Further Reading

Critical Thinking: What is is and why does it count?
http://www.criticalthinking.org/aboutCT/define_critical_thinking.cfm

A Working Definition of critical thinking by Michael Scriven and Richard Paul
http://lonestar.texas.net/~mseifert/crit2.html

Hierarchical Nature of Ecology

In order to understand the science behind environmental issues it will be necessary to have a basic knowledge of the science of ecology.

Ecology has been defined in many ways. The definition that I prefer is that "ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organism and their environment." Organisms interact with two distincly different parts of the environment. The "abiotic (non-living) environment" includes all of the non-living attributes of the environment including water, soil characteristics, temperature, etc. The "biotic environment" includes all of the living organisms and involves interactions such as competition, predation, mutualism, etc.

Hierarchical Organization of Ecology

Ecology can be studied at different hierarchical levels.

1. Individuals have phenotypic characteristics such as morphology (e.g., eye color, height, etc.), physiology (blood type, photosynthetic ability, etc.), and behavior (food preferences, response to stimuli, etc.). We can understand the characteristics of organisms by studying how natural selection has affected those traits.

2. A population is a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area. Individuals in the same population interact via competition and sometimes predation (e.g., canibalism).

Some species live in very large populations whereas others live in very small populations. Ecologists are interested in understanding the factors that influence population size (this is important because when population size equals zero individuals then a population has gone extinct.)

3. A community is a group of different species living together in the same environment. Interspecific interactions including competition, predation, and mutualisms are some of the most interesting, and most important, aspects of ecology.

4. An ecosystem involves all of the biotic components in a community as well as the abiotic components. Unlike the lower levels of the ecological hierarchy where the focus is on living organisms, ecosystem ecologists are interested in understanding theh flow of energy and nutrients through the ecosystem. Some of the most important environmental issues facing us today are caused by human alteration of these cycles.

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- define ecology

- define individual, population, community, and ecosystem

- diagram and discuss the hierarchical organization of ecology

- discuss examples of how one level of ecology can bge affected by the level above or below it

Reading

Ecology- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecology

Organization of Life: Species, Populations, Communities, and Ecosystems in PhysicalGeography.net by Michael Pidwirny
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/9d.html

Science

“The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.” Albert Einstein

What is Science?

Science is a way of learning about the world. Other ways of learning about the world include philosophy and religion.

Science is differentiated from alternative ways of learning about the world by
1) what it studies
2) how it studies it

(a) Science deals with the natural world and assumes that the world is governed by “natural laws” (I don’t spend too much time worrying about where these laws came from, I just accept that they exist)and (b) science only studies things that can be observed

Religion, on the other hand, deals with the supernatural, so science simply can’t study it.

Scientists learn about the world using the scientific method. Scientists use observations and experiments to test predictions of hypotheses. Thus, data determines “truth” in science. Religious truth often relies on “revelations” not data.

Thus, science and religion differ on what they can study and how they study it. Here is the critical question- which way of learning about the world is best? Any particular method is not the best, they are complementary ways of learning about the world and each works best within its intended boundaries. For example, science has nothing to say about religion, faith, or God.

My suggestion is that if you want to study observable phenomena that take place in the natural world then science is the best approach. We spend our lives surrounded by the applied knowledge that comes from using the process of science.

Think about a couple of examples

1) you come out in the morning and you can’t start your car.

Possible hypotheses
- you left your lights on and the battery has gone dead
- something is wrong with the starter

Where do these hypotheses come from? The knowledge that engines run according the laws of physics and chemistry helps us to understand how they work.

Alternative hypotheses
- you ran over a fairy on the way home last night and they are punishing you
- your neighbor is a witch and has put a hex on your car because your dog barks too much

We are likely to laugh at these alternative hypotheses because we understand the mechanical basis of car problems. Who do you take your car to for repairs- (i) Gus the mechanic (who whether he knows it or not uses his knowledge of physics and chemistry to diagnose what is wrong and repair your car) or (ii) Princess Fatima the Gypsy around the corner? Obviously, we choose Gus.

2) What do you do if you get sick?

The most obvious answer is that you go to the Doctor and do what they tell you. Certainly you might ask people to pray for you or pray for yourself. Some religions (e.g., Christian Scientists) rely on spiritual healing alone and will not take their children to the doctor when they are sick. I doubt that most people around here would support that position.

Readings

What is science? from Understanding Science: How Science Really Works. UC Berkeley
http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/whatisscience_01

For an interesting discussion of the difference between "belief knowledge" and "research knowledge" check out "What is science?" by Bruce Tiffney from the University of California Museum of Paleontology
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/events/tiffney3a.html

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- define science

- distinguish science from other ways of learning about the world

- articulate their personal view of how science relates to their everyday life

The Mark McGinley Story

Here is the perfect cure for insomnia!

The Formative Years
I was born in Corpus Christi, TX and after a couple of moves we ended up in Rosenberg, (near Houston) where I attended grade school. I was interested in biology from an early age; I watched Marlin Perkins and Jacque Cousteau and I spent a lot of time outdoors on family camping and fishing trips. Even though I grew up near Houston during the Apollo years, I always thought that it would be much cooler to be a biologist than an astronaut.

When I was in the sixth grade my family moved to Australia for four years. This was an amazing life change for a kid who thought that the annual trip to my grandparents’ house in Oklahoma was a big deal. I had the incomparable experience of living in another country and experiencing a whole new way of life. Probably the biggest difference between Australia and the U.S. was the schools. I went to an all-boys English-style, private school where we had to wear uniforms (suits and ties) and straw boater hats to class everyday (this probably explains my preferred style of dress today).

The move also provided me with the opportunity to travel the world. During trips through Europe and Asia we saw many places of historical and cultural interest. Among my favorites were the Coliseum in Rome, the Tower of London, and Mt. Fuji in Japan. More importantly, my travels exposed me to many new biological experiences including seeing hippos, gazelles, elephants, and a cheetah in South Africa, snorkeling and beachcombing in Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, and the Great Barrier Reef, chasing emus through the Australian outback, watching a male lyrebird do his mating dance, watching fairy penguins come ashore for the night off of the coast of southern Australia, and many sightings of other Australian wildlife including kangaroos and koalas (how many people do you know that have ever seen a koala running along the ground?).

During the summer before my sophomore year in high school we moved to Thousand Oaks, CA (old-timers will remember TO as the former summer home of the Dallas Cowboys before they were ruined by Jerry Jones) where I graduated from high school. During my senior year I spent a week studying ecology and philosophy in Yosemite National Park and this trip confirmed by desire to be a biologist.

Education
I enrolled at the University of California, Santa Barbara to study biology. UCSB is an incredible place to go to school (I could see the ocean from my bedroom window three out of the four years that I was there) and it also happened to have one of the best ecology programs in the world. Joe Connell (one of the most influential ecologist of our era) taught the ecology section of my intro biology course and also taught my first ecology course, so it is probably his fault that I am here today because after finishing his course I knew that I wanted to be an ecologist. Later, after taking courses from Steve Rothstein and Bob Warner, I became interested in behavioral and evolutionary ecology and I decided to go to grad school to study behavioral ecology. I went to Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS which was a pretty big change from UCSB. I enjoyed K-State (I learned to bleed purple for Wildcat basketball) and I was lucky to be able to spend summers working for my advisor Chris Smith at the Mountain Research Station in Colorado studying pollination in lodgepole pine. My Masters Thesis extended optimal foraging models to examine woodrats foraging for non-food items (sticks that they use to build their houses). I also did a theoretical study examining how food stress should affect sex ratios. I earned a Ph. D. at the University in Salt Lake City. For my Ph. D. thesis with Jon Seger, I developed models and conducted experiments to understand the causes of seed size variation in plants.

During my little free time, I played volleyball with the U of U Volleyball Club team and I was probably the only person in the whole city who did not ski (I still don’t see the point of intentionally getting cold). I spent two years working as a post-doctoral researcher with Dave Tilman at the University of Minnesota. Our research focused on succession in old fields at Cedar Creek Natural History Area just north of Minneapolis.

Life at Texas Tech
I started as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University in 1991. I am currently an Associate Professor with a joint position in the Honors College and the Department of Biological Sciences. In the Honors College I work closely with the Environment and the Humanities degree. (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/honors/EVHM/)

Teaching
I teach a wide variety of classes at Tech. Two of my favorite courses are Tropical Marine Biology (taught in Jamaica and Belize) and the Rio Grande Class (we take a week-long canoe trip through Big Bend over Spring Break). For 6 summers I worked as a scuba instructor and marine biologist with Odyssey Expeditions leading sailing and scuba trips through the Caribbean (British Virgin Islands, Martinique, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines).

Scholarship
For several years I conducted ecological research in the sand shinnery oak community in West Texas. My current interests are in science curriculum development and environmental education. I serve as a member of the Stewardship Committee of the Environmental Information Coalition and as an Author and Topic Editor for the Encyclopedia of the Earth (http://www.eoearth.org/). In the Malaysian Bat Education Adventure we are using the ecology of Malaysian Bats as the focus of an integrated science curriculum for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade.

Sabitical in Malaysia
Last year I was on Development Leave from Texas Tech as a Fulbright Scholar in Malaysia. I was a visiting professor at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. You can see all about my adventures by looking at my blog http://markinmalaysia.blogspot.com/.

Traveling
I enjoy traveling and I have been able to explore my passion for scuba diving on dive trips in Texas (San Solomon Springs in Balmorhea and the Flower Garden Banks) throughout the Caribbean as well as Yap, Palau, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Galapagos Islands. My favorite marine critters include hammerhead sharks, pygmy sea horses, and “the pea”.

Course Syllabus

Perspectives in Nature and the Environment Fall 2011

HONS 1302-H01
MWF 11:00 – 11:50 English Philosphy 301

Instructor
Dr. Mark McGinley
Room 215 McClelland Hall
mark.mcginley@ttu.edu

Office Hours:
T-Th- 10-11 or by appointment

I encourage you to make an appointment to meet with me if you need to see me. The easiest ways to do this are (1) to talk to me either before or after class or (2) to send me an email listing times when you are available to meet with me and then I will let you know which works best for me.

Course Outline
This course offers a multidisciplinary introduction into study of nature and the environment. Topics studies in this class will include environmental ethics, environmental history, ecology, and environmental science with a focus on the value of, risks to, and preservation of biodiversity. The course will consist of a combination of lectures, group discussions, and writing workshops. This course will be writing intensive.

THIS COURSE FULFILLS THE CORE CURRICULUM TECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED SCIENCE REQUIREMENT.

Students graduating from Texas Tech University should be able to demonstrate understanding of how technology and applied science affect society and the environment and to demonstrate understanding of the relationship between ethics and technology.

Student Absence for Observation of Religious Holy Days

A student who is absent from classes for the observation of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence if, not later than the fifteenth day after the first day of the semester, the student had notified the instructor of each scheduled class that the student would be absent for a religious holy day.


Academic Integrity.

Texas Tech University faculty strive to foster a spirit of complete honesty and high standards of integrity. Any attempt by students to present as their own work any work not honestly performed is regarded by faculty and administration as a most serious offence and renders offenders liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension from the university. “Scholastic dishonesty” includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give an unfair academic advantage to a student. A detailed list of offenses is available in the Code of Student Conduct, found in Part IX, pp. 20-21 in the current Student Handbook, available on line at:
http://www.studentaffairs.ttu.edu?publications/SA_handbook_2005-2006.pdf.

Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary arrangements. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services during the instructor’s office hours. Please note instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodations to a student until
appropriate verification from Student Disability Services has been provided. For additional information, you may contact the Student Disability Services office at 335 West Hall or 806-742-2405.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, a fully-engaged student will be able to:

1. “Think critically” about environmental issues. assessed by performance in class discussions, exams, presentation, and written papers

2. Discuss environmental issues in a scientific, political, social and historical context.assessed by performance on in class discussions, midterm exam, and written paper

3. Demonstrate understanding of how rapid pace of technology and applied science may have good and bad outcomes.assessed by performance on class discussion and written paper

4. Articulate your personal environmental ethic. assessed by performance on written paper

5. Lead and participate in group discussions about environmental issues. assessed by performance on class discussions and discussion leader

6. Write about environmental issues. assessed by performance on written papers and exams

Grading
Midterm exam 15%
Final exam 15%
Participation in workshops, online, and discussion 10%
Writing assignments 30%
Paper on Personal Environmental Ethic 15%
Presentation 15%

It is extremely important that all assignments be turned in on time!!!

Midterm and Final Exam
The written midterm and final exams will cover material discussed in lectures and discussions.

Writing Assignments
These papers will be three pages maximum double spaced.
You will turn in a draft of this paper that will be critiqued by your classmates and me during a “Workshop” class period.
You can revise your paper and turn in a final copy of paper to be graded!

Personal Environmental Ethic Paper
In this paper (maximum of 5 pages double spaced) students will articulate their personal environmental ethic. The first draft of this paper is due November 2nd and the final draft is due November 21st.

Presentation on Environmental Issue
Each student will have an entire class period to give a presentation and lead a discussion on an environmental topic of their choice (more details to follow).

Course Blog

I have created a blog for this course. This blog will be an important means of communication between us so I encourage you to check the blog early and often. The blog is located at http://perspectivesinnature.blogspot.com/. Hopefully, most of your questions about the details of the class will be answered somewhere on the blog.

Blog posts will include your reading assignments and occasionally practice questions to check your learning. In addition, I will list specific “expected learning outcomes” for each lesson to help you focus your study efforts.

Required Reading

There is no required textbook for this course. I will assign readings throughout the semester on the course blog http://perspectivesinnature.blogspot.com/.

Books About Writing

Writing well is important for effective communication. Thus, improving your writing skills is an important component of this course. Here are a couple of references that would be useful for you to have on your shelf (and use) throughout your college career. (these books are not required).

The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. By Lynne Truss.



Very (Extremely) Tentative Course Schedule

Week 1. (August 25)
Introduction
Critical Thinking

Week 2. (August 29- September 2)
Ecology in Brief
First Web Assignment Due- September 2nd

Week 3. (September 5 - 9)
Monday- Labor Day Holiday
Ecology in Brief
First Writing Assignment- Due September 9

Week 4. (September 12 - 16)
Monday- workshop papers
Introduction to Environmental Issues
First Writing Assignment- Final Draft Due September 18

Week 5. (September 19 - 23)
Introduction to Environmental Issues
Second Writing Assignment- Due September 23

Week 6. (September 26 - 30)
Monday- workshop papers
Introduction to Environmental Issues
Second Writing Assignment- Due September 30

Week 7. (October 3 - 7)
Global Climate Change
Midterm Exam- Friday October 7th

Week 8. (October 10 - 14)
Monday- Holiday
Environmental Philosophy
Third Writing Assignment- Due October 14th

Week 9. (October 17 - 21)
Monday- workshop papers
Environment and Religion
Third Writing Assignment- Final Draft Due October 21

Week 10. (October 24 to 28)
Environment and Politics


Week 11. (October 31 - November 4)
Environment and Politics cont.
***First draft of Personal Environmental Ethics Paper due November 2***
Friday- workshop Environmental Ethics Papers

Week 12. (November 7 - 11)
Student led discussions

Week 13. (November 14 - 18)
Student led discussions

Week 14. (November 21)
Student led discussions
***Final Draft of Personal Environmental Ethic paper due November 21st**

Week 15. (November 28 - December 2)
Student led discussions

Week 16. (December 5 - 7)
Student led discussions

Final Exam- Wednesday December 9th- 1:30 to 4:00 PM.