Environmental Ethics from An Interdisciplinary Perspective: The Marquette Experience

Abstract

Marquette University's new Interdisciplinary Minor in Environmental Ethics moves beyond a multidisciplinary approach to learning by integrating and applying the knowledge and skills acquired in ecology, natural resource economics, environmental philosophy, earth physics, and theology courses. The first two years of this interdisciplinary program provided an opportunity for faculty and students to experiment with collaborative methods in their individual courses, and culminated in a capstone seminar that focused on the ethical implications of electricity generation and use in the United States. From this experience, a more comprehensive approach to addressing environmental problems from an ethical perspective was developed, and more effective ways of teaching and learning were identified to improve the program.

Capstones and practica in environmental studies and sciences programs: rationale and lessons learned

“…This goal aligns curricula to Bloom's taxonomy (Goldstein and Fernald 2009), with lower-level courses providing knowledge, skills, and abilities while more advanced capstones provide application and mastery to new situations (Vandecreek and Fleischer 1984;Schaefer 2004;Sullivan and Thomas 2007).…”

“…In this regard, capstones also provide an important vehicle for civic science literacy (Miller 1998(Miller , 2004Rowles et al 2004). Capstones and practica can also help students develop an understanding of the ethical context in which many real-world problems are situated (Catalano 2004;Schaefer 2004) as well as several life-long competencies, such as the capacity to adapt to and participate in change, deal with problems and make reasoned decisions in unfamiliar situations, reason critically and creatively, adopt a more universal or holistic approach to problems, practice empathy, appreciate other perspectives, and identify personal strengths and weaknesses and undertake appropriate remediation (Engel 1991;Dunlap 2005). In some cases, capstones and practica can boost self esteem (Dunlap 2005, but see Wright 2010) and help foster a spirit of entrepreneurship (Pilskalns 2009) mainly because students are given the chance to succeed at post-graduate opportunities while still in school (Pilskalns 2009).…”

“…Despite the prevalence of capstone experiences in ESS curricula, the perceived and assessed values they deliver in terms of student learning, and the potential for unifying the varied goals of ESS programs, very little has been published on ESS capstones (Koether et al 2002;Schaefer 2004;Levia and Quiring 2008). We, therefore, lack understanding of their effectiveness in improving student learning and supporting broader ESS curricular aims.…”

“…Most of the ESS case studies presented here tended to emphasize the practical aspects of application, integration, and leadership, writing, and public presentation over delivering new course content. Since most courses in ESS curricula tend to emphasize theory (content), offering the opportunity for praxis in a capstone course does not come at the expense of theory; rather, it is an opportunity for students to apply previously learned theory in a real-world context (Vandecreek and Fleischer 1984;Schaefer 2004;Sullivan and Thomas 2007;Goldstein and Fernald 2009). Others make a distinction between the capstone/practicum and vocational training, with the former being about producing marketable skills for a specific job and the latter enhancing the goals of the liberal arts education (Vandecreek and Fleischer 1984).…”

Balancing Critique and Commitment: A Synthetic Approach to Teaching Religion and the Environment

“…For example, Dan Spencer () writes about the importance of bringing students' own eco‐social location into the classroom and Brian Campbell () argues that these courses should be taught in the context of concrete places and practices. Russell Butkus and Steven Kolmes () chronicle their multidisciplinary teaching of theology and environmental science, and Jame Schaefer () discusses the place of religion in an interdisciplinary environmental studies curriculum. However, many pedagogical challenges about teaching religion and the environment remain ripe for research and reflection.…”