ENVS 160 has opened my eyes in such a way that I never would have expected in the beginning of the semester. I feel as if I am better equipped with the skills I need to utilize not only as I continue my college career, but also as I continue to grow as a conscious citizen of this planet.
This class has differed from every class I have taken at Lewis and Clark thus far. The digital skills was an intimidating start to the semester, but it caused me to work on my technical skills, which were lacking at the time. Prior to this class I have been able to get away with minimal computer skills, but I was finally forced to actually learn how to work with Zotero and various other resources that are in fact very beneficial. In addition to advancing my technological skills, I believe I am a more productive and active reader because of ENVS 160. Although the daily quizzes were a bit frustrating and challenging at times, they acted as an effective incentive for me to focus and understand the readings. I also think my writing has improved over the course of the class. I have always struggled with writing, but I think I have found an effective writing style that is scholarly, yet easy to understand and interesting to read. I know my writing skills are still developing, but it is reassuring to look back on my first midterm and know that I have improved since then. Lastly and arguably most importantly, I think ENVS 160 made me realize that multiple perspectives are needed when thinking about an idea- even if it seems simple. There are an overwhelming amount of approaches I must take when I think about any text or idea in order to fully understand its meaning and significance.
Furthermore, I have gained a great deal of knowledge and skills from ENVS 160 that I can use outside of the classroom. I think this is what makes ENVS 160 different from a lot of other introductory classes. I now have a better understanding of what I do not know. This might seem counterproductive, but I think it is one of the most important lessons to learn as a student, and as a person in general. Admitting you do not know something is how you learn. I think the sooner we all realize we do not know everything, the sooner we can understand how the world works, which in turn can tell us how we can think and act in such a way that will ensure a better future for everyone and everything on the planet. Much of this class has been centered on the future, and I think we will all benefit from this investment. I think this future-oriented approach allows us to be proactive in our attempts to create a safer, cleaner space for everyone. Although we focused on the future, some people may focus on the past when thinking about the state of our planet. For example these people may want to return to a time when nature was pure or when humans had a correct standard of living (Phillips 2015). Confronting sources of disagreement and understanding why someone might hold these views was another common occurrence in ENVS 160. Because of this I now have the ability to be a more open minded thinker. I know how to deal with people or ideas that may contradict my own personal opinion. I can learn from these people in two ways; I can possibly find a hole in my current opinion and admit that I am wrong and alter it accordingly, or these people’s perspectives can force me to strengthen my own arguments by having to defend my point with strong evidence. However, I think what I can apply the most from this class is the need to act institutionally. I have touched on this idea in a previous post where I summarize Paul F. Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth which I found to be the most significant text of the semester. Before reading this book, I thought I was doing my part as a citizen sufficiently- I am vegan, I recycle, I bike. However, while these daily choices make me feel better I now know I must do more. I must work with the institutions that control our everyday lives and organize change within these institutions. I must also expose this idea to all my other friends who are under the misconception that we can change the world and stop rising sea levels from tossing our napkins into the compost. ENVS 160 taught me to accept the complexities that surround the planet we all inhabit- nothing is as simple as it seems. At times we might be wrong, but we must open our eyes to all the possible solutions or approaches.
Works Cited
Phillips, Leigh. 2015. Austerity Ecology & The Collapse-Porn Addicts: A Defense of Growth, Progress, Industry and Stuff. Winchester, UK ; Washington, USA: Zero Books.