When I first chose ENVS 160, I didn’t really know what to expect out of the class because I felt that I already knew a fair amount about the environment and how to protect it against climate change. Most of my knowledge about the environment came from my very eco-friendly family and from my experiences […]
Individual Posts
Reflections of Understanding
Before I took ENVS 160 I had a very narrow understanding of environmental topics and climate change in general. Broad terms like nature, environment and sustainable all had simple and understandable definitions. I associated all environmentalists with each other and lumped radicals, preservationists, conservationists etc. all in to one movement with each other. My lack of ability […]
“Check it out, I’m turning green!” Birch plz.
My plan to major in Geography was stopped in its tracks by the lack of a Geography major at Lewis & Clark. So naturally I turned to Environmental Studies as the closest alternative. ENVS-160: Introduction to Environmental Studies was seen as just a stepping stone into tapping away at the looming wall of course requirements […]
Bless this Mess: A Reflection on Environmental Scholarship
I had never taken any class in environmental studies or science before this course. The only time I had ever discussed environmental issues and climate change in my academic courses was in my biology course. I think that this gave me a very science-focused perspective on climate change. I found that the most important lesson […]
Environmental studies is much more than I expected
I came into ENVS 160 with the thought that I would be primarily learning about current debates on environmental issues and ways as an individual to minimize my impact on the earth. Although these topics are indeed embedded into this class, I have come to realize that ENVS 160 is much more than just learning these basic […]
I transferred to Lewis and Clark in the fall to further my education in Environmental Studies and Asian Studies. Although, I had to lower my initial ENVS major to a minor, I’m glad I will still be pursuing it throughout my time at LC. ENVS 160 has taught me three key lessons: Interdisciplinarity is key. […]
Recognizing the Lessons Available: The Importance of Keeping an Open Mind
When I initially started this course, I had no previous substantial education on the subject of Environmental Studies. I considered myself mostly aware of current environmental issues but quickly realized that I had few definitive ideas and absolutely no idea of how to address or go about solving the more controversial issues such as […]
An Intersectional Lense
Entering into Environmental Studies 160, I considered myself a potential conservation biologist who was a student of the hard sciences and math, relying on and expecting science to solve the problems I saw. Through books like Why We Disagree About Climate Change and Who Rules the Earth, I found that my mission to find solutions […]
You can’t say Environment in Environmental Studies
Lesson 1: Individual Action is good, but not enough. Coming into ENVS 160, I was honestly very skeptical. For years prior to this course I was dedicated to changing my small habits in order to minimize my own guilt and remove myself from the problem of climate change. I took five minute showers, went Vegan, […]
Lessons Learnt: A Snapshot of Self-Improvement
In ENVS 160, I have come to learn that “Presaging Apocalypse” (Hulme 2009, 345) is not an effective way to rally public support when tackling climate change issues. Before I had entered the ENVS class of 160, I believed that scare tactics, such as those employed by the eco-terrorist group, ‘Earth Liberation Front,’ were […]
Do Not Miss the Forest for the Trees
Some Context I initially got into Environmental Studies by taking a class in my junior year of high school. It was not even an AP class, just regular Environmental Science. The class covered basic ideas of what is plaguing the earth, including units on trash and water, for example. I fell in love with environmental studies because […]
Reflections: It’s far more complex than you think.
Having studied Geography throughout high school and taken Environmental Systems and Societies in the IB programme, my Introduction to Environmental Studies has broadened my perspective, expanded and built upon previous knowledge and of course introduced me to totally new concepts and theories. One of the most significant and provoking insights I have been exposed to […]
The Metamorphosis of an Adolescent Opinion
The first year of college provides challenges that are unavoidable and unexpected. Oftentimes I have days where it seems nothing goes the way I thought it would socially, academically, or emotionally. Unlike high school, where opinions are fed to you through parents and teachers and you are told to trust everything you have learned, college […]
Examining Concepts and Realities
My ideas of the way the world works and the way people interact with the environment has been changed dramatically upon taking ENVS 160. Instead of looking at many of the environmental issues literally, it has been enlightening to learn about theories behind a lot of ideas swirling around in the environmental studies world. There […]
Girls Just Wanna Study the Environment
When I first signed up for environmental studies 160, I had no solid expectations for what the course would be like. Sure, I assumed it would be slightly similar to an environmental science class I took in high school, but besides that my expectations were a blank slate. After being enrolled in the course for […]
Evolution of Understanding
After spending two years of high school in an Environmental Science Academy, I felt I had a pretty good understanding of environmental issues and solutions, however ENVS 160 not only challenged some of these ideas, it also expanded my views on many of them. In order to to narrow in on what exactly I have […]
Continuing the Conversation
Most students who have taken Professor Proctor’s ENVS 160 class know that the breadth of knowledge and material covered in the course is wide. The majority of the time, it is difficult to grasp the ideas as they fly by, let alone make connections between these ideas. But every class, the majority of us walk […]
From Theory to Reality
Grid Group Theory Mike Hulme introduces what we refer to as Cultural Theory in chapter six of his book, Why We Disagree About Climate Change. The model of Cultural Theory (or the four ‘ways of life’ as titled by Douglas and Wildavsky) groups all individuals into four different sections or “ways of life” (Hulme 2009, […]
The Impact of Environmental Studies
I enrolled in Introduction to Environmental Studies as I was incredibly interested in pursuing this interdisciplinary area of study. My academic background thus far has incorporated both biology and sociology courses, and the Environmental Studies program incorporated both of these focuses into something cohesive. It was the overarching outlook of the Lewis & Clark College ENVS program that […]
Embracing the Different
So far, Intro to Environmental studies has taught me many things about the idea of climate change and the environment. By this, I mean that I don’t necessarily feel as though I’ve learned many new things about the classic environmental studies that I think of when I think of a typical envs class, as I’ve […]
Curing the Disease
Why ENVS 160? I’m taking this environmental studies course to improve my communication and application of biology and conservation material learned throughout my studies as part of the biology major. I have progressed through this course with the specific goal of relating the material towards my future career in conservation biology. In order to answer […]
Embracing What I’ve Learned
Although I had a general understanding of environmental studies due to my AP Environmental Science class, ENVS 160 has aided in deepening my understanding of issues and lessons, some that are specific to environmental studies and some that can be applied to my education in general. 1.Cultural Theory can benefit not only environmental thought […]