How each of us engages with our ecosystems is a matter of consciousness.

How each of us engages with our ecosystems is a matter of consciousness. For people suffering from respiratory ailments as an example, every breath of air they inhale can be fraught with anxiety. For people with bee or peanut allergies that might cause death, there is an awareness of the world around them that is filled with more attentiveness than for those of us free from such worries.

On the political and social side of ecosystems, the choices we make around mobility and transportation may be more focused on the way we look and our self-image, while for others our attention may turn to the way our mobility affects the air quality or traffic congestion, and still for others it may be about their pocketbook, time management, or create anxiety because of the real danger of being on the roads.

We engage our ecosystems from moment-to-moment, from before we are born until after we die. From the water we drink, the food we eat, the energy we consume, the way we care for other species and our own, these are just a few examples of how conscious engagement determines in part the ways we choose to fit into our world.

For your assignment due on Monday, September 4th (no lecture that day due to the holiday) please read the attached chapter titled, "Why is Understanding Urban Ecosystems Important to People Concerned About Environmental Justice?" Understanding Urban Ecosystems Ch. 4.pdf Please note: even though there is no lecture class on September 4th, there will be an assignment. Make sure you check canvas next week.

For your POV, please imagine the "new kind of professional" you might become. As you think about the question, imagine the ways you fit socially, environmentally and economically and how a new kind of professional might impact your position and place in the world, or that of your family and friends. You may also find a sense of alienation or disconnection, the ways you don't fit perhaps, and you are invited to write about this dimension as well.

Simply stated, your well-crafted POV will address the kind of work you imagine doing in our world.

This song by Gregory Alan Isakov be a good point of departure, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lKFQxdLXgs (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Rubric

POV Rubric

CriteriaRatingsPts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeEVIDENCE: Selecting and using information to investigate a point of view or conclusion

Information is taken from source(s) with enough interpretation/evaluation to develop a comprehensive analysis or synthesis. Viewpoints of experts are questioned thoroughly.

2.0 pts

Information is taken from source(s) with enough interpretation/evaluation to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Viewpoints of experts are subject to questioning.

1.5 pts

Information is taken from source(s) with some interpretation/evaluation, but not enough to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Viewpoints of experts are taken as mostly fact, with little questioning.

1.0 pts

Information is taken from source(s) without any interpretation/evaluation. Viewpoints of experts are taken as fact, without question.

0.0 pts

2.0 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeINFLUENCE OF CONTEXT AND ASSUMPTIONS

Thoroughly (systematically and methodically) analyzes own and others' assumptions and carefully evaluates the relevance of contexts when presenting a position.

2.0 pts

Questions some assumptions. Identifies several relevant contexts when presenting a position. May be more aware of others' assumptions than one's own (or vice versa).

1.5 pts

Shows an emerging awareness of present assumptions (sometimes labels assertions as assumptions). Begins to identify some contexts when presenting a position.

0.5 pts

No evidence

0.0 pts

2.0 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSTUDENT'S POSITION (perspective, thesis/hypothesis)

Specific position (perspective, thesis/hypothesis) is imaginative, taking into account the complexities of an issue. Limits of position (perspective, thesis/hypothesis) are acknowledged. Others' points of view are synthesized within position (perspective, thesis/hypothesis).

5.0 pts

Specific position (perspective, thesis/hypothesis) takes into account the complexities of an issue. Others' points of view are acknowledged within position (perspective, thesis/hypothesis).

3.5 pts

Specific position (perspective, thesis/hypothesis) acknowledges different sides of an issue.

2.5 pts

Specific position (perspective, thesis/hypothesis) is stated, but is simplistic and obvious.

1.0 pts

No position taken in student's perspective

0.0 pts

5.0 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCONCLUSION & RELATED OUTCOMES (implications and consequences)

Conclusions and related outcomes (consequences and implications) are logical and reflect student’s informed evaluation and ability to place evidence and perspectives discussed in priority order.

1.0 pts

Conclusion is logically tied to a range of information, including opposing viewpoints; related outcomes (consequences and implications) are identified clearly.

0.75 pts

Conclusion is inconsistently tied to some of the information discussed; related outcomes (consequences and implications) are oversimplified.

0.5 pts

Conclusion is logically tied to information (because information is chosen to fit the desired conclusion); some related outcomes (consequences and implications) are identified clearly.

0.25 pts

No evidence

0.0 pts

1.0 pts

Total Points: 10.0