An Article on Our Vanishing Bees

I hope you'll read this New York Times article on the most important insect to touch our lives.

Discussion Questions/Make Up Quiz

Instructions: If you missed the quiz last Monday, you may make it up by answering the following questions, posting your answers on your blog, and providing me with a hard copy of your answers. If you are looking for extra credit, you may also want to complete this assignment.

1. What is Wendell Berry’s stated purpose for writing? What, if anything, is he proposing and why?
2. What “catastrophic discrepancies between biblical instruction and. . . allegedly respectable Christian behavior” does Wendell Berry claim to see?”
3. What does Berry think about the usefulness of Christianity for dealing with our environmental crisis?
4. In Berry’s view, is Creation independent of the Creator? Is Berry’s view the prevailing view? Why or why not?
5. Which parts of Creation does Berry consider to be most holy and sacred? Is Berry's view the prevailing Christian view on this issue?
6. According to Berry, what allows Christians to ignore their own biblical instructions and contribute so heavily to the ruin of Creation? Give at least two reasons Berry cites that can explain why, in his opinion, the holiness of life is obscured to modern Christians.
7. How does Berry define a Christian church? Where is such a church to be located and how is it to be built and of what is it to be made?
8. According to Berry, who are the most significant people and what are the most significant religious events in the Bible and where do these events occur? Do you agree with him?
9. What does Berry mean when he says that the misuse of the Bible logically accompanies the abuse of nature?
10. What does Berry mean by the term “duality” and which dualities does he most disdain and why?
11. What does Berry have to say on the subjects of work and workmanship?
12. How does Berry’s reading (or interpretation) of Genesis and and the act of Creation generally compare to the most common reading?

Modifications to Term Paper

After discussing matters with the majority of the class, I have agreed to modify the requirements for your term papers.

I will no longer require you to produce four documents: (1) a research (topic) proposal, (2) an annotated bibliography (3) a question and answer interview, and (4) a “final” paper that integrates the interview and your research into one seamless document.

Instead, you will produce only two well-written documents:

• one research proposal that adheres to the criteria outlined in my March 5 post (and to the additional criteria listed below) and
  
• one question and answer interview that adheres to the criteria below.

You must now, however, revise your proposal until it meets with my satisfaction. Your proposal must also

• correctly employ several direct quotations from your sources within the text of the proposal
  

• integrate into the text of your proposal two photographs appropriate to your subject

• create a new blog for this project and post your revised proposal to this blog with hot links to your online sources

Please note, however, that you are still required to produce a question and answer interview. As part of this assignment, you need to produce a list of twenty questions related to your thesis. Please integrate photos into this assignment as well and post your completed interview on your blog.

Guidelines and Instructions for Oral Presentations

The Assignment

Create and deliver to the class a five to seven minute presentation based on one current event related to ethics and ecology chosen from a week's reading and selecting.

Instructions

(1.) The week before your presentation, closely monitor the local, regional, and national news about the environment. Checking the online sources of your choice as well as hardcopies of daily newspapers, create a “top ten” list of stories that made local, regional, and national headlines. Be sure to include stories from all three categories. Then post this list on your blog and link each story on the list to its source.

What, in your opinion, was the most important (or the most interesting)“news” of the week?

• Rank this story first on your list above the other nine.
• Study it.
• Print out a hardcopy.
• If possible, post the entire story on your blog.

(2.) Plan, rehearse, and then present your favorite news story of the week to the class.
Follow the common sense guidelines you learned in public speaking:

• Prepare thoroughly by rehearsing your entire presentation several times until you’re comfortable with your presentation.
• Time yourself.
• Retell most of the story in your own words.
• Identify the ethical and environmental issues in the story.
• Read aloud any direct quotes or short passages you want to emphasize.
• What questions does the issue raise about public policy, law, civic virtues, or political philosophy?
  
• What customary beliefs and values might be involved? To whom do they belong? What is the history of this issue?
• What should we do? Why should we do it? And how should we do it?

(3) During the actual presentation in class be sure to

• Speak clearly and loudly enough to be heard by everyone.
• Make eye contact with the audience throughout the presentation.
• Use appropriate facial expressions and hand gestures.
• Make sure your rate of delivery is neither too fast nor too slow.
• Practice using any necessary technology.
• Open up the floor to questions at the end of your presentation.
• Answer the questions.

Some Additional Advice

Check the calendar to see if anyone else is presenting that week. If so, you might want to work together to avoid duplicating efforts and stories.

Avoid trying to summarize all ten stories. You do not have time to summarize all ten stories. Instead, highlight a recurring theme in the other stories you read or tell us an anecdote based on one of the other stories. Direct us to your blog or your handout. . . .

Inject some humor into your presentation, especially if the subject is tragic.

If possible, find a way to illustrate your story with audio or video clips or a photograph

Sex in the Cornfield

For those of you who missed Monday's talk (and even for those who attended but disbelieved), I'm posting a link to a Purdue University website that will guide you through the intracasies of corn reproduction. We can review this process again in class, but I hope you'll take a look.

On Wednesday I'll pass around a sign-up sheet. I'd like to meet with each of you individually to discuss your topic proposal and research paper. Please return grade check sheets on Wednesday as well.