BIOL 510 The Biology of Sustainability Fall 2024

Welcome to the BIOL 510 webpage for the Fall 2024 iteration of the course! 

This ecology course is aimed at identifying and critiquing potential mechanisms by which our civilization could most effectively move toward more sustainable living.  Biology can explain current environmental sustainability issues, but is also at the fundamental root of their underlying causes – human behaviour.  Therefore, the biology of sustainability incorporates biogeochemical, ecological, economic, social, genetic, and philosophical features and constraints.   Each iteration of the course will focus on a unique specific thematic question related to at least some of those components.     

The principal question that the 2024 course will address is:  Our civilisation's demise is certain; its timing uncertain.  How should we be living?

This course is for final year undergraduates and is specifically aimed at enhancing their capacities for critical thinking, intelligent open discussion, group work, and independent learning.  Emphasis will be on interactive discussions and student-led seminars in which participants will have ample opportunities to explore, analyze and synthesize scientific information, to learn how the scientific process works, to speak and write effectively, and to develop their understanding of the philosophies underlying human behaviour and how they relate to global change issues, and the sustainability of our current civilisation. Students will lead informal seminar discussions on some component of this theme that is of particular interest to them.

The 2024 iteration of this course will be largely focussed on reading and discussion of biology professor David Barash's 2014 book Buddhist Biology. Ancient Eastern Wisdom meets Modern Western Science, but will also include a North American Indigenous component including associated readings and possibly an activity exercise/workshop.

Learning outcomes:
By the end of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Critically assess the constraints (ecological, economic, social, behavioural and political) that underlie society’s current responses to global change issues
    
2. Discuss, explain, and critique the similarities and differences between contemporary Buddhism and Indigenous cultures in fundamental philosophical concepts that relate to Biology and Sustainability such as interconnectedness and impermanence
    
3. Formulate clear, original, challenging, and concise thematic questions from study reading material that are likely to lead to focussed and intellectually probing seminar group discussions, student-led seminar topics, or short synthesis essay/media project
    
4. Lead a stimulating, informative, and creative seminar interpreting selected material from Barash’s book Buddhist Biology in the context of this course’s focal question (see above)
    
5. Develop and present a cohesive, original, synthesis final essay/media project on the potential value of incorporating contemporary Buddhist and Indigenous philosophical perspectives on interconnectedness and impermanence to promote more sustainable living across our society
    
6. Use the learning achieved in this course to develop lasting personal solutions for coping with, and constructively responding to, the major environmental and social sustainability issues of the 21st century

Professor: Paul Grogan

Seminar times: Wednesdays 13.00; Fridays 11.30
Location: Room 3112 Biosciences building

Calendar: Sessions are 1.5 hours

Assessment:
15% Active participation in discussions (questions, comments, suggestions)
20% Seminar written questions
30% Seminar
35% Final synthesis exercise (10% outline; 25% final submission)

Schedule:

Last Updated: 20 September, 2024

To see materials from previous iterations of this course, use the drop-down menu under the 'Teaching' tab at the top of this page