In Sarah Ray’s article titled “Affective Arc in es Classroom,” she states “Working through their emotional responses, considering and responding to the emotions of others, and conversing, thinking, and reflecting, builds community and cultivates the ecological imagination; these are all actions.” As Sarah Ray also points out, typically, when people think of “action,” they think of going out and joining a picket line and creating one big change. However, real change is done in “small” increments opposed to “one cataclysmic moment.” Much of this article is discussing how millennials are part of a generation that generally looks to instant gratification. Naturally, because of this, many millennials tend to be impatient when it comes to issues like social change. Also, millennials are faced with a time period where there is more awareness of problems and collective need for change than there ever has been. This is where Environmental Studies comes in as something that is typically overlooked; a time and area for reflexivity and empathy for each other. As Sarah Ray states, “These skills are needed in order to avoid slipping into paralysis, for destabilizing existing power relations, and for creating the affective conditions for sustaining min and body in the face of crisis.” Naturally, through the Environmental Studies program, students will enter a downward spiral of despair and the feeling of being overwhelmed, but through dedicating class time, we are able to process “the affective trajectory that students will inevitably experience.” Sarah, if you’re reading this, PLEASE assign this reading during ENST 120. In my opinion, having a full understand of this before going through the process itself will encourage students to project themselves in class and ultimately create more empathy within the program.