The Affective Arc of Undergraduate Environmental Studies Curricula

As an Environmental Studies student at Humboldt State University I have struggled a lot with the concepts that we have been introduced to and still be able to have hope. Much of the material in these course is very hard to digest because it deals with the struggles of communities which are ignored or severely exploited. Apart from social justice issues we also deal with environmental issues. Which is a major concern for many citizens due to the increasing impacts of climate change and the degradation of the environment. A paper written by my very own professor and advisor, Sarah Jaquette Ray, titled The Affective Arc of Undergraduate Environmental Studies Curricula is able to encompass many of the struggles that I have outlined. A major question these class have made me think about is: What is considered action? We have had discussions in ENST classes about this concept and it is also presented in this essay. Ray 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”(12). This statement is able to show that it does not have to be something grandiose in order to be considered “action”. Although I am still not sure I’m convinced. I have always been the type person who likes to have evidence that one thing causes another. I do agree that small things can create a big impact I am still wondering what the extent of that impact is if those small actions are not intentionally working towards a larger goal. For example another idea that has been brought up in this class is the myth of the individual. This has put the pressure on individuals to take shorter showers, bike to work, recycle etc. This is a concept that we have deconstructed in class and have proven ignores the larger structures that have a greater impact than the individual. Therefore it is better to target corporations and incentives them to have more regulations or take away products that we see harmful. What I am starting to wonder is if these two concepts (small actions have large impacts and the myth of the individual) are comparable and if so what would that mean about the what is defined as action. In this moment I do believe that they are comparable because they both focus on the individual and not the larger structures. By telling people it's okay to just do small tangible acts they are being let off hook for not acting on things that they believe. It does not allow for empowerment through seeing one's potential and the ability to engage directly with change.

Training Transformative Leaders Through Critical Service-Learning

I am currently very excited to finally start working on my service learning project and reading the essay Training Transformative Leaders Through Critical Service-Learning by Dannielle Joy Davis is a great way to prepare myself.  In this essay critical service-learning is defined as “ combining traditional service-learning with elements of critical, justice-oriented frameworks, such as feminist and race theories”. This is what I hope to aim towards while working at the Wildlands Conservancy although I am scared of push back. I do know that my site supervisor wants to incorporate aspects of social justice into the conservancy but there is always a limit that is allowed.  But then again I still have to get to know here better.