“In the end we will conserve only what we love;

we will love only what we understand;

and we will understand only what we have been taught.”

Baba Dioum - African ecologist

ESSP 349S

Interpreting Monterey Bay

Natural History for the Community

Fall 2007

Tentative Syllabus

Dr. Suzanne (Suzy) Worcester

Office: Bldg. 53, Room E212 (through E210)

Phone: 582-3840

E-mail: suzanne_worcester@csumb.edu

Office hrs: 12-1 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays, or by appointment

Class meets:

Tuesdays 10-11:50 Bldg. 53, Rm E140 —Reflection/Discussion Time

Thursdays (Bldg. 53, Room E140— unless otherwise discussed on field trip days.)

Course Management Systems

This course will utilize three online systems to facilitate your learning in this class. Online blogs and discussions will be facilitated through the campus’s iLearn system. iLearn can be found at http://ilearn.csumb.edu/. Your logon will be your Otter ID and your password will be your bithdate (mo/da/year, for example if your birthday was January 1, 1981 your password would be 01/01/1981). For your own privacy, I recommend you change your password to something you can remember, but isn’t so accessible to other people after you’ve logged on. (I was able to do this by clicking on my name in the upper right corner “You are logged on as ____”.) See details about my expectations for blogs and discussion forums below in the “Student Products” section. Secondly, electronic copies of readings will be available through the Eres site at the CSUMB library (see next section below). Finally, you’ll be able to download some handouts, turn in your final project assignments and view your grades on Blackboard (available at http://blackboard.csumb.edu/). Your log in and password are the same as for iLearn if you haven’t used Blackboard before. For the same reasons I would change your password in Blackboard as well, if you haven’t already. Eventually Blackboard content, assignments and gradebooks may migrate to iLearn if it will be easy for you to use. I will let you know if this happens.

Texts and other Readings:

Required: Ward, CW and AE Wilkinson (2006) Conducting meaningful interpretation: a field guide for success. Fulcrum Publishing: Golden, CO.

Required: There will also be many articles to read that I will either hand out or will be available on course reserve at the library (e-reserve or hard copy at the circulation desk). Each is listed by the author’s name in the syllabus. You can access e-reserve materials with the following password: IMBN (= the initials of the first four words in the course title). Here’s the link:

--http://eres.csumb.edu/eres/courseindex.aspx?&page=instr (and then click on the course number)

Recommended: Williams, Robin 2004. “The non-designers design book.” 2^nd edition. Peachpit Press: Berkeley, CA. (Abbreviated “W” in the schedule.) – in campus bookstore

Recommended: Ham, Sam (1992) “Environmental interpretation: a practical guide for people with big ideas and small budgets” North American Press: Golden, CO. (Available from the National Interpeter’s Association website. This is a classic interpreter’s reference.)

Recommended: Bonar, Scott 2007. “The conservation professional’s guide to working with people.” Island Press: Washington, DC. (Available in the campus bookstore.)

Recommended: Leftridge, Alan 2006. “Interpretive writing” National Association for Interpretation: Fort Collins, CO.

Course Description:

The purpose of “Interpreting Monterey Bay Natural History for the Community” is to introduce you to the field of natural and cultural history interpretation. Natural and cultural history interpreters are people who can clearly communicate scientific and other sources of information to the public at parks, aquaria, and other interesting sites. Through the process of visiting interpretive sites, reading, reflecting, and working with interpreters in the community you will gain a greater sense of how to interpret natural and cultural history to diverse audiences. Through readings and discussions you'll explore ways that each of us views the world through particular cultural "lenses" and how we need to broaden our cultural views to truly understand and interpret to our diverse society. We will also explore how the role of an interpreter varies in different countries based on local cultural practices. In addition you will be reflecting on your role as a future interpreter in creating a more culturally diverse and equitable society for all people and living creatures. As part of reflecting on the needs of diverse audiences, you will work closely with high school students at Seaside High to develop an interpretive product to go on display in the community. This course will provide excellent hands-on experience for students interested in becoming full time interpreters (i.e., park rangers, aquarium education specialists, outreach coordinators, etc.) or acquiring jobs that have an interpretive element (i.e., teachers, resource managers, etc.).

ULR, GLO, and ESSP/Biology MLO Fulfillment:

This course fulfills the Culture and Equity University Learning Requirement (ULR), and the Service Learning Graduation Learning Outcome(GLO). This course also fulfills ESSP Major Learning Outcome (MLO) 11 "Service Learning" and Biology Major Learning Outcome (MLO) 9 “Service in Biology”. It may also may partially fulfill ESSP MLO 7 “Area of Concentration”, particularly for ESSP students in the environmental education concentration. This course is particularly relevant for students interested in pursuing careers in formal and informal education as well as resource management. Discuss if/where this course fits within your ESSP, Biology, LS, or other learning plan with your major advisor.

Overall Course Learning Outcomes:

1) Demonstrate knowledge of interpretive principles.

2) Employ principles of interpretation to the development and delivery of an interpretive product or program for the community.

3) Critically reflect upon the past, current, and future role/s of interpretive programs and interpretive materials in promoting (or hindering) social equity and cultural compassion in the U.S. and in other countries.

4) Critically reflect upon the value of the mentoring relationship in regards to transferring scientific and environmental knowledge and values.

5) Assess the diverse interpretive needs of the potential audience and the need to utilize user group input in the production of interpretive materials.

6) Reflect on your own personal identity(ies), how you consider the identities of others, and how identity issues relate to interpretation.

8) Compare and contrast the interpretive programs, exhibits, and materials produced by local agencies as to their cultural attentiveness.

9) Critically reflect on the value of having potential user groups (i.e., high school students, people from various cultures, etc.) involved in the design and production of interpretive programs and products.

Specific Culture and Equity Outcomes

This course fulfills the Culture and Equity Graduation Learning Outcome. Below are the culture and equity specific learning outcomes and the assignments and assessments for each outcome. Please see expanded bibliography on the last page of the syllabus for a full citation of each reading.

Culture and Equity Outcome 1. Students define and describe the concept of culture using insights from scholarly literatures of culture and compare their own culture with other cultures using their conceptual understanding.

Assessment: Students read multiple view of what culture is from the following web site: http://www.wsu.edu:8001/vcwsu/commons/topics/culture/culture-index.html. Students journal on similarities and differences between at least five concepts of culture. In class discussion focuses on culture and the different cultural contexts that inform the concepts of culture from the readings. Students come define their own concept of culture in their journals and discuss these in class. Students also journal on cross-cultural communcation.

Culture and Equity Outcome 2. Students define and describe the concept of cultural identity(s) using insights from scholarly literatures and compare their own cultural identity(s), within the context of their own culture(s), with the cultural identities of others.

Assessment: Students present their “culture bags”: a collection of items that represent their own cultural identities and reflect in their journals and in class on their experience of deciding which cultural identities were included in their culture bags and why. Students will also view “God Grew Tired of Us: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan” and journal and have class discussion on the cultural identities of the Dinka people and the Dinka view of what the dominant US culture is. Third, students will critically read Takacs and reflect in their journals (online forum). Students will also reflect on the role of their own cultural influences on how they approach the field of interpretation (online forum). The Final Essay also assesses this outcome.

Culture and Equity Outcome 3. Students analyze and describe the concepts of power relations, equity, and social justice and find examples of each concept in the U.S. and in other countries, especially within the developing world.

Assessment: Three different sets of readings and journal/discussion activities are related to this outcome. One set is associated with education, asking whether the purpose of literacy is “to lift all boats” or whether it is actually for thought control (Shafer), as well as another article discussing equity issues associated with science education (Lynch, see online forum). Examples that illustrate the concepts presented in the Shafer article are illustrated in newspaper articles about educational reforms in the U.S. (Gillespie) and in Iraq (Asquith). These readings include journal entries, class discussions and a journal prompt. On another day, students read an article written by a CSUMB service learning student (Knapp) where he reflects on his experience as an interpreter for a Latino farmer trying to rent land from a European American landowner locally. The power relations and cultural contexts of the situation are discussed in class. Finally a third set of readings focuses specifically on interpretation and conservation in Latin America (Ham et al.), Nepal (Mishra) and multiple global locations (Cohen). Specifically these articles discuss the relationship of local peoples with the land in national parks in the developing world requires a different approach to conservation and interpretation than in the U.S. Students journal on these articles and discuss them in class.

Culture and Equity Outcome 4. Students analyze historical and contemporary cross-cultural scenarios of discrimination, inequity, and social injustice in the U.S. and in other countries, especially within the developing world.

Assessment: Students will critically examine different worldviews on national parks in the US and the role of national parks and wildland areas in maintaining inequities in the US by reading, journaling and discussing Meeker (see online forum), Brokaw, and Taylor. Students will also critically examine interpretation and environmental education in developing countries by reading Ham et al., and Ham & Castillo through in class discussion and journaling. Students will cross-culturally analyze the perspectives in Meeker, Taylor, and Ham et al. (see online forum).

Culture and Equity Outcome 5. Students define and describe various personal and institutional strategies/processes that could create equity and social justice in the U.S. and in other countries, especially within the developing world.

Assessment: Students critically reflect on one or more of the strategies in the developing world, the Ham et al. article (see online forum), and the U.S., the Lynch article and the Simcox article (see below). See also journal prompt 6 which requires a self examination of the role of power relations and equity in terms of social justice. Students describe their own role in increasing equity and social justice in the U.S. and in other countries in the Final Essay.

Accommodation for Students

I encourage students with disabilities to please see me as soon as possible during office hours or make an appointment by calling 582-3840 or e-mailing suzanne_worcester@csumb.edu. Please bring your Course Accommodation Form from the CSUMB office for Student Disability Resources (SDR) in Bldg. 47. You can contact SDR through the following channels: Student_Disability_Resources@csumb.edu

Building 47, Student Services, First Floor

Phone: 831/582-3672 voice, or 582-4024 fax/TTY

http://sdr.csumb.edu/

Add/Drop/Withdrawal Deadlines

Students will be able to add or drop this course until September 10th. However after that time, students may only withdraw from the course, with permission of the Dean, for medical reasons (with a doctor’s letter) or other substantive reasons. All students in this course will receive in a letter grade in this course unless they have petitioned for credit/no credit before the add/drop deadline. A letter grade is required for this course to fulfill the service learning requirement in the ESSP and Biology majors.

Organization of Course

On Thursdays we will begin the course by visiting various parks and aquaria where you will meet interpreters who will be teaching you their craft. Later in the semester we will be visiting Seaside High every Thursday morning to work on your final projects and build team working skills with your high school students. Before and after each visit to Seaside High we will prep for the next visit and discuss what happened. We will also discuss any assigned readings for the day before our trip to Seaside High. Come to class prepared with any readings assigned as well as activities/projects while at Seaside High. Be prepared to journal in class or online about all of your interactions you’re your Seaside High team.

On Tuesdays we will usually be discussing assigned readings, interspersed with short lectures on interpretive/communication techniques. We will often do small group activities. It is essential that everyone comes prepared with the readings of the day.

Service Learning Requirements/Placement Information

This course has a unique service learning component. Your primary service will be with high school students at Seaside High School. However you will also have a community partner with an environmental education/resource management person in the community (such as RON, State Parks, UCSC Nature Reserve, BLM, etc.). In terms of requirements for the Service Learning Institute (SLI) on campus, please use Seaside High School as your primary placement. Your “site supervisor” at Seaside High is Julie Haws, jhaws@mpusd.k12.ca.us, 899-7028 ext. 194 (this is a direct line to her classroom so please use e-mail as your primary contact during school hours).

As part of your service learning requirement, you will need to fill out a service learning placement on Planner. In addition, you will be required to fill out a Service Learning Placement form that will be signed by you, me and Julie Haws. On that placement form, please include as part of your service placement duties you will be meeting with your community partner with a local resource agency. I will provide you with information about all of these sites and what you will be doing at these sites. We will discuss this when we prepare for the Community Partner Fair and your first meeting with your Seaside High students.

Also, any person working/volunteering in classrooms at Monterey Peninsula Unified School District has to have a TB test to show he/she does not have tuberculosis (which is on the rise). If you have had a TB test in the last two years for another service learning placement or some other reason, you will not have to get another TB test. These tests are paid for by the SLI and are administered through the Campus Health Center (CHC). I will collect a list of students who need to get their TB test done and submit it to the SLI. SLI will forward the list to the CHC. Once the CHC has the list (about the third week of the semester), you should call the CHC to make an appointment (582-3965). Follow the instructions at the CHC carefully, you will have to return to check for disease after your initial test in a specified period of time. The SLI will only pay for one test for your service this semester (so don’t forget to go back). Your TB test will need to be completed at the very latest by Oct. 23 (before we meet the high school students).

Health and Safety Information

As part of this class we will be visiting various parks as a group and you will also be visiting Seaside High and your Community Partner as part of creating your Interpretive Product. There are safety issues associated with going to places off campus. Below I have listed some of the key health and safety concerns for the trips we will be taking in this course. I will alert you to any site specific issues before each trip if appropriate. In addition, information about health and safety issues at each site is available on the Service Learning web site (go to http://pyro.csumb.edu/slpublic/site_list.jsp and scroll down to find your community partner). In addition you can find several lists of important safety guidelines and helpful tips at the Service Learning Institute’s Guide for Students (http://service.csumb.edu/site/x4079.xml). We will be discussing the “Guiding Principles to Reduce Risks for Service Learners” and the “Sexual Harassment” guidelines. You can find these documents and others at this Guide for Students website (above). Here are some general safety tips for field trips we will take this semester:

General safety information:

• Field trips may include going on trails or even off trails in order to learn interpretive techniques or to prepare your interpretive product.
• You should always wear appropriate footwear (closed toed shoes or boots) when going on field trips.
• These locations can have uneven terrain and you should be careful with your footing. If this will be a problem, please contact the instructor during the first week of class so that we can figure out how to accommodate any physical issues you may have.
• You should always bring layers of clothes for either warm or cold conditions (because the fog and/or wind can come in during the visit).
• You should bring snacks and water as we will be out for 3 hours at a time. (On your trips to visit community partners you may be out for longer than this, so please come prepared.)
• Whenever you are out at a park or natural area, familiarize yourself with local natural hazards such as poison oak, ticks, rattle snakes, and mountain lions. If you are not familiar with how to recognize and/or respond to these organisms please come talk with me. I will give you a brief introduction in class.
• In the event that there is an emergency at Seaside High while we are there, we will be put into Seaside High’s lockdown procedures. In the extremely unlikely event that this occurs (it has never happened before), we will be required to stay at the school site in the classroom until the school is considered to be safe by the principal or other school administrator.
• In order to ensure your safety on field trips, I will be collecting your cell phones on your SEP departmental liability forms. I will only use your cell phone numbers: (1) during a field trip, and (2) when it is needed for your safety or the safety of your high school students. I will not contact you for other class-related issues via your cell phone unless you specifically ask me to do so.

Graded Student Products:

Journals/Blogs and Online Forums (F) 25%

Participation (in class & in community) 20%

Interpretive Product for Community Partner 25%

Engaging Presentation 10%

Exam and Final Essay 20%

Standards for Grading:

This course will be graded on a straight scale. This means that everyone could get A’s (in theory). In practice, there will most likely be a mixture of grades for the course. To get a C in this course you will need to meet minimum expectations in all of the categories listed under “Graded Student Products”. Plan to be an active participant in this class as participation is a major part of the course assessment. Students who exceed the minimum expectations in all categories will get A’s. B’s will be given to students who are somewhere in between. Students who do not complete one or more of the graded student products will not pass the course. In addition students who fail to present their work with their Seaside High students at the final presentations at Seaside High will fail the course. Please speak with me early in the semester if this may be a problem for you. See details on how to complete each of the graded student products at the end of this syllabus.

Plan to complete this course before the end of the semester. Incompletes will only be given for emergencies.

Student Products in Detail:

Journals/Blogs and Online Forums

I’d like you to reflect on the readings, discussions and activities we do in class, as well as your interactions with your Seaside High team. I have two ways for you to do this: (1) by maintaining an e-journal in MS Word or by maintaining a blog in iLearn; and (2) by contributing to online discussions with your peers in this class using Forums in iLearn.

Between the journals/blogs and online forums, I’d like you to write about all of the readings and discussions that have to do with culture, equity and service learning topics. (The specific readings on interpretive techniques, such as ones in the Widener and Wilkinson text, will be assessed through your project and through exams.) These journals/blogs are your chance to share new insights, feelings, concerns that are brought up in the readings or by classmates in class discussions. You may strongly disagree with the viewpoints of one or more of the authors, and your journal/blog provides one avenue to discuss your viewpoint.

The online forums are labeled specifically with an F (i.e. F1, F2, etc.). Please go to the iLearn forum with that number when it is listed in the syllabus and get involved in the online discussion of that topic. There will be a series of questions to discuss. Feel free to bring in your own thoughts and questions related to those topics to stimulate discussion with your peers. I would like everyone to both post their own discussion threads and to follow up on other people’s threads. For some forums you may have a lot of discussion, for others you may only have a little. That is fine as long as there are some of each through out the semester. If there is a topic we cover in class you feel should be a forum for wider discussion online, then you can post your own forum questions/topics as well. The first forum on iLearn is an open discussion forum to allow one venue for such discussions.

How much do you need to write? The blog/journals and forums are two different avenues to provide discussions. If you contribute many topics and ideas to the forums, you can write less in your private journal/blog. If on the other hand, the online discussion group doesn’t work as well for you, then I’d like to see longer/more journal entries. In addition your in class discussions may also balance your writing as well. Some people are very verbal in class and air their ideas best in person. Others prefer the journaling route. Although you all need to do some of all three (journals/blogs, online forums, and in class discussions), you can bias the volume of your responses to your preferred learning style.

One aspect that I especially want to see through these venues is discussions about your interactions with Seaside High students. The mentoring experience can be challenging and rewarding. In addition, I assume you’ll be learning from each of your students as well as teaching them. I’d like to hear about what you are learning as the semester progresses. I will post an online forum specifically about working with your Seaside High students so you can share and get ideas from your peers about this experience.

What will you be graded on? You’ll be graded on both the depth of your reflections/insights and the volume of entries. You need to do both of these to get an A on your journals/blogs and your online forums. I’ll be looking for you to integrate more and more of the content we’ve covered in this class as the semester progresses. I try to bring in many different facets to interpretation and communication with other people in this class, I’d like to see you weave those together in ways that have meaning for you. I also like to see you reflect on the questions/ideas I post for you after individual entries. There are no right or wrong journal entries, however I’d like everyone to be open to expanding their views and experiences in this class and at least trying to understand other people’s perspectives. Each time I collect your journals I will write a note to you about how you are doing on your journal with a rough letter grade, and indications of what you need to do to improve that grade (if needed).

Journal Tips:

· The journals are meant to be an opportunity to freely express your ideas, therefore you will not be graded on the quality of your English. However please try to write clearly enough so that I can understand your entries.

· If you keep a journal in Word, please submit it to me on each of the journal due dates. If you keep a blog, I will read it after the same journal due dates (these will be dates to make sure you are up to date).

· If you are a pen and paper kind of person and just can’t “think” while typing, then you can use a hard copy journal. You can use any journal type you want. I recommend you reuse an old journal or spiral bound notebook and jus flag where I should start reading. I would prefer to have all e-journals to save trees (and because it is easier to read typing than hand print). Please leave some space for my comments if you handwrite your journal.

· Make sure you title each journal/blog entry with the date and the author or topic so I can easily figure out what the entry is about.

Interpretive Product for Community Partner

A key aspect of this course will be creating an interpretive product with your community partner (which will typically be a sign or panel to be displayed in public). At the Community Partner Fair, each of you will be picking a particular interpretive project you will complete this semester. These projects will be completed in collaboration with your community partner, with two CSUMB students working together with ~4-8 Seaside High School students.

Working with the Seaside High students will be a key aspect of this course. I envision you working closely with these students to develop your interpretive product and we have created a lot of class time to allow this to happen (see “team meetings” on the schedule). I want you to reflect on the diverse perspective these students bring to interpretation as well as the cultural identities of these students relative to your own. Reflect on the ways these students' approach to interpretation (and life) differs from your own in your journal. We also expect the final product to reflect the diversity in cultures that developed the product. In many ways you will be a mentor for these students (many who have never been to a college and/or don't have family members who went to college). We also want you to use the Seaside High students for feedback on your designs. Teenagers are a tough audience and you will be getting insider feedback whether they would find your interpretive approach engaging and motivating.

In order to facilitate completion of these projects, I expect each CSUMB team to work out a reasonable time line with dates and products to be completed at each meeting to keep all team members on track. These should include what each CSUMB student should complete each week as well as what each Seaside High student should complete. I would like you to keep a record of who is keeping up their commitments and who is not. Ms. Haws, the Seaside High students teacher, will use these records to both help encourage students who fall behind and to give them grades on the project at the end. I have put dates that I would like to see these records as the semester goes on as well. I can help you focus your attentions and what to do next. Although I am emphasizing product here, I do not want you to forget the process of learning. Many of the Seaside High students will be learning a lot through the process of completing these projects as a team member. You may want to include opportunities for your high school students to reflect on what they are learning, how this experience can improve, etc. during the semester. They will have a chance to do this at the end of the semester as well. These timelines should also include the responsibilities of each person.

How might you establish this structure on your team? For instance, I suggest that you give SHS students specific pieces of information to research and also specific lines of text to write that will go on the sign or panel (at least theoretically). Or you can give assign them pictures to take and bring back digitally, or new concepts to learn and share with the team. At each team meeting at Seaside High, review their accomplishments to date and give them their next deadline at the end of the meeting. I suggest that you cc their teacher, Julie Haws (“Miss Haws” in class, jhaws@mpusd.k12.ca.us ), each time you send a deadline to the students by e-mail. This will allow their teacher to keep track of what is expected of her students. In general, CSUMB students should be responsible for the technical/computer aspects of the project because you likely have greater access to computers than most of the SHS students. However, this is not always the case. As you get to know your team members you will be able to better decide what level of responsibility each member will be able to handle. Ultimately CSUMB students will be responsible for making sure the projects are completed on time. However, the Seaside High students will be getting credit (or no credit) for their involvement as well (so there is some teeth into helping them to be responsible).

I will be providing some in class time for you to work on your projects (see "team meetings" and “project day” on the schedule), however; much of the work on your projects will need to be done outside of class time. Typically a commitment of at least three hours per week outside of the classroom will be expected to be able to complete your projects (usually more time than that after Thanksgiving). Given that you are not allowed to drive a Seaside High student anywhere (without parental approval), we don't expect you to be meeting your Seaside High students outside of the scheduled times we've provided.

Finally your interpretive product will be assessed for reflecting interpretive principles and effectively meeting the needs of diverse audiences. You will be asked to self-critique your projects as to whether they are culturally attentive and further enhance social justice and equity in U.S. society.

To help you complete all of these goals, there are three draft deadlines on the syllabus. The first is for creating a hand or computer drawn mock up of what the final product may look like to get feedback from the high school students and me. I expect you to revise this draft with input from the SHS students over the next couple of weeks. The second deadline is a draft printing date when you will need to print out your entire poster for feedback from Seaside High students, me, and your community partner. (For students with web sites or other on-line materials please send me and your community partner a URL for your web site by this deadline.) Since this is a draft, you are welcome to print out your entire poster as a series of 8.5X11" pieces on your home printer that are then taped together (if you have a large final product). The key thing is that a complete draft needs to be done by that date. After that time you'll then have one week to revise the layout, edit text, and do a thorough proofread based on feedback before the final printing is due. The Tuesday before the final presentations at Seaside High a final, presentation-ready print out is due. If necessary a few more changes may be made before you give the final project to your community partner one week later during the Tuesday of finals week. For that final due date, you will turn in an electronic copy on a CD to your community partner and to me via Blackboard (or a CD). Make sure your digital copies have all associated files (for instance, the inserted pictures on an Adobe Illustrator file). We will talk about options of how to print your final poster during the semester.

Your final project will be graded on several criteria that include: (1) overall quality of the final product(s), (2) the effort you provide as part of your CSUMB team, and (3) your communication with your Seaside High students and community partner. For the first criterion, I am looking for really putting together a nice product. I recognize that most of you are not graphic artists and thus I don’t expect the level of complexity and art that a student in TMAC would produce. However I still expect you to do a nice, quality job on your finished project. I will show you some examples of past projects in class. For the second criterion I expect you to do your fair share on this team project. To help me gage each team member’s contribution at the end of the semester, I will have each CSUMB student evaluate themselves and their CSUMB team member as to who did which parts and whether they felt it was equal. I will use this information to help determine your project grade. It is possible for two team members to get different grades on the same project. Finally, I expect each person to work with the community partner and their Seaside High students in good faith. It is possible for teams to divvy up responsibilities such that one person maintains communications while another is doing much of the behind the scenes computer work. That is ok as long as there is an equitable agreement between you and your team member.

Participation

This is a course where your active participation throughout the semester will be critical. For this reason, 20% of your grade will be based on participation. Your participation grade will be calculated from two major components: (1) coming to class prepared (i.e. readings, culture bags, etc.), (2) being engaged and involved in class activities and discussions (including reflections, field trips, and visits to Seaside High). In terms of class activities and discussions, we will be discussing many challenging and difficult issues surrounding culture and equity in the U.S. and elsewhere. All students are expected to participate and their participation grade will reflect their active involvement in such discussions. I recognize some people are more extroverted than others; however I still expect people who are more reserved to contribute at times. Secondly I expect everyone to come on nearly every field trip and visits to Seaside High. The teams work much better when both CSUMB students are involved in the day-to-day work with the high school students. I recognize each person may be sick at some time during the semester, but regular absences will negatively affect your project and your ability to participate fully in this class.

Engaging Presentations

Each of you will be creating a presentation on a natural or cultural history topic of your choice (note that each person needs to choose a different theme if they have similar topics). Using the knowledge you’ve learned about how to develop themes and give presentations, I will be expecting you to create a presentation that engages your audience about the theme you’ve chosen. You’ll be giving your presentations to fellow CSUMB students and possibly other faculty and staff. You will be graded on both your ability to give an engaging presentation based on the principles you've learned and your ability to find accurate information about your topic. Everyone in the audience will provide feedback to help you improve future presentations. In addition your presentation should meet the needs of your diverse audience and be as pluralistic as possible.

When creating your engaging presentation, consider the tools from your text, that Jim Covel will teach you about themes and making interpretation meaningful to your audience, that Jane Silberstein will teach you about motivating your audience, and Ranger Chuck will teach you about useful tips and tricks. You will have a lot of idea of how to make your presentation engaging and understandable by that time. I expect you to have learned from the many sources in this class.

I will also be assessing the progress you've made on learning how to give presentations throughout the semester. Your classmates and myself will give you feedback on your engaging presentation that we expect you to incorporate into your final presentation. Evidence of improvement will be assessed in your final presentation at Seaside High.

Exam

There will be a midterm exam that focuses on your understanding of interpretive principles based on your text, the interpreters who talk with us on field trips and in class, and handouts related to learning styles and interpretation.

Final Essay

For your final “exam” you will write an essay where you will need to integrate your knowledge of interpretive principles with what you’ve learned about culture, cultural identities, power relations, and equity in the U.S. and in other countries. You’ll need to specifically integrate how these relate to the role of interpreters in the world in the future, and yourself as a citizen of the world. You'll be expected to integrate your learning from readings, experiences with Seaside High students, discussions with fellow class members, and reflections in your journals into this final essay. You will need to cite your sources and can have access to all of your readings for the class and your journal to write this essay.

Late Policies:

Late formal assignments will not be accepted (i.e., presentations, community partner products, exams, etc.). If you have a scheduling conflict, contact me well in advance of the due date (e.g., weeks, if possible) to see how we can accommodate your needs. Presentations will be nearly impossible to reschedule because they have been orchestrated in advance to fit in with Seaside High classes.

On dates that journals are due, please e-mail them to me (unless they are a blog).

Your regular and prompt attendance will be factored into your participation grade. On field trip days we will leave promptly when the class begins, if you are not on time you will be left behind.

What You Can Expect From Me:

You can expect me to be prepared, to have organized meaningful experiences and opportunities for you to learn, and to be committed to helping you learn this semester.

I try to be fair and impartial in my grading. I like to give each person the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to improve. You can expect me to return your work within one week. I will contact you using e-mail and/or in class time to let you know of any changes to the schedule.

I am happy to meet with you and talk about any of your concerns about the class. I have my posted office hours but I am also available at other times. Please contact me by e-mail or after class and we can set up a time. Also I usually reply to e-mail within 24 hours, but I am not on e-mail 24/7 (so are unlikely to get an immediate reply). If you feel uncomfortable giving me feedback directly, feel free to type or write an unsigned letter or note and put it in my mailbox on the 3^rd floor or in the box outside my door for ESSP 349S. (Note I don’t check my mailbox on the 3^rd floor more than a couple of times per week, but I check the box outside my door everyday.)

Your Privacy

In this course we will be exploring many ideas, some of which may challenge each of our own worldviews. For this reason some of the content may be personal and thus confidential. I promise not to breach that confidentiality outside of the classroom. In addition, I would like everyone in the class to adhere to the same promise and be respectful of each other by not sharing any one else's personal stories or views outside of the classroom.

In Class Discussion Ground Rules

We will be discussing many topics that may be controversial or difficult for people in the class. In order for these conversations to be productive and for everyone to be able to contribute and be heard, I’d like to establish ground rules for discussions. These ground rules help our discussions to be honest and open. During the first week we can discuss these ground rules, add more rules if needed, and delete ground rules if they do not work for the entire group. After we decide on ground rules, these will be our compact to each other for the rest of the semester. Here is an example of ground rules I suggest we start with:

• Use “I” Statements
• Criticize ideas, not the person
• Confidentiality (see ‘Your Privacy’ above)
• One person speaks at a time
• Agree to disagree
• Accept other’s may have thoughts and feelings
• There is an option to pass during discussions
• Take responsibility for your own learning
• Practice active listening (focus on hearing what each person says rather than creating your response to their comment)

Online Forum/Netiquette Ground Rules

Please follow these rules to help make these online forum discussions productive and respectful to all class members. I adapted these rules from Dr. Dan Shapiro, at CSUMB, and Dr. Susan Shaw, at Oregon State University.

• Participate actively in the discussions, having completed the readings and thought about the issues.
• Make a personal commitment to learning about, understanding, and supporting your peers.
• Assume the best of others in the class and expect the best from them.
• Respect and acknowledge that each of us have had different life experiences related to sexism, racism, ethnocentrism, classism, heterosexism, ageism, and ableism. Those life experiences inform our views and thus expect that our views will differ from each other.
• Recognize and value the experiences, abilities, and knowledge each person brings to class. These varied life experiences bring diversity to the class that adds value.
• Pay close attention to what your classmates write in their online comments. Ask clarifying questions, when appropriate. These questions are meant to probe and shed new light, not to minimize or devalue comments.
• Think through and re-read your comments before you post them.
• Never make derogatory comments toward another person in the class.
• Do not make sexist, racist, homophobic, or victim-blaming comments at all. (Think about the effect your comments may have on others in the class before you post them. That doesn’t mean to censor your ideas, but it does mean to be respectful and use language that opens people up rather than closes them down.)
• Disagree with ideas, but do not make personal attacks.
• Be open to be challenged or confronted on your ideas or prejudices.
• Challenge others with the intent of facilitating growth. Do not demean or embarrass others.
• Encourage others to develop and share their ideas.
• Be willing to change.

Reading Assignments

Required Readings in G. Machlis and D. Field (1992) “On Interpretation: sociology for interpreters of natural and cultural history” revised ed. Oregon State University Press: Corvallis,OR – Available on Course Reserve

Grahamann et al. "Intepretation and Hispanic American ethnicity" pp. 161-177

Nyberg, Joseph “Some radical comments on interpretation: a little heresy is good for the soul” pp. 206-212

Meeker, Joseph "Red, white and black in the National Parks" pp. 195-205.

Required Readings from International Interpretation Conferences – Available on Course Reserve

Austin, Paul and Douglas Heffington, and the Trail of Tears Association "Trail of Tears National Historical Trail: historical and interpretive overview" (1991)

Bloomer, Ray, Don Fox and Christina Thorpe “Accessibility, awareness, sensitivity, and interpretation” and “Can you see what I’ve written?” (2003) pp. 69-71.

Brokaw, Megan “Interpretation for the real America” (2003) pp. 72-3.

Dillon, Constantine "Interpretation and inclusion" (1995)

Ditmanson, Dennis, Barbara Sutteer, Gerard Baker and Kim Sikoryak "Challenge and change at Little Bighorn" (1991)

English, Kelli “Why aren’t they coming – and how do we get them here?” (2003) pp. 75-7.

Hilton, Sunita “Approaching and utilizing culture in interpretive research and practice” (2003) pp. 77-8

Larsen, David (2003) “The interpretive process model: making the theoretical practical.” (2003)

Simcox, David "The emerging role of interpretation in creating intercultural effectiveness" (1992)

White, Robin "Planting seeds in a concrete jungle" (1991) pp. 363-6.

Required Readings from Other Sources – Mostly available on Eres

Asquith “Turning the page on Iraq’s history” and Gillespe “A battle over books in Texas” both in the Christian Science Monitor Nov. 4, 2003.

Cohen, Jeffrey (1988) Culture and Conservation. BioScience 38(7):450-453.

Cohen, Mark (1998) Culture, Not Race, Explains Human Diversity. Chronicle of Higher Education. April 17, 1998

Corson, Trevor “The hues of affirmative action.” Christian Science Monitor. Op-ed piece. June 25, 2003.

Ham et al. 2003. Applying environmental interpretation in protected areas of developing countries: problems with exporting the US model. Environmental Conservation 20(3):232-42.

Ham, S. & Weiler, B. (2003). Interpretation is persuasive when themes are compelling. Interpret Scotland Issue 8 (Autumn 2003): p. 3. Available on-line at: http://www.interpretscotland.org.uk/

Ham, Sam and Lizeth Castillo (1990) “Elementary schools in rural Honduras: problems in exporting environmental education models from the United States.” J. Enviro. Ed. 21(4):27-33.

Howard, Gary "Whites in multicultural education: rethinking our role" (1993) (From the service learning library)

Knapp, Zachary “Terreno” (2000) Reflections on community-based writing instruction. 1(1):26-28.

Lynch, Sharon “Science, literacy, social justice and equity: listening to our better angels”(2000) In: Equity and science education reform by S. J. Lynch. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers: NJ.

Mishra, Hemanta (1984) “A delicate balance: tigers, rhinoceros, tourists and park management vs. the needs of the local people in Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal” National Parks, Conservation, and Development. IUCN Press.

Shafer, Gregory “What’s literacy got to do with it?” (2002) The Humanist. 62(5):22-26.

Sachatello-Sawyer, Bonnie & Shamu Fenyvesi “Reaching out with respect: Environmental education with underserved communities” (2004) Clearing. 115 (Winter): 1-4.

Takacs, David (2002) Positionality, epistemology, and social justice in the classroom.” Social Justice. 29(4): 168-181.

Taylor, Dorceta (2000) “Meeting the challenge of wild land recreation management: demographic shifts. . . “ Journal of Leisure Research 32(1): 171-179.

Traub, James (2000) “What no school can do.” New York Times Magazine. Jan. 16, 2000.

Wallace, Linda “A new measure of character” Christian Science Monitor. Op-ed piece. November 6, 2002.

Wallace, Linda “Diversity’s best leaders take their own affirmative actions.” Christian Science Monitor. Op-ed piece. December 25-36, 2002.

ESSP 349S Tentative Schedule of Classes (This schedule may need to be modified to accommodate community partner schedules, especially the weekend field trips are approximate. I may also add or change readings. I’ll give you a week’s notice for such changes. See definitions of abbreviations below.)

(J) = write a reflection on this piece in your journal Bold = Field trip day and location

JP# = write about journal prompt # X, see below SHS = Seaside High School

Italics = something is due or this date should go in your calendar CP = community partners

W &W = Ward & Wilkinson text B = Bonar text

Eres = available on E-reserve CR = available hard copy at the library reserve desk**

*The assigned readings are to be read by the day they are posted on the schedule

Date	Tuesday (Reflection)	Date	Thursday (Activity)
Aug 28	Overview of Course Experiences in nature What is interpretation? How does culture, equity and service relate to environmental interpretation?	Aug 30	Interpretation Fun/Icebreakers, How do we and others look at the world? Assign Culture Bags-due Sept 13 Read Dillon in class Turn in completed SEP van forms W&W: Chapter 1 Do F1 “What is Culture?” assignment on iLearn forum before Sept. 13
Sept 4	Diverse audiences – the role of community parks Discuss Grahman et al. (CR), White (CR), & English (handout) Discuss in class videos & website about Salinas Parks	Sept 6	Natividad Creek Park – with Laura Lee Lienk, The Watershed Institute
Sept 11	Jim Covel – Manager of Interpretation, Monterey Bay Aquarium “The Essentials of Interpretation” W & W: ch. 3-5 Larsen (CR, 2003, pp. 82-3) Discuss the basics of developing an interpretive program	Sept 13	Sharing of Culture Bags Discuss cultural perspectives from “What is Culture?” on-line exercise View “God Grew Tired of us” Hilton (CR, 2003 pp. 77-8) Cohen (Chronicle of Higher Ed) After this class period do, F2 “Reflect on cultural identities”
Sept 18	Visitors with disabilities Bloomer et al. (CR, 2003 pp. 69-71) Other Handouts (J) W&W: ch. 11 Activity: discussing science with the media	Sept 20	Monterey Bay Aquarium –Jane Silberstein – Director of Guide Program Interpreting for visitors with disabilities. Interpreting to motivate visitors to action. After this class do F3: your experience of being disabled *Turn in journals*
Sept 25	Motivating and Persuading People Clayton and Brook (Eres) Bonar (ch. 4) Ham & Weiler (on Blackboard>Course Materials)	Sept 27	Pt. Lobos – Ranger Chuck Bancroft, Giving guided walks Before trip: read W& W: ch. 7, and research kelp forest, cypress forest, pine forest and coastal scrub communities
Oct 2	Giving Talks; W&W ch. 6 (& review ch. 5); Read “Scientifically Speaking” on Blbd> Course Materials; Discuss Engaging Presentations	Oct 4	Community Partner Fair Community partners present projects, CSUMB students choose projects in pairs - After fair: Designing Exhibits Reading: TBD Nyberg (CR in Machlis & Field text)
Oct 9	Interpreting to School Groups & What is the purpose of education in the US? Traub (Eres) Shafer and the Asquith & Gillespie pieces (Eres) Lynch (CR) Do F4 on equity in education Engaging Presentation theme due	Oct 11	Elkhorn Slough Interpreting to School groups & Exhibit Design (Seaside High’s fall break) W & W, ch. 9
Oct 16	Discuss viewing interpretation through different lenses Meeker (CR) Taylor (Eres) Brokaw (CR, 2003, pp.72-3) Do F5	Oct 18	Engaging Presentations (Seaside High’s fall break) Issues in First Nations interpretation Austin & Douglas (CR) Ditmanseon et al. (CR)

Oct 23	Intro to Service Learning at SHS: Why are we there? What is our role? Sachatello-Sawyer & Fenyvesi(Eres) Takacs (Eres) Do F6 Stereotypes activity What are our identities activity	Oct 25	Seaside High (SHS) Icebreaker? CSUMB students present projects to SHS students, SHS students choose which projects to work on; CSUMB students get lists of names of team members Reflection activities when we return *Turn in journals* at end of class
Oct 30	Pat Clark-Gray – State Parks Interpretive Specialist Designing your projects Media tools workshop; Learning how to use Illustrator or InDesign to complete your projects	Nov 1	SHS: Icebreaker to get to know students in your group; CSUMB students learn what the talents and aspirations are for the projects; assess which science concepts need to be taught by CSUMB students; Ask students to create questions for field trip- will collect on field trip Reflection activities when we return Simcox (CR)
		Nov 3/4	Proposed weekend field trip for project teams to go to field sites (tentative)
Nov 6	Exam on interpretive principles Williams: ch. 1-6 (Design Principles); Bring completed Service Learning Agreement to class	Nov 8	Team meeting @ SHS CSUMB students teach science concepts related to their projects to high school students, CSUMB students give assignments to SHS students.
Nov 13	Power and privilege in interpretation Step Forward-Step Back Exercise Howard (Eres) Mishra (Eres) Ham et al. (Eres) Do F7 - thought question on equity & justice	Nov 15	Team Meeting @ SHS CSUMB students bring initial project layout for discussion; Evaluate assignment completion. Give new assignments to your team members. Reflection activities.
Nov 20	Fall Break for CSUMB	Nov 22	Fall Break for CSUMB
Nov 27	Class and historical cultural barriers in interpretation Knapp (Eres) Lubrano (Eres) Review Ham et al. Do F8	Nov 29	Team Meeting @SHS Revise project, evaluate assignments, give new assignments as needed Reflection activities. *Turn in journals*

Dec 4

Learning Styles & Enviro. Ed. outside of US KCB: ch. 7