SBU 102.S146: Living in the Anthropocene
General Information

Overview: The Anthropocene is that geological era during which humans have left a lasting imprint on the Earth. Since the discovery of agriculture, we humans have been running a largely uncontrolled experiment that involves the future of humanity and perhaps the future inhabitability of Earth. In this class we shall examine the results of this on-going experiment, and discuss possible consequences for the future of humanity. We will consider a number of upsets to our equilibrium, including overpopulation and resource depletion, climate change, energy generation and pollution, the perils of living on a restless planet, and near a star, and their consequences.

Your future is in the Anthropocene, and the future is now.

The major topics we will introduce are:

• Consequences of living on a planet.
• Consequences of living near a star.
• How to alter the planetary equilibrium.
  • The Greenhouse Effect.
  • Overpopulation.
  • Light Pollution.
• Lessons from history.

Prerequisites: Freshman standing, and an interest in your future.

Texts and Required Readings: Most course material will be available through this web site. The exceptions are:

• "Global Warming Primer" by Jeffrey Bennett. This book is available on-line at this site (you can also purchase a paper version if you wish to support a starving author.)
  This is required reading for the Greenhouse Effect section of the course.
• "The 23^rd Cycle: Learning to live with a stormy star" by Sten Odenwald. This is out of print, but is available on-line here.
  This is recommended reading for the Living Near a Star section.
• A useful book for background information on historical responses to crises is "Collapse : How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed", a popular Anthropology book by Jared Diamond. This is not required reading.

Some good texts for general and broad introductions to the issues related to the Anthropocene:

• Dianne Ackerman, The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2014)
• Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History (New York: Henry Holton and Company, 2014)
• Elizabeth Kolbert, Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change (New York and London: Bloomsbury, 2006)
• Stephen M. Meyer, The End of the Wild (Somerville, MA: Boston Review, 2006)
• Gaia Vince, Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey into the Heart of the Planet We Made (London: Chatto & Windus, 2014)
• Alan Weisman, The World Without Us (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)

Grading
This is a 1 credit class. You must and attend class and participate in the discussions to pass this course. The Grading Rubric follows:

• Attendance: 30% of your final grade. You are allowed ONE excused absence to allow for illness or another pressing matter. ALL other absences are unexcused. In case of prolonged illness or absence for a serious reason, please contact your instructor. Tardiness beyond 5 minutes is considered an absence unless prior arrangements are made with the instructor. The course follows the College policy for absences due to university sanctioned events.

  However, after your first absence, we will start deducting participation credits from your grade. You may offset this by writing a short (2-3 page) essay about the topic of the week, based on the weekly powerpoints supplemented by outside reading. Please include citations. Please e-mail the essay to your instructor prior to the next class.

• Participation: 40% of your final grade. This includes contributing orally to the class discussions.
• Final Paper: 30% of final grade. Detailed instructions have been posted here. Expectations for the paper will also be discussed in class. This paper will be due on or before the penultimate class meeting. No late papers will be accepted. Papers may be handed in early. Papers turned-in on paper will be returned with comments.

Learning Objectives:
A student who fully engages in SBU 102 "Living in the Anthropocene" will

• understand why the "Anthropocene" is considered a distinct geological epoch.
• understand the nature of the solar-terrestrial relation.
• understand and be able to assess the extant scientific data related to climate change.
• understand the nature of exponential growth, and the consequences thereof.
• understand the forces that cause civilizations to thrive or collapse.
• be able to discuss intelligently various issues that are facing humanity during your lifelime.

Contacting the Instructor:
Your instructor welcomes e-mail, but is innundated with spam. As many of you have e-mail addresses that are not instantly recognizable, especially if they originate from yahoo.com or hotmail.com, please make sure that the subject line of your e-mail contains either of the following phrases: SBU 102 or Anthropocene.

Boilerplate
A more detailed course description with University-mandated information is available here.

A direct link to the University-mandated information is at the Provost's web site.

Course Materials and Copyright Statement:
Course material accessed from Brightspace, SB Connect, SB Capture or a Stony Brook Course website is for the exclusive use of students who are currently enrolled in the course. Content from these systems cannot be reused or distributed without written permission of the instructor and/or the copyright holder. Duplication of materials protected by copyright, without permission of the copyright holder is a violation of the Federal copyright law, as well as a violation of Stony Brook's Academic Integrity.

Return to the SBU 102 main page