Santa Barbara, Thomas Fire

ENGLISH 24

(A.K.A. CLIMATE CRISIS 101)

The Climate Crisis, Part II

Local and Global Perspectives

---

Syllabus

(Jump to Weekly Schedule, Assignments, Assessments, FAQs)

Is this the official website for English 24? 

No, this is an archived site intended to benefit the public. If you are a UCSB student currently enrolled in English 24, please note that this IS NOT the official UCSB website for Eng 24. Instead, please use the Canvas website for the course. 

I just stumbled on this page. What’s this all about?

This website contains a university course on the climate crisis. It is a complete course and completely open to the public. Although the only way to receive university credit is to take the course at UCSB, all of the course material is available, free of cost, from this page.

Is this website for students or teachers?

It is for both!

If you want to learn about the climate crisis, or learn more about it, this website is for you. It doesn’t matter if you are currently enrolled as a student (at UCSB or elsewhere) or just someone who wants to learn more about the issue.

If you teach high school or university students (or anyone, for that matter) about the climate crisis, this website is for you, as it offers an example of how one instructor took up the challenge of teaching this important issue. Feel free to borrow from my approach.

Course overview

Eng 24 introduces students to a variety of perspectives on the climate crisis. In order to do so, nearly twenty scholars and activists will speak to the class about their work on the crisis.

Hence, Eng 24 is an unusual class. Unlike a conventional lecture, where a single instructor speaks to the class, students in Eng 24 will be learning from a range of exceptionally knowledgeable individuals, with the professor for the course (Ken Hiltner) facilitating the conversation.

During the two weekly lecture periods, Ken will ask these scholars and activists (who will be joining us remotely, as many are in different parts of the world) about their work. Hence, Eng 24 classes will be more discussion than lecture. Students will be able to take part in the discussion by asking questions to the speakers.

Speakers for 2023

Eng 24 has a significant personal component. Indeed, if you really want to jump in and do something about the climate crisis but are not quite sure where to start, Eng 24 is designed to offer the examples of people who are making a difference in a variety of interesting ways.

In addition to the lectures, there will also be weekly readings and documentaries.

Lecturer

The course lecturer is Professor Ken Hiltner, who wrote and recorded all this material. Whenever something is written in the first person (i.e. “I believe that…”), it is Ken’s voice that you are hearing. In addition to the University of California, Santa Barbara, Ken has taught at Harvard, where he received his Ph.D., and at Princeton, where he served for a year as the Currie C. and Thomas A. Barron Visiting Professor in the Environment and Humanities at Princeton University’s Environmental Institute (PEI). Ken was the founding Director of both UCSB’s Literature and the Environment Center and the Environmental Humanities Initiative. Currently, he is the faculty Co-chair of the Chancellor’s Sustainability Committee, Chair of UCSB’s Sustainable Transportation Committee, and Director of the T. A. Barron Environmental Leadership Program.

He/His/Him; always “Ken,” never “Professor Hiltner.”

Course approach

In one sense, the climate crisis is being caused by a rise in atmospheric CO2 and other so-called greenhouse gases. Science can address this cause.

However, approached in another way altogether, this crisis is being caused by a range of troubling human activities that require the release of these gases, such as our obsessions in wealthy countries with endless consumer goods, cars, certain food, lavish houses, fast fashion, air travel, and a broad range of additional lifestyle choices. The natural sciences may be able to tell us how these activities are changing our climate, but not why we are engaging in them. That’s a job for the environmental humanities and social sciences.

In this course, we will see anthropogenic (i.e. human-caused) climate change for what it is and address it as such: a human problem brought about by human actions. Thus, we will be taking a long hard look – from the perspective of the environmental humanities – at these actions and how they are culturally constructed. In other words, we will be exploring why we do what we do, even when these actions are disastrous for our planet and our species (along with most other species on the planet).

While this largely academic question is interesting in its own right, the course is also meant to be deeply personal insofar as we will each be looking at our own actions and how they impact the planet and climate – as well as our own happiness and well-being, which have been in decline for many decades now as the result of these actions. Moreover, we will not just be considering our individual actions, but also forms of collective climate activism. Becoming engaged and active, whether simply by voting or by becoming a committed climate activist, is of paramount importance if we are to mitigate this crisis.

In this course, we will not generally be focusing on technologically-based solutions, but rather on human-based ones. In other words, instead of looking to technology for solutions to the problem of the climate crisis, we need to look at its cause directly: human action. While human action caused the climate crisis, the good news is that human action can go a long way toward solving it.

In short, this course is in many respects less about climate change than it is about human change.

Why take a human-based approach?

As noted above, the climate crisis can be seen as a human problem brought about by human actions. In addition to seeing the problem in this way, the solutions to this crisis that have the greatest potential impact also – perhaps surprisingly – center on human behavior (i.e. cultural norms) rather than just technological innovation.

According to Project Drawdown (see “Table of Solutions,” Scenario #1), which is the most comprehensive plan ever put forth to reverse global warming, the #1 thing that we can do to roll back global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions does not involve wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles, or any sort of similar technologies.

Instead, what is required is a cultural change regarding food: we need to waste far less of it and to switch to largely plant-rich diets. Doing so will result in a staggering reduction of 167 gigatons of CO2 or equivalent gases.

In comparison to this reduction, globally shifting from fossil fuels to electricity generated by photovoltaic (solar) panels will roll back less than half this amount of emissions. The adoption of electric cars? Less than five percent. We should, of course, work on exploring a variety of technologies to help reduce our emissions, but it is important to keep their relative impact in perspective.

Worldwide, agriculture is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, yet between 1/3 and 1/2 of all the food that we produce on this planet is wasted. Regarding the switch to a largely plant-rich diet, the same amount of greenhouse gasses is released in producing one pound of beef as is released in producing thirty pounds of lentils, also a great source of protein.

With respect to animal products, those coming from cows are overwhelmingly the largest problem. If cows were their own country, they would rank as the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet, right behind China and the US.

I know, changing how we eat doesn’t sound nearly as sexy as a sleek and shiny electric car, but it would nonetheless be twenty times better for the planet.

On a similar note, the #2 thing (according to Project Drawdown) that we can do to roll back GHG emissions is also a cultural issue that is a far cry from technology.

We need to educate more girls and women (which dramatically curbs population growth, as the more education a person with a uterus has, the fewer children they are likely to have) and promote family planning (globally, there are roughly 85 million unintended pregnancies every year).

This is not to say that we should place responsibility for this particular issue with girls and women. To the contrary, the responsibility lies with the institutions that restrict a woman’s access to education and control of her own body. And too, it is obviously the case that contraception is a male responsibility as well.

Why is population so important? Sixty years ago, the global population was about 3 billion. Currently, it is 8 billion. By 2050 it will be approaching 10 billion. The simple fact is that this many people are profoundly taxing the resources of our planet. Hence, reducing the population of our species is one of the main things that we can do to mitigate the climate crisis.

However, population is a complicated issue. As we shall see, when people in wealthy countries like the US. call for low and middle-income countries to reduce their population, this can sometimes be simply racist. The profound irony here is the poorest half of the world’s population have had a minimal impact on CO2 rise, yet will suffer the consequences of the climate crisis the most.

For the most part, these individuals, who are in low and middle-income countries, will suffer because of the actions of wealthy countries like the US. Astonishingly, the U.S. alone has produced five times more greenhouse gas emissions than the poorest 3 billion people on the planet. Please reread the last sentence and pause on it for a moment. This is a staggering justice problem, a climate justice problem.

Taken together, these two cultural changes regarding food and population can take us nearly a quarter of the way to where we need to go to get GHG emissions under control. Note that very little is needed by way of technology here, as the necessary changes can be made right now by both individuals and a range of groups and institutions.

This is not to say that these changes will be easy. Indeed, it is arguably far easier to change cars (such as by making them electric) than to change people’s actions, as issues like family planning are controversial across the planet, including the U.S., where Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Nonetheless, we need to seriously roll up our sleeves and address the climate crisis as a human problem in need of human solutions.

Incidentally, many of these may well be win-win solutions, as giving people with a uterus equal access to education, as well as control of their own bodies, are worthwhile goals in their own right – at least as far as I am concerned.

Similarly, reducing the global herd of 70 billion animals that we keep for food is obviously great from the perspective of animal rights. Hence, the changes that we need to make to address the climate crisis may not only be better for the planet, but for human (and a range of) beings in a host of ways.

Although I have great respect for the sciences, science- and technology-based solutions to cultural problems like the climate crisis are rarely sufficient in themselves. The simple fact is that they often fail to attend to the root cause of problems of this sort.

This course will focus on these root causes.

One of the things that I find interesting about this human-based approach is that it returns (to echo a 1960s phrase) “power to the people.” In other words, you do not need to be a specialist in climate science or lithium battery technology to make a dent in the climate crisis. Instead, anyone can make a meaningful, indeed crucial impact on the climate crisis, either through personal action, collective activism, political action, or – ideally – though a synergy of all three.

Course format (this is not an online course!)

Details on course format:

All students enrolled in Eng 24 are required to attend the lectures on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30am-10:45am in Campbell Hall (where attendance, which will be part of the course grade, will be taken via iClicker). This is not a remote or hybrid course.

The only exceptions that can be made to attending the lectures in Campbell Hall are for medical reasons approved by UCSB’s DSP office.

How do medical exceptions work?

If you miss class for a brief temporary period for a documented medical reason, including a positive COVID test or required isolation or quarantine, please contact your TA.

Please note PDFs of the lecture material are NOT available for the Eng 24 lectures.

Why aren't there PDFs?

Is Eng 24 related to Eng 22 and Eng 23?

Yes. English 24 is part of a sequence of three courses that I generally teach every year at UCSB: Eng 22 in the Fall, Eng 23 in the Winter, and Eng 24 in the Spring.

Although complementary, none of these courses is a prerequisite for the other.

Descriptions for Eng 22, 23, & 24

Does Eng 24 count toward the T. A. Barron Certificate in Environmental Leadership?

Yes, people who have taken English 22, 23, and 24 automatically receive the T. A. Barron Certificate in Environmental Leadership for having taken all three courses.

All that you need to do is email me (Ken) with proof that you have taken these three courses. Because Eng 22, 23, and 24 can be difficult to get into (they often have waitlists of nearly 200 people), if you have taken two of the courses and are having trouble getting into the third, just email me, as I will give you admission preference.

This Certificate is made possible by author T. A. Barron, who generously donated $500,000 to UCSB in order to create the T. A. Barron Environmental Leadership Program. The Barron Certificate is something that you can list on your résumé (and on LinkedIn and anywhere else that you’d like).

Why are you teaching Eng 22, Eng 23 & Eng 24?

We are often asked about what we do (i.e. asked what do we do for a living or what it is that we are majoring in school), rather than why we do what we do – which, as far as I’m concerned, is a much more interesting question.

Why am I teaching these three courses every year?

It is simple enough: in order to foster greater awareness of the climate crisis and draw attention to what needs to be done to mitigate it.

A more complete explanation

Why are Eng 23 & Eng 24 also called Climate Crisis 101?

Although the URL and YouTube channel associated with this material are called “ClimateCrisis101,” the UCSB courses that this is all based upon have the designation “English 23 and English 24.” Sorry for any confusion – as this is hardly an ideal situation – but this is how UCSB designates its courses. Nonetheless, Eng 23 and Eng 24 are 101 (i.e. introductory) courses on the climate crisis. Why not stick with the names “English 23 & 24” throughout? The simple fact is that they are hardly descriptive names. Actually, they are not even a little descriptive… So, in order to make these courses immediately recognizable to an online audience as introductions to the climate crisis, they are also known as “ClimateCrisis101.”

Navigating this website

In the lower right of this page, note the faint box with a small chevron in it. Click the chevron at any point and the page will quickly scroll up to the top. At the top of every weekly page is a “Back to Syllabus” link that returns you to this page.

Navigating this site on a mobile device

Weekly Schedule

Week 1, Ken’s Introduction and Sarah Ray

Week 2, Kim Stanley Robinson and T. A. Barron

Week 3, Vandana Shiva and Kate Raworth

Week 4, UCSB’s Sustainability Office and Bill McKibben

Week 5, Juliet Schor, midterm

Week 6, Clair Brown and Theo LeQuesn

Week 7, Sister True Dedication and Nicole Seymour

Week 8, David Pellow and Naomi Oreskes

Week 9, Memorial Day, Richard Widick

Week 10, Ken Conclusion, final exam

Bonus Resources

Course Assignments

Lectures

Generally, each of the ten weeks of the quarter students will attend two lectures in Campbell Hall, which take place from 9:30am-10:45am (PST). One is on Monday; one is on Wednesday. Lectures start promptly at 9:30am and run for the entire period. As 2 of the 20 class sessions this quarter will be taken up by the midterm and final exams, there are a total of 18 lecture periods.

The Campbell Hall lectures will be filmed and uploaded to Gauchocast shortly after class. Attendance at the Campbell Hall lectures is nonetheless required (and will be taken via iClicker). The recorded lectures are not a substitute for going to class, but rather are made available in case you miss a class or would like to reference them while studying for the exams.

Readings

Each week there is an assigned reading of one or more texts.

Since this course is offered by the English Dept, it requires a significant amount of reading. Most weeks, we will be reading 100+ pages.

There is no Course Reader, as many of the course texts are available free online. Links to these online readings can be accessed via the above “Weekly Schedule.”

However, you need to purchase these three books:

A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet by Sarah Ray

The Ministry for the Future: A Novel by Kim Stanley Robinson

Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet by Thich Nhat Hanh (coauthored by Sister True Dedication)

Note that Sarah Ray, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Sister True Dedication will all be visiting our class.

All three books are available 1) in print form, 2) as e-books, and 3) as audiobooks. If you purchase them as e-books, the total cost should be under $40.

I tried to limit the number of books required for Eng 24. There are no other costs associated with this course.

If you want to order hardcopies of the books, that is fine.

However, before you do, here’s an interesting little fact to think about: downloading as many as 50,000 e-books (which is more than you could read in a lifetime, even if you read a book a day) has about the same carbon footprint as producing one paperback book. Of course, the calculus changes if you are using a dedicated e-book reader, like a Kindle Paperwhite. However, if you read e-books on your phone, it has an almost imperceptible climate footprint.

Here’s a tip: if you are reading an e-book on a smartphone, hold your phone horizontally (i.e. in landscape mode) and set the preferences so that you can scroll down to read through the chapter at hand. Reading on a smartphone turned sideways may initially feel a little odd (especially if you, like most people, are used to holding your phone in portrait mode), but doing so roughly replicates the width and line length, and hence in some ways the general feel, of a print book. Note that some mobile browsers display e-books better than others. Safari works well on iOS, Chrome on Android.

Scrolling through a book on a smartphone turned sideways can actually be a surprisingly pleasant experience. Seriously, try it. I read everything that I can this way, as it is exceptionally convenient in the sense that you always have a library with you – literally in your back pocket.

I will be recording short introductory talks for each week’s reading(s), which will be posted on YouTube. After doing the weekly reading and watching my video introduction, please go to Canvas to comment on it. Since my videoed talks are designed to give context to the readings, you may want to watch them prior to doing the reading. However, you are free to do the readings first if you would rather.

Either way, make sure to watch my videoed talk in its entirety, as it will offer instructions on how to make the weekly comment.

Please note that, in addition to making a comment on the readings, there will be questions on the weekly readings on the midterm and final exams. Hence, you need to do the readings (and do them carefully), as you will not be able to answer the exam questions correctly by simply reading a plot summary.

Films

Each of the ten weeks of the quarter you will watch a film. Details can be accessed via the above “Weekly Schedule.” The films all stream from GauchoCast.

As with the readings, I will record a short introductory talk for each week’s film. These short talks will stream from YouTube. After watching the weekly film, please go to Canvas to comment on this weekly talk. As with the weekly readings, you may well find the films more interesting if you first watch my talk contextualizing them. Similarly, make sure to watch my talk, as it explains how to make the weekly comment.

Please note that there will be questions on the weekly films on the midterm and final exams.

Course Assessments

1) Attendance is worth 20% of the course grade. Attendance will not be recorded on the first, introductory day of class. Everyone receives attendance credit for the midterm and final exams.

Attendance will be taken via iClicker Student, through an app on your phone. Please note that the iClicker system is designed to create a geofence around lecture halls. This is so that students using the app somewhere outside of the lecture hall (let’s say at home, for example) WILL NOT receive attendance credit.

Attendance will be taken, at random intervals, three times during each lecture via iClicker. You must respond to at least two of the iClicker questions to receive full credit for attendance.

Please check your Canvas attendance a day or two after every lecture. If there is a problem, contact your TA immediately. Sometimes, students will come to us at the end of the term saying that they attended every class even though Canvas reports that they missed quite a few classes. Since we go with the Canvas data, these students obviously have a problem. In order to keep this from happening, contact your TA immediately after checking Canvas for each lecture if you have an issue. That way, we can nip any problems in the bud.

2) Comments are worth 20% of the total course grade.

During the term, you will be making a total of ten Canvas comments on the course readings, which will constitute 10% of the course grade.

Similarly, you will be making a total of ten Canvas comments on the course documentaries, which will also constitute 10% of the course grade

You will therefore be making a total of twenty Canvas comments: two per week for the ten-week term, starting in week #1. Therefore, each comment counts for 1% of the course grade.

You have seven days to make the weekly comments. Each week, you must comment by 11:59pm (PST) the  Sunday of that week to receive credit for the comment. (The exact dates can be found on Canvas forums where you will be making your comment.)

Twelve of your Canvas comments (i.e. 6 of the first 10 and 6 of the second 10) should be made to a comment made by another student. Since comments are made to the Canvas forum, you are able to see what your classmates have written. Reading through them can be a thought-provoking experience, as it can give you the opportunity to see the sorts of reactions others have had. (This might also help you assess your own work, as you can see how much time and thought that your classmates are giving to the assignment.) As you no doubt know, online discussions are not only possible, but are often particularly thoughtful, as we have the benefit of time in making our replies well considered.

3) Midterm and Final exams 

The midterm will be in Campbell Hall during our regular class period, 9:30-10:45am, on Wednesday, May 1. Please save this date!  The midterm will cover the first five weeks of the course – i.e. the first 10 lectures (as well as the short lectures that you watch on your own time), the first 5 reading, and the first 5 film assignments.

The final exam will be in Campbell Hall during our regular class period, 9:30-10:45am, on Wednesday, June 5. Please save this date!  Thus, the final exam will not be during exam week.

The final exam will not be cumulative; rather, it will just cover the last five weeks of the course (i.e. the various lectures assigned during Weeks #6-10 and the last 5 reading and film assignments).

Common details of both the midterm and final exams:

1) Each exam is worth 30% of the course grade (i.e. 60% total for the two exams).

2) Each exam has 60 multiple choice questions. Therefore, each exam question is worth 1/2 % of the total course grade.

3) The exam questions are all multiple-choice and you will generally be selecting from five possibilities.

4) Since they are taking place during the regular class period, each exam will be 75 minutes long (unless you have a pre-arranged DSP accommodation, in which case you will be taking the exam in a separate room with a proctor).

5) Exams will be paper-based. Bubble sheets will be provided. Please bring a number two pencil.

6) Exams will NOT be open-book.

7) In order to discourage academic dishonesty, there will be four separate versions of the exams, with each version having the exam questions in a different order. Hence, the person sitting next to you will be working on a different exam.

8) In addition to questions on the readings and lectures, the exams will also include questions on the course films.

9) Talking to your neighbor is not allowed during the exams. If you are observed talking during an exam, you may be reported to UCSB’s Office of Student Conduct.

10) No devices may be open during the exams.

Academic dishonesty (answer sharing) on exams

All cases of suspected academic dishonesty will be reported to UCSB’s Office of Student Conduct.

During exams, instructors (Ken and the TAs) will be looking for people who appear to be sharing answers. If they see an apparent case, they will attempt to get a second instructor to confirm. The exams for these individuals will be set aside to be analyzed to see if a significant number of questions that both students answered incorrectly had the same incorrect answer out of the five possible choices, which is statistically highly improbable if they were not sharing answers.

Consequences of academic dishonesty for Engl 23:

If, in addition to one or more instructors witnessing the apparent answer sharing, the analysis of the exams reveals that a significant number of questions that were answered incorrectly had the same incorrect answer out of the five possible choices, the two (or more) students involved will fail Engl 23.

In addition, the Office of Student Conduct may impose its own sanctions. Here is the list from their website:

Individuals found responsible for violating University policies or regulations may receive the following sanctions:

• Warning

Written notice to the student that continued or repeated violations of specified policies or regulations may be cause for further disciplinary action.

• Disciplinary Probation

A status imposed for a specified period of time during which a student must demonstrate conduct that conforms to University standards of conduct.  Conditions restricting the student’s privileges or eligibility for activities may be imposed. Misconduct during the probationary period or violation of any conditions of the probation may result in further disciplinary action, normally in the form of suspension or dismissal.

• Loss of Privileges and Exclusion from Activities

Specific exclusions or loss of privileges will be at the Dean’s discretion and will be for a specified academic term or terms.

• Suspension

Termination of student status for a specified term or terms.

• Dismissal

Termination of student status for an indefinite period. Students who are dismissed may not return to the UC System without the express permission of the respective Chancellor.

FAQs

What do I do if I have further questions? (Course Q&A)

Whenever possible, please post any questions that you may have to the course Q&A (which can be found at the top of our Canvas page), rather than emailing them to your TA. Because we have such a large class (860 people), the answer to your question may benefit a number of your classmates, not just you.

More on the Canvas Q&A

How do I enroll in the Honors Section?

Email me with your reasons for wanting to join the honors section by midnight on Monday of the first week of class (April 1). If you have not received an email with an add code by 11am on April 2, I was unfortunately not able to admit you to the section (there are 860 people in English 24, but only space for 15 in the honors section). Starting in Week #1 on April 3, the honors section will take place every Wednesday from 11:00-11:50am in South Hall 2625. The honors section is a one-credit class.

Is it possible to get extra credit in this class?

Unfortunately, no. The class is just too large (860 students) for the two course TAs to grade extra credit assignments.

Taking Eng 24 for a letter grade or P/NP

As you likely know, you can either take Eng 24 for a letter grade or do so Passed/Not Passed. If you are taking the course Passed/Not Passed, you need to have at least a C (i.e. 73% or higher) to get a Pass. If you have a C- or lower, you get a no Pass.  More Info

Is there flexibility in the grading?

In order to be fair to everyone in the class, no special accommodations will be made with respect to grading. In other words, without exception, your letter grade for the course will be based on your percentage grade. Sorry.

Here is the official scale used by UCSB (which we will be using in this class), showing letter grade, percentage, and GPA:

A+, 97 and above, 4.0

A, 93–96%, 4.0

A−, 90–92%, 3.7

B+, 87–89%, 3.3

B, 83–86%, 3.0

B−, 80–82% ,2.7

C+, 77–79%, 2.3

C, 73–76%, 2.0

C−, 70–72%, 1.7

D+, 67–69%, 1.3

D, 63–66%, 1.0

D−, 60–6 %, 0.7

F, 0–59%, 0.0

As noted above, there is no extra credit available in Eng 24.

Why do we need to reply to comments most of the time?

One of the goals of this class, even though it is very large, is to encourage meaningful discussion among students. Hence, more than half of the time you will be responding directly to a classmate on Canvas.

How long should a comment be and what form should they take?

Your Canvas comment on the weekly readings and films should be as long as necessary to make your point(s). A paragraph or two is generally sufficient. Please make specific references to the work at hand in order to make clear that you have read, watched, or listened to it in its entirety. The purpose of this assignment is to expose you to a range of thought-provoking material that can make a real difference in your life. Consequently, your comment should contain your thoughts and feelings on the material.

It is perfectly fine to express an emotional response, just make sure that you are respectful of your classmates.

What about inappropriate comments?

If you encounter Canvas comments containing hate speech, otherwise threatening language, or anything at all that concerns you, please email me or one of the TAs.

Couldn’t I skip watching the documentaries and doing the readings and get someone (or an AI like ChatGPT) to do the comments for me?

Perhaps, but this would be a recipe for disaster, as you will be tested on all of the readings and documentaries on the midterm and final exams.

After every exam, some people inevitably contact their TAs because they are disappointment with their grades. When they systematically go through questions that they got wrong with their TAs, they find that a surprising number of them are on the readings and films. Suggesting that they may well have not read or watched carefully – or at all. When reviewing Gauchocast Analytics (which allows me to see viewing habits for individual students), I discovered – not surprisingly – that there is a direct correlation between people who do not watch the documentaries in their entirety and people who do poorly on exam questions related to the films.

Reading a plot summary in lieu of watching a documentary is a recipe for disaster, as you will be questioned on specifics not covered in such summaries.

Even though the exam questions on the readings and documentaries can be specific, many people do well on the exams in Eng 23, Indeed, dozens of people will likely get an A+ for the class. Clearly, these people carefully did the readings and attentively watched the films. They likely took notes – perhaps extensive notes – even while watching the films.

So, since you are required to watch the videos and do the readings anyway, why not share your opinions? It is perfectly fine if you disagree with the reading, film, instructor, or your classmates.

Note that instructors can use a web crawler to look for repeated comments and phrases, as well as other inconsistencies, including stylistic, in comments. Similarly, as AIs (even advanced ones like ChatGPT, which use cutting-edge transformer architecture) are generally only capable of delivering largely vague observations – and you should always include specifics with your comments – these are also easy to detect.

Having someone else (or an AI) do your work is a form of academic dishonestly and will be immediately reported to UCSB’s Office of Judicial Affairs.

Do you teach anything other than English 22, 23, & 24?

Although I now only teach large lectures, I generally teach a freshman seminar, which are on various aspects of the climate crisis, every term.

Is UCSB located on ancestral land?

Yes. It is important to note that UCSB is located on unceded Indigenous Chumash ancestral lands and waters. In other words, the Chumash people, who were the first human inhabitants of this region of what has now become California, never legally signed away the land and waters on which UCSB was built. (UCSB is situated on a 1,000-acre promontory that juts out into the Pacific Ocean.)

Asking me to write a letter of recommendation.

Every year, a number of students in my large lectures (Eng 22, 23, and 24) ask me to write letters of recommendation on their behalf. Unfortunately, I regretfully must decline, as I am not in a position to write a strong letter for students in these courses.

More on why I decline to write rec letters for Eng 22, 23, & 24