Bisci 03 - Developing Ecological Consciousness at Penn State

the purpose of education is not so much to accumulate knowledge as it is to expand awareness. overview of bisc 3: over the past half-century, environmental scientists have been calling attention to breakdowns in earth’s atmosphere, earth’s oceans, earth’s forests, earth’s soils and more. the scientific evidence is unequivocal: planet earth is becoming sicker as we, humans, are increasingly disconnected. here’s the “kicker:” though humankind desperately needs earth for our survival, earth does not need us! so, will earth shake us into oblivion, like some irksome pest? or will we wake up, before it is too late, and become respectful members of earth’s community of life? this question is critical for humankind as a whole and it is the reason that bisc3 exists at penn state. so it is that, in this course, we will explore the root causes of today’s environmental havoc and, in so doing, consider scientific, technological, psychological and—most importantly—personal responses t