The University of Montana announces its 4th Annual Environmental Ethics Institute in Missoula, MT. This year’s institute will be co-taught by Andrew Light and Christopher Preston. Topic and Dates TBA.
Guides on these field trips will include Dr. Steve Running, chapter lead author on the 2007 Nobel Prize Winning IPCC report on climate change and Dr. Robin Saha, coauthor of the influential 2007 “Toxic Waste and Race at 20 (1987-2007)” report.
The three weeks of online study and six day workshop is open to students, faculty, and interested professionals of all kinds. However, the workshop is particularly suitable for educators seeking a grounding in the foundations of environmental ethics and its most pressing challenges today.
Contact Blake Francis (blake.francis@umontana.edu) for more details.
Few universities offer a setting with such beauty and recreational resources as The University of Montana. Missoula is a dynamic college town surrounded by mountains. It is located at the confluence of three rivers: the Clark Fork of the Columbia, the Blackfoot and the Bitterroot. The Rattlesnake Wilderness Area is within minutes of campus by bicycle or city bus, and Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks are within easy driving distance.
"Most scenic campus in America" - Rolling Stone magazine
"Among the top 10 colleges nationally for combining academic quality and outdoor recreation" - Outside Magazine
The Environmental Ethics Institute allows a rich and exuberant discussion about environmental ethics between individuals from different backgrounds and with different experiences. Previous students have highly enjoyed this aspect of the course, along with the deep philosophical conversations, levity and fellowship that these courses are uniquely suited to offer.
In addition, the course is set on the beautiful campus of The University of Montana in Missoula, MT, and EEI events are held throughout the surrounding area.
Western Montana is renowned for the numerous outdoor activities it supports, including hiking, fishing, camping and rafting. Glacier National Park is within easy driving distance, as are several wilderness areas. The 2009 EEI offers not only a chance to study and discuss environmental ethics and issues but also an opportunity to explore one of the most scenic and wild places left in the United States. Previous students have expanded their time in Missoula to include day trips around the area, and others have simply incorporated the course into their annual summer vacations. Even if you simply come for the duration of the course, the evenings and weekends can easily accomodate brief adventures into the beautiful Montana wilderness.
Finally, because of the small size and intimate nature of the class, the EEI course will offer an incredible opportunity to interact directly with nationally renown professors and speakers-- both during the course and as a part of the evening lectures. Andrew Light has taught EEI courses since the Institute's first year (2006), and we are pleased to welcome Christopher Preston, who is a fellow of the Ethics and Public Affairs Program and a popular professor in Philosophy at The University of Montana. In addition to these incredible instructors, students have the opportunity to interact closely with all of the 2008 EEI guest speakers as well.
If you plan on flying into Missoula, we recommend that you book your flight as early as possible. In addition to using the local airport -- Missoula International Airport (MSO) -- visitors sometimes choose to fly into Spokane, WA, and drive to Missoula.
The course meetings will occur on the campus of The University of Montana, and there are a number of hotels and bed and breakfasts within easy walking distance, including the Holiday Inn Express, the Doubletree Hotel Missoula/Edgewater and Blossom's Bed and Breakfast.
Participants who want to stay on campus in the student dorms should contact Justin Whitaker (justin.whitaker@mso.umt.edu or 406-243-6605) for forms to be sent to UM Residence Life Office. Note that the Ethics and Public Affairs Program does not directly arrange housing on campus, but will assist however possible. If you contact Residence Life, be sure to inform them that you are with the Ethics and Public Affairs Program - Environmental Ethics Institute. Again, we suggest that you make your arrangements early to ensure availablity.
Missoula and western Montana are beautiful, particularly in the summer months. A number of national parks and wilderness recreation areas are within easy driving distance; if you enjoy outdoor recreation, you may be interested in spending some extra time in Montana. If you're thinking of doing so, the Missoula Convention and Visitors Bureau and Missoula.com magazine may interest you.
And finally, if you are interested in teaching ethics as well as environmental ethics, please take a look at: Theory and Skills of Ethics Teaching 2010.