2. You should have a cover page with title, date, and your name. 

3. Each paragraph should be numbered.  After the end of the essay, attach an outline of the essay with the thesis clearly stated and at minimum a line for each paragraph.

4. Each essay should be approximately  2-3 pages long (not including the Works Consulted/Works Cited page).

5. You must include a Works Consulted/Cited Page.  I will assume that you have read and understood Harvey, Writing with Sources on when and how to cite sources. CAREFUL AND CORRECT CITATION IS REQUIRED. WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE. Remember that simply paraphrasing or changing every third word is not OK. Quote and cite or radically summarize and cite. Use quotation marks when quoting or indent if quote is five lines or longer. Guessing at where your information comes from is not OK. Use page numbers in your in-text citations, footnotes or endnotes. Book or journal titles are italicized or underlined.  

6. Your essay should define any key terms used, use examples to illustrate and support your argument where appropriate, and discuss likely alternatives or respond to objections.

Essays will be graded for both form and content as indicated in  Points to Consider in Evaluating an Essay. 

Choose One of the following questions/prompts:

1. Discuss where Leopold’s "Land Ethic" falls on a continuum between anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric. Be sure to define terms and give examples from the text.

2. In your view, what is at stake in debates over the importance of non-instrumental or intrinsic values in nature? Be sure to define terms and reference at least two of the pieces we read.

3. Explain why Leopold and Naess are doubtful about economic solutions to environmental problems. In your view are their doubts well-grounded? Why or why not?

4.  Leopold emphasizes the "extension" of ethics to include the land and the importance of the interdependence of  all members of the biotic community.  How are these connected and why are they central to his argument in his essay "The Land Ethic."?

5. Discuss two types of definitions of religion as laid out on the Studying Religion Website at http://www.as.ua.edu/rel/studyingreligion.html  (essential, functional, family resemblance, and constructionist). Make a case for one of these as more suited to discussing the relationships between religion and the environment.

6. Discuss at least two key issues at stake in the debate between environmental individualists and holists? If you had to choose a place on the continuum, where would you come down and why. Be sure to define terms and reference at least two of the pieces we read.

7. Why do you think that the Lynn White article had such a widespread influence--so much so that Taylor refers to it as the "Lynn White Thesis"?

8. Pick one of Whitney’s criticisms of White. Outline the criticism, explain how White might most effectively respond, and offer your own final evaluation.

9. Argument analysis. Pick a main conclusion of either Leopold, Naess, or White. Charitably, show how the author reached this conclusion (presuppositions, reasons, etc.) and offer an assessment of the argument.

10.***Wild Card. Topic of your choice, but get approval of instructor first.