The Ethics of Waste

You will have a choice of essay topics that will challenge you to considerthe themes and concepts encountered as the course unfolds.Although you are encouraged to use examples, the emphasis will be on frameworks for considering waste and society. You will be expected to make good use of set readings and extra sources. Essays should be 2,000 words in length.

Choose ONE ofthe essay topics below.

Topic 1.)

According to Gay Hawkins, “What we want to get rid of tells us who we are. This is true. But what we want to get rid of also makes us who we are.” Discuss. (In The Ethics of Waste)

This question is asking about the relationship between personal identity (who we are as

subjects – perhaps as individuals and as cultures) and the waste that we produce. Hawkins is acknowledging, as may others have, that we can learn a lot about ourselves from our waste and our waste practices. But she is also explicitly stating that our ways of relating to waste (and of wasting) constitute us in some ways, they play a role in actually shaping who we are and how we are perceived by others. To
answerthis question well you will need to reflect on both parts ofthis statement. Is there evidence to back up these assertions (from
Hawkins or others)? What are the consequences ofthis way of understanding ourselves and our waste? It is ultimately up to you, but you may
like to answerthis question through reference to one (or more) case studies, like recycling, plastic bag use or waste scavenging.

Topic

2.) What is environmental justice and how is it relevant to understanding global waste issues in the 21st century?

This question is asking you to briefly review the principles of environmental justice. Please be aware that there is no simple, agreed upon, definition. To answer
this question well you should at least note some ofthe complexity that surrounds what environmental justice is, and clearly explain how you will be interpreting and dealing with it in your essay. In addition, your essay obviously needs to apply this concept to waste. You might
choose to do this in a more general, conceptual, way (writing about a range of different waste streams and examples), or you might choose to do it in a more focused empirical way (writing about a specific case study or two that highlight in a particularly powerful way the significance ofthe environmental justice approach). It is up to you which ofthese approaches you take.
ORDER THIS ESSAY HERE NOW AND GET A DISCOUNT !!!