College Eight Core Course

Integrative Essay #1

The essay should consist of four-five pages (1000-1250 words) of typed, edited, double-spaced prose. Use proper MLA parenthetical citations and a Works Cited.

Purpose: Develop an argument based on the analysis of and response to course texts.

Note: You may find it helpful to re-read the Grapes of Wrath , pages 1-152, in preparation for this assignment (it's always a good ideas to mark up your book to identify key passages and ideas, and to help you see patterns and themes emerge). In addition, make certain you have read closely “Ecosphere” by Barry Commoner and “Mining California: An Ecological History” by Andrew Isenberg. You have the option of using “The Red Queen” by Marc Reisner (an expose on Los Angeles' theft of water from Owens Lake), Macy and Brown on systems theory, and Wartzman on Grapes of Wrath (the last two, as well as optional Resiner and Wartman chapters, are on the wiki http://ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/index.php/By_Author).

Prompt: One of the shared themes in the course readings thus far is the dire consequences to humanity and landscapes caused by human exploitation of nature's resources. These course readings have raised important themes regarding society's exploitation of labor and natural resources and, consequentially, the high cost of human suffering and environmental degradation. Each of the authors you've read so far has strong views on some aspect of these issues. Write an essay that takes a stand on one of these issues and backs it up with specifics from different course readings . Choose either:

#1 Analyze two or more of Barry Commoner's “Laws of Ecology” and how they apply to The Grapes of Wrath. Do Commoner's “Laws of Ecology” and/or the Systems Theory in Macy and Brown give you insight into The Grapes of Wrath ? Does it help you identify where we went wrong, if we did? Does it suggest better alternatives?

#2 Explore the historical situations in Isenberg's essay on “Mining California: An Ecological History” (and/or Marc Reisner's “The Red Queen” and or Wartzman)

and compare them to conditions in The Grapes of Wrath . What are the conflicts? Between whom? What kinds of power and tactics are involved? What can we learn about our current situation in California, if anything, by understanding our history?

You will need to integrate at least three sources from the course materials to fulfill the basic requirements of this essay. One source may include Provost Ravi Rajan's lecture in Plenary this week. You can also use resources from the wiki ( for example, http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/index.php/The_Grapes_of_Wrath )