VI. The Humanities and Contemporary Issues

D. Technology, Environment and Science

The Origins of American Environmentalism
By Fred Nielsen
The intellectual roots of American environmentalism are found in the works of three 19th-century New Englanders—Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and George Perkins Marsh. Emerson and Thoreau laid the groundwork for an ethic to protect the environment with their aesthetic and spiritual appreciation of nature. Marsh was the first modern ecologist. Nielsen describes the contributions of each in developing an appreciation for the natural world and the human relationship to it.

Treading Lightly or Stomping
By Otto Rosfeld
An overview of mankind’s impact on the earth, using songs, poems, and stories with environmental themes. Original and traditional material are included and presented acoustically using guitar and prairie percussion accompaniments. Discussions of water use, air quality, sustainable land use and production agriculture are promoted along with possibilities of desirable change.

 

The Twisted Path of Ethanol

By John E. Carter

Economy, mobility, environment, intrigue and innovation intertwine in the complex and surprisingly old story of Nebraska's relationship with industrial ethanol. This saga stretches back to 1899 and winds through amazing stories of the conflicts and tumult of the growth of industrial alcohol, especially as a motor fuel. Controversial to this day, ethanol, as it emerges in the 21st Century, is Nebraska's current 900 pound gorilla. This presentation looks back to the time when it was a chimp and watches it grow up.

 

Willa Cather in the Digital Age

By Andrew Jewell

Using the Willa Cather Archive (http://cather.unl.edu) as an example, this presentation looks at how the digital medium is enabling new ways to explore and learn about the humanities. In addition to unprecedented access to materials, the online environment offers fresh ways of visualizing, publishing, and generally communicating and learning about the humanities.