Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (2010)
Werner Herzog
Thought Question Assignment: Write a 1.5-2 page essay where you address the following questions from the movie. The length of text you devote to each question is up to you, but as a general rule, at least one paragraph should be dedicated to each. Please use 12-point font, single-spaced with normal font type e.g. (Arial, Times New Roman, Cambria, or Calibri). Turn in all hard copies of the assignment by 7/24/2014 at the start of class. Absolutely no late assignments will be accepted without prior approval. Penalties will be administered for not following the rules. This essay makes up15% of your final grade.
Citations: Outside sources are encouraged to complete this assignment, but please cite them. Use the AGU reference style to format your citations.
Grade Criteria:
Good (>90): Student answers all questions by citing examples from movie to support arguments and dovetails these nicely with additional concepts/ideas learned in class as supplemental support for their argument. Content flows well from one paragraph to next. Sentences are clear and concise.
Okay (75-90): Student either fails to adequately answer all the questions, cite enough examples from movie, or use enough supplemental concepts/ideas from class with their reasoning. Fluidity and clarity may be lacking.
Bad (<75): Student fails on all fronts to adequately answer the questions, cite examples from movie, or incorporate concepts/ideas from class.Fluidity and clarity clearly lacking.
Essay Questions (Address all questions in 1.5-2 single-spaced pages)
1) Compare and contrast the lifestyle of the hunters/trappers in the taiga with people in southern California. How are they different? Any similarities? Be sure to describe the treatment of the land, its resources, and its people by both parties with your answer.
2) The Anthroposphere is one of the main topics of this class, as the study of how humans interact with the environment and the associated impacts is central to investigating any aspect of earth system science. What are some of these impacts and describe how they might be different if people lived more like the hunters/trappers featured in the movie and shared some of the same characterstics? Would the impacts be more, less, or about the same severity as they are today? Why? Cite specific examples.
3) As we have learned from class, the earth is changing due to global warming. The taiga is a region particularly vulnerable to these changes. How do you expect the work and lifestyle of the hunters/trappers to shift given the changes anticipated from global warming? Will future generations be able to continue to subsist off the land 25-, 50-, or 100-years from now as the hunters/trappers do today? Cite specific examples.
4) A lot of dialog in the movie revolved around only taking what you need from the land to survive and the promotion of ‘resilience’ in nature. Do you think that modern society enables humans to live in this way? Do you feel as if we are getting more or less like this as we move into the future? How much of a role do you feel this mentality has on the human impacts that we have discussed in class? Be sure to cite examples from class.
5) The main hunter/trapper from the movie is often quoted for having a deep respect for animals and nature. Provide some examples of this. Why do you think this is? Do you think that people in southern California feel the same way? Why or why not? How do you think this impacts the Earth System? Be sure to cite specificexamples.
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