This timeline, which is some 2,300 pages long, chronicles environmental events from the Big Bang to recent times and is sprinkled throughout with references to the original texts Professor Chorover used in its creation. In this class students in groups of three to four use the Homework timeline, in conjunction with a workbook, to find an environmental theme of interest to all members of their group. This semester one group chose the theme of pollution on a corporate level, while another picked mythology and its influence on how people treat the environment. Group members are encouraged to discuss the results of their research both in person and via notations in the margins of the Homework timeline. Professor Chorover developed this approach to Homework assignments for two main reasons.
Collaboration also exposes people to different viewpoints.
Other students, however, had reservations. This was an interesting experience, but I didn't like dealing with people who had no sense of responsibility about sharing access to the computers. The ability to choose their own topics was refreshing to many. Other students, however, were frustrated by the lack of direction. We are pretty much left to do what we want, but for a long time it was very difficult to know what was expected of us, where we were going with all this, and what the purpose was.