A Cultural and Social History of Trash
HUMN-2XX-01
Fall 2016

final class assignment

For this assignment, you are to choose a place or site associated with waste or trash or an object, building or other artifact that is considered to be trash and write a 2 – 4 page paper on it using some of the concepts and readings explored in this class. You must cite at least two of the course texts.

You may also use one or more of the links and resources that are below as reference points for your paper.

The final assignment is due by 5 pm on December 13. Please send me an electronic copy – no hard copy is necessary.

The following are some links and resources:

Discard Studies – this site is fantastic for academic resources:

https://discardstudies.com/

Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia (we saw this film in class)

Citizens at Risk – A film by Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition

recycling
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/08/can-collectors-california-recycling-centers-close

China trash

Waste not, want not — the transformation of China’s underground recycling industry

China protest
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-36698719

Plastics in the oceans

Plastic, other man-made debris found in 25 percent of fish sold

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/10/us-science-plastic-idUSKBN0JO24W20141210
seabirds

http://bigstory.ap.org/urn:publicid:ap.org:5ef260a95b244b508b1e6be941a86211

barnacles

Barnacles are accidentally eating our plastic trash

environmental impact of data centers and cloud computing
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/12/there-are-no-clean-clouds/420744/