{"id":297,"date":"2013-07-31T16:08:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-31T16:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/syllabus\/?p=297"},"modified":"2019-06-05T14:57:59","modified_gmt":"2019-06-05T14:57:59","slug":"fyssyllf2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/syllabus\/2013\/07\/31\/fyssyllf2019\/","title":{"rendered":"First-Year Seminar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thoreau and American Nature Writing . . . . . Fall 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Thoreau and American Nature Writing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Fall 2019<\/h2>\n

First-Year Seminar, Dickinson College<\/span><\/h2>\n

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n

W<\/span><\/strong>hy have I titled our seminar\u00a0Thoreau and American Nature Writing<\/strong><\/em>? Because Henry David Thoreau produced the\u00a0ur<\/em>-text, the foundational document, of American nature writing, and because the tradition that followed him has proven so important to the wider tradition of American literature. Nature writing of this kind may, in fact, be the only unique genre that America has contributed to world literature. Our learning goals for this course will be to understand the “nature” of nature-writing while also paying close attention to the works of some of the finest practitioners of the genre. We will also work to define “nature” and to understand the complex connection between humans and the nonhuman world they inhabit. What does all of this have to do with a First-Year Seminar at Dickinson?<\/p>\n

Our readings will lead to discussions and essays that engage a progressive set of questions:<\/p>\n

When did “nature writing” become a specific genre?<\/p>\n

Is “nature” itself a category distinct from human activity?<\/p>\n

Do individuals have a responsibility toward the natural world?<\/p>\n

Are humans a part of nature, or do we exist outside of nature–distinct from nature–in some way?<\/p>\n

These initial questions will lead to more complex considerations. To what extent are we defined by natural characteristics (gender, race, biology), and to what extent do our “natural” characteristics come into conflict with social forces (politics, class, education)? When a nature-lover says that she “loves” nature, what about cancer and AIDS? Is nature a “good” thing? Are tumors and viruses “natural”? Is nature “bad”? Is it neutral? What might that mean?<\/p>\n

How will we proceed? Our readings will be drawn from the following texts:<\/p>\n

Walden\u00a0<\/em>(Thoreau)<\/p>\n

Sand County Almanac<\/em>\u00a0(Aldo Leopold)<\/p>\n

Beyond Romantic Ecocriticism <\/i>(Ashton Nichols)<\/p>\n

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek\u00a0<\/em>(Annie Dillard)<\/p>\n

The Snow Leopard<\/em>\u00a0(Peter Matthiessen)<\/p>\n

The End of Nature\u00a0<\/em>(Bill McKibben)<\/p>\n

We will also look at poems and prose extracts by William Blake, William Wordsworth, Robert Frost, and Seamus Heaney. The dates of composition of these texts range from the 1790s to our own decade. Although much has changed over the years covered by this time span, the central focus of our seminar’s inquiry–the connection of humans to the natural world–has not changed. Why write about nature at all? What obligation, if any, does each of us have to nature? Are such questions even useful as ways of interpreting our experience? By examining the complexities of these ideas, we will explore various ways of defining ourselves and our relation to the world outside us.<\/p>\n

Required Texts<\/strong><\/h2>\n

(in these precise editions, all are available in the Dickinson bookstore):<\/p>\n

Dillard, Annie.\u00a0Pilgrim at Tinker Creek<\/em>\u00a0(Harper Collins) 9780060953027<\/p>\n

\u00a0Hacker, Diana.\u00a0Pocket Style Manual\u00a0<\/em>(Bedford) 978-0312664800<\/p>\n

Leopold, Aldo.\u00a0Sand County Almanac<\/em>\u00a0(Ballantine) 9780345345053<\/p>\n

Matthiessen, Peter.\u00a0The Snow Leopard\u00a0<\/em>(Viking Penguin) 9780143105510<\/p>\n

McKibben, Bill.\u00a0The End of Nature<\/em>\u00a0(Random House) 9780812976083<\/p>\n

Nichols, Ashton.\u00a0Beyond Romantic Ecocriticism: Toward Urbanatural Roosting<\/em>\u00a0(Palgrave Macmillan) 9781137033944<\/p>\n

Thoreau, Henry David. Walden, Civil Disobedience, and Other Writings<\/em>\u00a0(Norton Critical) 978039393090<\/p>\n

Diana Hacker Online Supplement<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Selected additional readings and handouts<\/p>\n

Required Websites and HyperTexts:<\/h2>\n

The Walden Woods Project<\/a><\/h3>\n

Henry David Thoreau<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Bill McKibben (Henry Holt Publishers)<\/a><\/h3>\n

Aldo Leopold Foundation<\/a><\/h3>\n

Annie Dillard<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

A Romantic Natural History 1750-1859<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Web Resources for Nature Writing and Writers (VCU)<\/a><\/h3>\n

* * * * * * * * * * * *<\/p>\n

Required Reading\u00a0<\/strong>: Each student will be responsible for having read each assignment for the class period indicated by each date. To “read” means more than merely to let your eyes move across the page. As British university students say, you should not read for class, you should\u00a0prepare<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0for class; that means that you have read long enough and carefully enough to be ready to answer questions (orally or in writing) about your reading upon arrival in class, to participate in (or help to lead) a discussion, and the reveal your understanding of the day’s assignment as well as any questions you may still have about the work for each day.<\/p>\n

August<\/strong><\/p>\n

29 Thursday 10:15 a.m.–Introduction to Thoreau and American Nature Writing<\/em> (define “nature”)<\/p>\n

30\u00a0 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.\u00a0 Academic Advising<\/p>\n

31 Saturday 9 a.m.\u00a0[DIAGNOSTIC ESSAY DUE: see end of syllabus]<\/strong><\/p>\n

September<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 M 11:30 a.m. Walden, (“Economy,” p.1-27)<\/p>\n

6 F 11:30 a.m.\u00a0Walden,\u00a0<\/em>(“Economy,” p. 27-54)<\/p>\n

9 M Library Class: introduction to annotated bibliography assignment \u00a0with Kayla Birt<\/p>\n

13 F\u00a0Walden,\u00a0<\/em>(“Where I Lived,” “Reading,” “Sounds,” “Solitude,” “Visitors”)<\/p>\n

16 M\u00a0Walden,\u00a0<\/em>( “Bean-Field,” “Village,” “Ponds,” “Baker Farm,” Higher Laws”)<\/p>\n

20 F\u00a0Walden,\u00a0<\/em>(“Brute Neighbors,” “House-Warming,”)<\/p>\n

23 M\u00a0Walden,\u00a0<\/em>(“Former Inhabitants,” “Winter Animals,” “Pond in Winter,” “Spring,” “Conclusion,”)<\/p>\n

27 F\u00a0[ESSAY #1 DUE: THOREAU ON NATURE]<\/strong><\/p>\n

30 M\u00a0Almanac,<\/em>\u00a0pp. xiii-98<\/p>\n

October<\/strong><\/p>\n

4 F\u00a0Almanac,<\/em>\u00a0pp. 101-202<\/p>\n

7 M\u00a0Almanac,<\/em>\u00a0pp. 202-296<\/p>\n

11 F Poetry day: Bring a poem and readings<\/p>\n

14 M\u00a0Pilgrim,\u00a0<\/em>Chapters 1-5<\/p>\n

18 F\u00a0Pilgrim,\u00a0<\/em>Chapters 6-10<\/p>\n

21 M\u00a0MIDTERM PAUSE: No Class\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

25 F\u00a0Pilgri<\/em>m,\u00a0<\/em>Chapters 11-15, “Afterword,” “About Annie Dillard”<\/p>\n

28 M\u00a0[ESSAY #2 DUE: A SELF IN THE NATURAL WORLD]<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 F\u00a0Urbanatural Roosting<\/em>\u00a0“Contents”-77<\/p>\n

4 M\u00a0Urbanatural Roosting<\/em> 77-152<\/p>\n

8 F Urbanatural Roosting<\/em> 152-230<\/p>\n

11 M\u00a0Snow Leopard,\u00a0<\/em>pp. xv-104<\/p>\n

15 F\u00a0Snow Leopard,\u00a0<\/em>pp. 105-209<\/p>\n

18 M\u00a0Snow Leopard,\u00a0<\/em>pp. 210-325<\/p>\n

22 F\u00a0[ESSAY #3 MCKIBBEN VS. DILLARD]<\/strong><\/p>\n

25 M\u00a0End of Nature\u00a0<\/em>Part I<\/p>\n

December<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 M End of Nature\u00a0<\/em>Part II<\/p>\n

4 F [ESSAY #4 REVISION DUE: ANY ESSAY]<\/strong>\u00a0Final class: Last day to submit Annotated Bibliography<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Required Writing\u00a0<\/strong>: All students will bring at least one sheet of written notes to each class (for which there is a reading assignment) for discussion. These may be reading notes, journal entries based on your reading, a series of questions, or a combination of notes, comments, and questions. I may collect these notes at the start of class, at the end of class, or not at all. I will collect batches of these notes at various points during the semester. Make sure that you save all of them.<\/p>\n

In addition, each student will be responsible for three (3) essays, one (1) graded revision, and an annotated bibliography, all due on the designated dates (above). Each essay will have an assignment sheet that will be distributed no less than one week before the essay is due. These assignment sheets will explain the learning goals, and formal requirements, for each essay. Each essay must be typed, double-spaced, and clipped or stapled. Each essay must have a title page including a title, your name, and the date. In some cases you will be asked to bring notes, outlines, or a rough draft to class before the final due date.<\/p>\n

Since we will use finished essays for in-class exercises on due dates,\u00a0NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE\u00a0<\/strong>ACCEPTED.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our seminar will also be making use of the Dickinson Writing Center at least once during the term; more on that later.<\/p>\n

Diagnostic:<\/strong>\u00a0The diagnostic essay will ask you to respond to a passage by Wordsworth on the relationship between human beings and nature. You will have two (2) days to complete this essay. You will be given credit for completing the assignment, but the essay will not be formally graded.<\/p>\n

(See paper text assignment sheets–distributed in class–for all assignments.)<\/p>\n

Essay #1:\u00a0<\/strong>Thoreau and Nature–Describe the natural world as it is defined by Thoreau. Is this an effective definition of nature, or does Thoreau’s definition have its limitations?<\/p>\n

Essay #2<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/strong>A Self in the Natural World–describe a single experience in which you came to understand some aspect of your relationship to the nonhuman world.<\/p>\n

Essay #3<\/strong>: McKibben vs. Dillard. Compare and contrast McKIbben’s End of Nature\u00a0<\/em>and Dillard’s\u00a0Pilgrim at Tinker Creek\u00a0<\/em>. How are the two books different in their tone and in the way they convey their messages? What do the two works have in common in addition to a concern with nature?<\/p>\n

Essay #4:<\/strong>\u00a0Revision. You will be able to revise any one of these three essays for a new and additional grade. It will not cancel your first grade.<\/p>\n

Annotated Bibliography\u00a0<\/strong>: Your final written assignment for this course will be an annotated bibliography of one of the authors or works we are studying. You will be asked to choose an author or a work during September, and you will then have the entire semester to complete an annotated bibliography of at least ten (10) items. See Anna Orlov’s sample bibliography:\u00a0Orlov Annotated Bibliography.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The form, as well as techniques for the preparation of this bibliography, will be discussed in detail during our library session and several class periods. The purpose of this assignment is for you to learn the basic elements of college-level academic research. This research assignment will be due at the conclusion of the course.<\/p>\n

Course Grading\u00a0<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Class notes. Discussion. Participation. Essay 1. Essay 2. Essay 3. Revision. Bibliography<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 10%———-10%——–10%———-10%—-10%—–10%—–20%——20%===100%<\/strong><\/p>\n

All course requirements must be completed in order for you to pass the course.<\/p>\n

If all of this information makes our seminar sound difficult, demanding, and downright Draconian, now is the time to put your fears to rest. Part of the purpose of the First-Year Seminar Program is to let our group get to know one another in a variety of formats. I will, of course, be available for advising and office hours as the semester proceeds. But we will also be meeting more informally for at least a meal or two, a film or two, and I hope for possible and attend at least one orientation on the network e-mail system, so that we may also communicate electronically–what would Thoreau think! Don’t hesitate to ask me about details of the course, our readings, your writing, your grade, or any other aspect of your life at Dickinson. Remember, “seminar” comes from a word that means “seed plot.” With any luck, this experience will be an important seed plot for the garden of your years at Dickinson.<\/p>\n

Academic Honesty:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Dickinson plagiarism policy will be strictly enforced.\u00a0<\/a>This class adheres to the college’s Community Standards, which clearly state: \u201cStudents are expected to do their own work. Work submitted in fulfillment of academic assignments and provided on examinations is expected to be original by the student submitting it.\u201d Please review the Community Standards document for more information.<\/p>\n

Academic Integrity Tutorial<\/b><\/p>\n

Required of all First-Year Students<\/b><\/p>\n

DEADLINE:\u00a0 Monday, September 9, 2019 at 8 AM.<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0All incoming Dickinson students are required to complete the Academic Integrity tutorial posted on Moodle.\u00a0\u00a0 Students who do not complete this instruction will not be able to request spring classes during the registration period in October.<\/p>\n

Instructions:<\/p>\n