{"id":569,"date":"2017-01-25T00:48:09","date_gmt":"2017-01-25T00:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/syllabus\/?p=569"},"modified":"2018-10-01T13:02:24","modified_gmt":"2018-10-01T13:02:24","slug":"american-nature-writing-environment-culture-values-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/syllabus\/2017\/01\/25\/american-nature-writing-environment-culture-values-2\/","title":{"rendered":"American Nature Writing: Environment, Culture, Values"},"content":{"rendered":"

ENST 111 \/ ENGL 101 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>Fall 2018\u00a0 <\/strong>_________________________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n

American Nature Writing: <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Environment, Culture, Values<\/strong><\/h2>\n

__________________________________________________________\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Required Texts:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

American Earth:\u00a0Environmental Writing Since Thoreau. <\/em>Ed. Bill McKibben, Library of America<\/p>\n

Beyond Romantic Ecocriticism: Toward Urbanatural Roosting, <\/em>Ashton Nichols, Palgrave Macmillan<\/p>\n

Walden, or Life in the Woods<\/em>, Henry David Thoreau, G. W. Zouck<\/p>\n

A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There<\/em>, Aldo Leopold, Ballantine\/Random House<\/p>\n

Desert Solitaire: A\u00a0Season in the Wilderness<\/em>, Edward Abbey, Touchstone\/Simon Shuster<\/p>\n

The End of Nature<\/em>, Bill McKibben, Anchor Doubleday<\/p>\n

Course Objectives & Learning Goals:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

What does American nature writing have to do with the environment, culture, and values? A great deal. What does great literature have to do with nonfictional observation of nature? A surprising amount. Our course will survey writings by a wide range of authors: young and old, male and female, northern and southern, black and white. We will set these works in dialogue with environmental questions of the past two centuries: wilderness and species preservation, appreciation of wild nature, pollution. The course will also study language, literary styles, and the link between literature and \u201cenvironment, culture, and values.\u201d Our texts will be literary and scientific. Our contexts will be environmental, ethical, and ecological. We will work to answer questions about the relationship between the natural world and human beings who have defined and affected that world. Are humans just part of nature? Are we distinct from nature? Is nature beautiful and benign (sunsets, daffodils, puffins) or ugly and destructive (hurricanes, AIDS, death)? How and why should we preserve nature? Why is climate change considered the major challenge facing the modern world? We will try to understand how literary texts reflect the context of the times in which they were produced and also the times in which they have been received by readers. Our guides will include novelists, essayists, and ourselves. We will examine the current importance (as well as the controversial aspects) of evolutionary ideas, and we will emphasize the role played by literature in the development of our own environmental assumptions and values.<\/p>\n

Useful Websites for\u00a0American Nature Writing at Online Syllabus<\/em>:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/syllabus\/2017\/01\/25\/american-nature-writing-environment-culture-values\/<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Romantic Natural History<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/romnat\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Nature Writing (1791-2009)<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/thoreauandwilderness\/American-Nature-Writing<\/a><\/p>\n

Berkeley History of Evolution<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/evolution.berkeley.edu\/evolibrary\/article\/history_01<\/a><\/p>\n

Walden Woods<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.walden.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Edward Abbey<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.abbeyweb.net\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Aldo Leopold<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.aldoleopold.org\/about\/aldo-leopold\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Bill McKibben<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.billmckibben.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Urbanatural Roosting Web Portal<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/urbanaturalroosting\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Required Work:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Students will be required to read carefully and come to class prepared to discuss all assigned work. Reading quizzes and in-class writing will contribute to discussions. Discussion will form an important part of your evaluation in this course. More than two (2) unexcused absences will be grounds for lowering your grade. You must complete all required work in order to pass this class.<\/p>\n

Grading Based on the Following Scale:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Class participation 10%\u00a0(includes group work):\u2028Short essay (one work) 20%: Long essay (authors\/works) 30%:\u00a0Final exam 40% : Total =<\/span> 100%<\/p>\n

The short essay (4-5 pp.) will ask you to analyze a single text. T<\/span>he longer essay (9-10 pp.) will ask you to connect at least one work to the culture in which it was produced. The final exam will be cumulative. I am available during office hours and by appointment to discuss the course, our readings, your writing, or your grade.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/strong>The Dickinson plagiarism policy will be strictly enforced.<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>This class adheres to the College\u2019s 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

Accommodating Students with Disabilities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dickinson College makes reasonable academic accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Students requesting accommodations must make their request and provide appropriate documentation to Disability Services in Biddle House. Because classes change every semester, eligible students must obtain a new accommodation letter from Director Marni Jones every semester and review this letter with their professors so the accommodations can be implemented. The Director of Disability Services is available by appointment to answer questions and discuss any implementation issues you may have. Disability Services proctoring is managed by Susan Frommer at 717-254-8107<\/a> or proctoring@dickinson.edu.<\/a> Address general inquiries to Stephanie Anderberg at 717-245-1734<\/a> or e-mail\u00a0disabilityservices@dickinson.edu.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Professor Ashton Nichols: K 192 \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Class meetings: 1:30-2:45 p.m. M TH<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Office Hours: M & TH \u00a012:00-1:30 p.m. W 12:00-1:30 p.m. & by appt. \u00a0Classroom: Kaufman 186<\/strong><\/h3>\n