Eco-Criticism encompasses an exciting and important intersection of literary forms, environmental issues, intellectual disciplines, and political perspectives. This course will examine the history, range and development of environmental literature, examining texts that help exemplify those stages of development—from naïve romanticism, to toxic discourse, to reflections on the nonhuman. Students will gain the skills to identify the problematic issues raised by environmental literature including the porous boundaries of nature, the “inherent” violent nature of Western thought, the slippery slope of anthropomorphism, and the challenge of scientific literacy. Students will gain the ability to analyze environmental literature from distinct critical perspectives and likewise the ability to recognize those perspectives (and their inherent biases/limitations) in the environmental texts they encounter outside the classroom. Students will also gain the skills to analyze the environmental themes and ethical perspectives communicated in other mediums including art, graphic novels and film.
Course Texts:
Clark, Timothy. The Cambridge Introduction to Literature and the Environment.
(Cambridge, 2010)
Hogan, Linda. People of the Whale. (NY: W.W. Norton & Co., 2009).
McGibben, Bill. Ed. American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau. (Library of
America, 2008)
Moore, Alan. Saga of the Swamp Thing. (NY: DC Comics, 2012).
Snyder, Gary. Turtle Island. (NY: New Directions, 2008).
Williams, Terry Tempest. Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place. (Vintage
Books, 1991, 2001).
Course Requirements:
Active Participation in Canvas Discussions and Attendance. Three Eco-Criticism Analyses. One Team Presentation.
Intended Audience:
Students with strong writing skills who have a major or minor in sustainability, environmental studies, English literature or environmental writing.
Class Format:
Lecture and discussion