ENVS 11 Humans and Nature in America

Using literary texts as the primary guides, this course will explore a variety of relationships between humans and the natural world in North America (primarily the USA) over the last 200 years. The texts— including the Journals of Lewis and Clark, nonfiction by John McPhee and Terry Tempest Williams, and fiction by Toni Morrison and Leslie Marmon Silko—will be supplemented by readings and guest lectures from other academic perspectives and integrated with the students' own contemplative fieldwork. The goal will be to investigate the complexities inherent in any human's relationship with the natural world - from individual perceptions to social and cultural constructions; analyze those that seem particularly "American"; then integrate the contemplative fieldwork and academic analyses to develop characteristics of a more sustainable human-nature relationship in America.

Instructor

TBD

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:LIT; WCult:W

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