Environmental Studies 101
Dr. Rachel D. Shaw
Fall 2002
Tues 11:45-1:10
Thurs 12:50-2:15
M30
environ-studies-101@stolaf.edu
http://www.stolaf.edu/people/shawr/courses/ES101/ES101syllabus2002.htm
shawr@stolaf.edu
Please include "ES101" in subject heading
Office: Holland 511
Office Hours: Tuesday 2:30-4:00 and by appointment.
(You are also welcome to just drop by!)
History Dept.: (507) 646-3167
Office: (507) 646-3826
(Email is quicker and preferred.)
Welcome to “The Culture of Nature”! This environmental history course explores the social and cultural construction of “nature” in the 20th century, looking at the historical and theoretical roots of contemporary environmental issues. We will pay particular attention to animals (human and otherwise) and consumption as a way of understanding the implications and consequences of the ways our culture constructs “nature.”
Specific Goals: You will learn about the history of “nature” in the United States. You will learn what it means to say that “nature” is historically specific and culturally constructed. You will learn to question representations of the non-human world, and ask what agendas or presuppositions lie behind them. You will learn how issues of class, race, and gender, nationalism, individualism, and identity are contested and expressed through the medium of “nature.” You will learn to interpret the cultural and ecological terrain of local ecoscapes. You will assess the pros and cons of using “nature” to understand the non-human world (we will explore the ecoscape as an alternative). You will learn why “nature” appears in scare quotes in this introduction!
Skills: You will learn how to summarize, critically assess, and construct effective arguments, both textual and visual. You will learn how to interpret ecoscapes and how to assess and deconstruct social constructions. You will learn how to present your ideas effectively in image, text, and speech.
Texts are available in the Bookstore and may be placed on reserve in the library.
Neil Evernden, The Social Construction of Nature.(Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992.)
Yi-Fu Tuan, Escapism. (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998).
Jennifer Price, Flight Maps: Adventures with Nature in Modern America. (Basic Books, 1999).
Arnold Arluke and Clinton R. Sanders, Regarding Animals. (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1996.
Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. (Perennial, 2002). (Be sure to get the updated paperback version, not the 2001 edition.)
Articles and other materials will be placed on reserve in the library. Links to relevant web sites will be emailed and may appear on the web version of this syllabus. Additional materials may be contributed by members of the class as need and interest warrant. It is your responsibility to obtain and read these materials when assigned.
See Schedule of Assignments
for a fuller description of the roles these texts will play in the course.
Class Participation
Weekly Reading Reactions
Images of “Nature”
Critiquing Cultural Constructions
Reading a Local Ecoscape
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(Group Project)
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In the following grade scale, the grade is centered at the number following it. That is, if you received an 83, it would count as a high B-. Similarly, an 84 would be a low B.
Note that your work is not graded by starting with 100 points and subtracting points for errors. Rather, each contribution is weighed on its overall merits, judged to be falling within a given grade range, and the number assigned accordingly. Moreover, comments on written work will focus on major and/or typical problems or strengths; they will not itemize every flaw or contribution. More detailed explanation can be requested individually during office visits.
If you have questions about how to improve your work, I will be happy to meet with you during office hours. You can also contact me by phone, email, or in person to arrange an appointment.
You are also welcome to stop by my office just to chat!
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Participation: You are expected to attend all sections
of class, barring emergencies. Beyond attendance, you will be assessed
on how well you contribute to class discussion and work. This includes commenting
on and asking questions about the reading, and responding thoughtfully and
respectfully to others in the class. All students are expected to participate
regularly in class discussions and to keep up with the reading and other
assignments.
A significant component of participation will be the use of “exit cards.” At the end of each class you will explain the most important thing you learned in class that day, and include a question or comment about something that you were confused by or wish to learn more about. If you are a shy person who finds it difficult to speak in class, I strongly encourage you to use the exit cards as a way to demonstrate your engagement with the materials and with class discussion. (They cannot fully make up for a lack of regular involvement in discussion, but they can partially compensate for it.)
If you have concerns about your participation, please see me as soon as possible, so that we can figure out the best way for you to improve and build on your strengths.
Weekly Reading Reactions: (1-2 pages) At the beginning of every week each of you will turn in a short paper in which the reading for that week is summarized and analyzed. This means identifying the main idea of the piece (not the topic, but the author’s opinion about it) and thoughtfully analyzing the author’s effectiveness in persuading the reader to accept it. (Note: you can disagree with a piece while still finding it effectively presented; vice versa, a likeable idea may still be poorly supported and/or explained.) You may, if you wish, add a brief paragraph summarizing your personal reaction to the readings; this section will not be graded (unless it is particularly insightful; then it will contribute positively to the overall value of the paper).
The reaction for the last week of class will be in part a response to your initial first-week essay.
Note: part of this assignment is learning to get at the heart of the matter quickly and to explain it concisely. If you are having trouble fitting your analysis into the page limits, you probably need to work on your focus.
If you are still having problems with this after the third assignment (e.g., if you receive more than 2 check-minuses) see me individually so we can figure out what the problem is.
Due weekly on Tuesday. If Tuesday is a holiday, it will be due Thursday that week.
Images of “Nature” Sketch/Scrap Book: (Minimum 15 images (1 image/week)) Each week you will obtain or produce at least one image of a “natural” or “unnatural” object to put in your scrapbook. Each image will be accompanied by a short annotation identifying the object and explaining why it is -- or is not -- “natural.” You are encouraged to relate your thoughts about the object to the reading, and to be creative in the production of this scrap book. Scrap books will be turned in periodically for comment, and will be shared with the class during the last weeks of the semester. At the end, you will write 3-5 pages assessing the collection as a whole, and integrating it into the larger themes of the course. This will require a clear thesis, analytical assessment, and the use of the readings and the images to persuade your reader/viewer that your thesis is worth taking seriously.
The format of the scrapbook is up to you -- it can be a notebook, a sketchbook, a series of posters, a diorama, a web page, a memory box -- anything that allows you to display and comment on your images. Images can be created by you (sketching or painting is encouraged) or can be “found objects” encountered in the physical world or in the media. Your overall goal is to become more aware of the ways “nature” is constructed in our daily lives, and to make connections between your own experiences and the ideas presented in the readings and in class.
Midterm assessment on 17 October. Final project due 3 December.
Reading a Local Ecoscape: (equivalent of 6-8 typed pages, not counting supporting images) As a member of a small group, you will observe a local ecoscape belonging to either St. Olaf or Carleton periodically over the course of the semester. This means that you must go to the ecoscape in question (choose one that you can take in from a single vantage point), describe what you can see and sense, research the history of the site in question, and assess the “success” or “failure” of that ecoscape (you will need to define what you mean by these). Daily observation is probably not necessary, but at least two members of the group should visit the ecoscape in question at least once a week. You are encouraged to include photographs and/or sketches and/or maps in your final report. Alternatives to a paper (such as a website or documentary video) are contingent on my approval. Your goal is to understand and explain to others (in your final report) the past, present, and probable future of your ecoscape.
An important secondary goal is learning to work as part of a team; because of this, if there are any problems of an interpersonal sort, it is your responsibility to inform me of them immediately. The sooner they are noted and corrected, the less likely they are to affect the effectiveness of the final report. Things like workload, standards, deadlines, etc. may all require regular negotiation.
Brief description due 19 September. Final due and presented 26 November.
GROUP WORK: 5-6 people.
Final Exam: The final exam will assess what you have learned as a result of taking this course. Part of it will assess your familiarity with the readings; part of it will test your comprehension of course themes and materials; and part of it will ask you to reflect at greater length on what you have learned in this course.
Exam is scheduled for 13 December, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
We will begin with Neil Evernden’s The Social Construction of Nature, which will introduce the idea that “nature” is a socially and historically constructed category, rather than an absolute reality. Essays by Stephen Vogel, David Fisher, Ted Karasote and Lawrence Joseph add depth and complexity to this argument, allowing us to discuss its implications. These readings combined will provide the theoretical groundwork for subsequent discussion.
From there we will move on to Yi-Fu Tuan’s Escapism, which talks about “culture” as a human invention created to help humans escape from “nature,” and to Jennifer Price’s Flight Paths, which reveals how “nature” and the nonhuman world are and have been created and consumed in American society. In this section, we will be examining how the ways we understand and construct “nature” affect our interactions with the physical world, including our own bodies. An article by Natalie Angier will add to our understanding. Supplemental materials may be brought in for discussion; you are encouraged to bring materials for examination as well.
After the break, we will turn to Arluke and Sanders’ Regarding Animals. Their book looks at a particular sub-category of “nature” -- animals -- and explores the variety of ways our culture asks us to think about and interact with them. Their argument will give us some case studies to discuss, and offer additional theoretical frameworks for thinking about our relationships with the non-human world. Essays by Sy Montgomery and Chet Raymo add a more personal reflection on the human-animal relationship.
Finally, we will read and discuss Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation. By focusing on food, we will get at the “meat” of the human-animal relationship, the consumption of “nature,” and the implications of how we interact both physically and culturally with the nonhuman world. An article by Michael Pollan on the potato will provide further context for Schlosser’s argument, and raise questions about the issues of power and control involved in commercial agriculture. Additional materials, such as cartoons, cookbooks, advertisements etc. will supplement in-class discussion; you will be encouraged to bring in examples from your own lives for further examination. We may, interest and resources permitting, make and consume food as an exercise in bringing the physical and theoretical aspects of consumption together.
Throughout the course you will be exploring these themes individually and in small groups, as you thoughtfully explore and analyze the images of “nature” and the physical and cultural environment of your chosen ecoscape. By doing so, it is hoped that you will come to realize your own role in the production, consumption, use and appreciation of “nature.”
NOTE: This syllabus may be amended as necessary during the semester, though I will try to keep such changes to a minimum. It is your responsibility to attend class regularly so as to be aware of any possible changes, and to check with me if you are unsure about materials covered in class or if you miss a section due to illness.
Week 1: Introduction: The Culture of Nature
Thursday, 5 September
Introduction to course and to each other
In-Class Assignment: What Does “Nature” Mean to You?
Week 2: The Uses of Nature
Vogel, “Environmental Philosophy after the End of Nature,” in Environmental
Ethics 24:1 (Spring 2002). (On reserve.)
David E. Fisher, “The Nature of Nature, in The Nature of Nature.
(On reserve.)
Evernden, Preface and Part I.
Tuesday, 10 September
Reading Response DueThursday, 12 September
Week 3: The Creation of Nature
Evernden, Part II.
Bill McKibben, “A Carefully Controlled Experiment,” in The Nature of
Nature. (On reserve.)
Optional Web Pages:
Medieval Painting
http://www.beyondbooks.com/art11/2e_link.asp
Provides links to various sites dealing with Medieval art.
Leonardo da Vinci and his "Vitruvian Man"
http://www.aiwaz.net/Leonardo/
Reveals Renaissance interest in detail, proper proportions.
http://www.theartgallery.com.au/ArtEducation/greatartists/DaVinci/10_Vitruvian_Man/
A close-up of Vitruvian Man.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15440a.htm
An overview of da Vinci and his life.
Vermeer Van Delft and Dutch painting
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/v/vermeer/03c/25artpa.html
Brief history of The Art of Painting, also called The Artist
in His Studio.
http://www.pearlearring.com/vermeer/
Overview of Vermeer's life, with links.
http://www.vermeerscamera.co.uk/artisthome.htm
Overview of Vermeer's life; see related links below.
The Camera Obscura
http://brightbytes.com/cosite/what.html
Explains what a camera obscura is and how it works. Includes
links to pictures.
http://www.newcastle.edu.au/discipline/fine-art/theory/analysis/an-orig2.htm
Sketches of the camera obscura in use, and some of its relative,
the camera lucida.
http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/history/cameraob.htm
Brief history of the camera obscura and its use.
http://www.vermeerscamera.co.uk/roomhome.htm
http://www.vermeerscamera.co.uk/3dhome.htm
These sites reveal the accuracy of Vermeer's painting by
recreating a room that appears in several of his paintings. The second site
includes a
3-D version of the room.
Tuesday, 17 September
Reading Response DueThursday, 19 September
Deadline for choosing ecoscape
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ECOSCAPE DUE
Week 4: Why We Might Want to Question Nature
Evernden, Part III and Epilogue.
Ted Kerasote, “Logging,” in The Nature of Nature. (On reserve.)
Lawrence E. Joseph, “The Human Chauvinist Within,” in The Nature of
Nature. (On reserve.)
Tuesday, 24 September
Reading Response DueThursday, 26 September
Week 5: Escaping or Denying Nature?
Tuan, Preface and Chapter 1.
Price, Introduction.
Natalie Angier, “Natural Disasters,” in The Nature of Nature. (On
reserve.)
Tuesday, 1 October
Reading Response DueThursday, 3 October
Week 6: The Human Animal: Natural or Cultural?
Tuan, Chapter 2-3.
Price, Chapter 1-2.
Tuesday, 8 October
Reading Response DueThursday, 10 October
Week 7: Consuming Nature or the Nature of Consumption?
Optional: Tuan, Chapters 4-5.
Price, Chapters 3-5.
Tuesday, 15 October
Reading Response DueThursday, 17 October
MIDTERM ASSESSMENT OF IMAGES OF NATURE
FALL BREAK 19-22 October
Week 8: What Do Animals “Mean”?
Arluke and Sanders, Introduction and Part I.
Tuesday -- NO CLASS
Thursday, 24 October
Reading Response Due
Week 9: Interacting with Animals
Arluke and Sanders, Part II: Chapters 3-5.
Sy Montgomery, “The Emus,” in The Nature of Nature. (On reserve.)
Tuesday, 29 October
Reading Response DueThursday, 31 October -- Halloween!
Week 10: Larger Implications of Our Treatment
of Animals
Arluke and Sanders, Part II: Chapters 6-7; Conclusion.
Chet Raymo, “Drunk on Honey: Seeing Ourselves in Nature,” in The Nature
of Nature. (On reserve.)
Tuesday, 5 November
Reading Response DueThursday, 7 November
Week 11: The Ingredients of Fast Food:
Nature or Culture?
Schlosser, Introduction, and Part II: Chapters 5-7.
Optional: Part I.
Michael Pollan, “Desire: Control. Plant: The Potato. (Solanum tuberosum
)” (On reserve.)
http://www.ucomics.com/bizarro/2002/08/01/
http://www.ucomics.com/bizarro/2002/08/05/
http://www.ucomics.com/bizarro/2002/08/22/
Tuesday, 12 November
Reading Response DueThursday, 14 November
Week 12: The Hazards of Escapism and
Denial
Schlosser, Part II: Chapters 8-10; Epilogue; Afterword.
Tuesday, 19 November
Reading Response DueThursday -- 21 November
Week 13: Sharing Ecoscapes
Tuesday, 26 November
READING A LOCAL ECOSCAPE DUETHANKSGIVING HOLIDAY: 27 November-1 December
Presentation of Ecoscapes
Thursday -- 28 November - NO CLASS
Week 14: Sharing What We’ve Discovered
Tuesday, 3 December
IMAGES OF NATURE DUECHRISTMAS FESTIVAL -- 5-8 December
Exchange and discussion of Images of Nature projects
Thursday, 5 December -- CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL
IMAGES OF NATURE DUE
Exchange and discussion of Images of Nature projects
Week 15: Thinking Back over
the Semester
Vogel essay -- re-read. Do not simply review your notes
on it.
Re-read first papers and Vogel essay and comment on changes in your perspective
since then. This will be your reaction assignment for this last week.
Tuesday, 10 December -- LAST DAY OF CLASS
“Thinking Back” Paper Due -- discussionWednesday, 11 December
LAST DAY TO TURN IN ANY LATE WORKThursday, 12 December -- READING DAY
Work turned in after 4pm today will not be accepted.
FINAL EXAMS -- 13-19 December
Friday, 13 December -- Scheduled Exam , 2:30-4:30 p.m.
NOTE: We may have a take-home
final in lieu of an in-class exam. If so, the take-home would be due at the
scheduled time. In either case, you are required to show up as scheduled.