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Cultural Constructions of Nature

The purpose of this assignment is to develop your awareness of the ways the concept “nature” is used to organize and define various aspects of our daily lives. It is also intended to help you make specific real-world connections to the generalized and often theoretical discussions of nature found in our readings.

The Essentials:

Choose and Describe Three Representations of Nature:

For this paper, you will need to find three representations of nature to assess. You will need to describe them (including their origins) and include, if possible, a copy with your paper. These representations should be “popular” -- that is, they are intended for viewing by the general public. Possible sources for such representations include film, television, advertisements, popular magazines, science textbooks, children’s books, calendars, travel brochures, etc. The three representations MUST have something in common -- theme, audience, medium, etc. -- beyond simply being about nature. Otherwise it is difficult to justify discussing them together in the same paper. If they have several things in common, that’s even better!

These representations will be included in an appendix attached to your paper (which isn’t included in the page total); you will still need to describe them at least briefly in the paper (especially so that your readers can understand what you saw in them). If you choose a source that doesn’t translate easily to paper (such as film or tv), see me as soon as possible to discuss how to include this source in your paper.

Having described your representations, you will need to critically assess them. This does not mean to tear them into bits, but rather to think seriously about what they have to say and how they are put together, and for what (and whose) purpose. Interpreting Nature andUncommon Ground should be helpful resources for this task; the first talks about the discourses (or conversations) different groups have about nature, and their agendas; the latter does this too and offers examples of scholars critically assessing materials. Using them to explain and defend your ideas is strongly recommended.

Have a Clear Argument:

You will need to explain why you have done this assessment, and why it was reasonable to do so. This is similar to what you have done on the weekly responses, only in reverse. Your reader, after finishing, should be able to say “I see why you felt it was important to choose these sources, say these things about them, and write this paper.” The organization of your ideas is up to you; you do not have to present them in the order described (indeed, I do not expect you to do so). However, this means that you must clearly explain what you are doing as you go, and have a firm sense of how all the parts fit together to form a coherent whole. A good analogy is that you are leading your readers on a journey through your ideas. Readers are more accepting if you explain where you’re going, what they’re seeing and why, how they got there, and why it was important to take the trip in the first place. Writing a draft or two and revising them is highly recommended. I am also willing to read drafts, given a week’s notice.

Important Dates: