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Welcome to “Saving Wild Places: The Human Value of Wilderness”! In this course we will explore the idea of wilderness and the ways that it has reflected and shaped human attitudes toward the environment historically. Adherence to preservationist ethics is not necessary for success in this course; an open mind is. Be prepared to question concepts and beliefs you have previously taken for granted.

Current discussion of wilderness preservation often focuses on non-human benefits, such as protecting of biodiversity or wildlife habitat. A significant tradition of American thought, literature and public policy also emphasizes the benefits of wilderness and wilderness experience for human beings, including human freedom, morality, self-reliance, health, spirituality and solitude. This seminar explores the history of American environmental thought, wilderness legislation and public-land discussions to understand the importance of wilderness in American life and to assess its role in American society today.

Specific Goals: You will learn about the history of “wilderness” in the United States. You will learn that the concept is culturally constructed and historically specific -- that there is no universal absolute called “wilderness” -- and explore the character and implications of different constructions. You will learn how debates about wilderness can often be more about competing human interests than caring for the non-human environment. You will discuss the difference between “wilderness” and “the wild” and the implications for human action. You will contemplate and assess alternative ways of protecting the wild.

Skills: You will learn how to summarize, critically assess, and construct effective arguments, both textual and visual. You will learn how to analyze and employ a variety of primary sources: text, audio, maps, visual, cinematic, internet. You will learn how to present your ideas in public via presentations and in-class discussion. You will learn research basics and how to apply them in individual and group projects.

Additional materials may be placed on reserve at any time during the course. Relevant internet links will be emailed and periodically added to the course webpage. NOTE: It is your responsibility to make sure that you keep abreast of any changes or additions.

The first book, The Great New Wilderness Debate, will serve as our introduction to the ways wilderness has been defined and redefined over time. It will help us understand the larger implications of policies based on the idea of wilderness preservation, and introduce us to alternative ways of addressing environmental problems. We will read the arguments of well-known writers on the environment, such as Emerson or Thoreau, and those of modern scholars and activists. You will thus be exposed to both the history and the current state of debate on conservation and preservation, and will be expected to make your own contributions to this debate in discussion and your own work.

The other four books, by Gruchow, Abbey, Williams and Hogue, offer us case studies for exploring the ideas raised in the Wilderness Debate collection. They also represent some of the various flavors of “nature writing” available to us today, and thus serve both as examples of such literature and a stylistic counterpoint to the often more scholarly arguments found in the Wilderness Debate articles. You should expect to make comparisons and explore connections between these texts and the articles; hopefully you will also find them enjoyable to read!

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 essays and papers are not graded by starting with 100 points and subtracting points for errors. Rather, each paper or essay 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.

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.

To calculate your grade, do the following:
Participation grade x 0.20 =
Average of reactions x 0.15 =
Presentation grade x 0.10 =
Research paper grade x 0.40 =
Final grade x 0.15 =
TOTAL = grade for course

Week 1: Introductions
2-8 February

Wilderness Debate: “Introduction” pp. 1-20.

Thursday

Wilderness Debate: Edwards, pp. 23-27; Emerson, pp. 28-30; Thoreau, pp. 31-47; Muir, pp. 48-62.
Gruchow, “Preface” and “Summer” (all parts).

Tuesday

Reading Response Due

Thursday

Wilderness Debate: Roosevelt, pp. 63-74; Leopold, pp. 75-84; Marshall, pp. 85-96; Olson, pp. 97-102.
Gruchow, “Fall” and “Winter.”

Tuesday

Reading Response Due
Presentation

Thursday

Wilderness Debate: Leopold, pp. 103-19; Wilderness Act of 1964, pp. 120-30; Woods, pp. 131-53; Nelson, pp. 154-98.
Gruchow, “Spring.” Pay particular attention to this section of Gruchow's book.

Tuesday

Reading Response Due
Presentation

Thursday

PROJECT PROPOSAL DUE

Wilderness Debate: Standing Bear, pp. 201-06; Nash, pp. 207-16; Harmon, pp. 217-30.
Williams, “Prologue,” “Burrowing Owls,” “Whimbrels,” “Snowy Egrets,” “Barn Swallows,” “Peregrine Falcon,” “Wilson’s Phalarope,” “California Gulls,” “Ravens,” and “Pink Flamingos.”

Tuesday

Reading Response Due
Presentation

Thursday

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE

Wilderness Debate: Guha, 231-45; Johns, pp. 246-70; Guha, pp. 271-79; Naess, pp. 280-92.
Williams, “Snow Buntings,” “White Pelicans,” “Yellow-Headed Blackbirds,” “Redheads,” “Killdeer,” “Whistling Swan,” “Great Horned Owl,” “Roadrunner,” “Magpies,” “Long-Billed Curlews,” “Western Tanager,” “Gray Jays,” “Meadowlarks,” “Storm Petrel,” and “Greater Yellowlegs.”

Tuesday

Reading Response Due
Presentation

Thursday

ARGUMENT SYNOPSIS DUE

Wilderness Debate: Gómez-Pompa and Kaus, pp. 293-313; Bayet, pp. 314-24; Talbot, pp. 325-33.
Williams, “ “Canada Geese,” “Bald Eagles,” “Red-Shafted Flicker,” “Dark-Eyed Junco,” “Sanderlings,” “Birds-of-Paradise,” “Pintails, Mallards and Teals,” “Bitterns,” “Snowy Plovers,” “Great Blue Heron,” “Screech Owls,” “Avocets and Stilts,” and “The Clan of One-Breasted Women.” Pay special attention to “The Clan of One-Breasted Women.”

Tuesday

Reading Response Due
Presentation

Thursday

Week 8: SPRING BREAK
23-29 March

Abbey, “Introduction,” “The First Morning,” “Solitaire,” “The Serpents of Paradise,” “Cliffrose and Bayonets,” “Polemic,” and “Rocks.” Pay special attention to “Polemic.”

SPRING BREAK: 22-30 MARCH

Wilderness Debate: Callicott, pp. 337-66; Rolston, pp. 367-86; Callicott, pp. 387-94.
Abbey, “Cowboys and Indians” (both parts), “Water,” “The Heat of Noon,” and “The Moon-Eyed Horse.”

Tuesday

Reading Response Due ? for Abbey, pay particular attention to the Introduction and Polemic; otherwise, look for overall themes.
Presentation

Thursday BACK to Top

Wilderness Debate: Foreman, pp. 395-407; Noss, pp. 408-413; Denevan, pp. 414-442.

Tuesday

Reading Response Due

Thursday

WORKING DRAFT DUE

Wilderness Debate: Birch, pp. 443-70; Cronon, pp. 471-499; Henberg, pp. 500-10.
Abbey, “Down the River,” “Havasu,” “The Dead Man at Grandview Point,” “Tukuhnikivats,” “Episodes and Visions,” “Terra Incognita,” and “Bedrock and Paradox.”

Tuesday

Reading Response Due
Presentation

Thursday

Wilderness Debate: Leopold, pp. 513-20; Noss, pp. 521-39; Waller, pp. 540-67.
Hogue, Parts I and II (“Introductory” and “Deep Time”).

Tuesday

Reading Response Due
Presentation

Thursday

Wilderness Debate: Foreman, pp. 568-84; Callicott, pp. 585-94; Grumbine, pp. 595-616.
Hogue, Parts III and IV (“Cowboys and Indians,” and “A Century of Wilderness”).

Tuesday

Reading Response Due
FINAL PROJECT DUE

Thursday

Wilderness Debate Turner, pp. 617-27; Nabhan, pp. 628-41; Synder, pp. 642-51; Plumwood, pp. 652-690.
Hogue, Part V (“Desert at the Millennium”).

Tuesday

Reading Response Due

Thursday

Discussion of Projects

Re-read initial in-class essay.
Tuesday: LAST DAY OF CLASS

Thoughts on the Semester (Final Response)Due
Take-Home Final Exam Handed Out

NOTE: 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 miss a section due to illness.

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