"Most great stories of adventure, from The Hobbit to Seven Pillars of Wisdom, come furnished with a map. That's because every story of adventure is in part the story of a landscape, of the interrelationship between human beings (or Hobbits, as the case may be) and topography. Every adventure story is conceivable only with reference to the particular set of geographical features that in each case sets the course, literally, of the tale."-Michael Chabon

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Course Objectives

The American landscape has long played a role in American literature. This course will explore how writers both reflect and construct “place” in their texts. Students will encounter readings by a diverse group of writers including Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, and Annie Dillard.

This course will not only require analysis of American environmental literature—it will also push students to use those same analytical skills to examine their own ideas about environment, landscape, and home. Students will work in written, oral, visual, and electronic mediums to synthesize their understanding of “place” in a multi-modal way. Work will include two formal essays, a visual photo project, a research project/presentation, and regular journaling/blogging.

Texts

American Earth, edited by Bill McKibben

Blood Dazzler, by Patricia Smith

Buffalo for the Broken Heart, by Dan O’Brien

Student Guide, ISU Foundation Courses

The Brief Penguin Handbook

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