ENGLISH 304, Winter, 2007
ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE
Instructor: Dr. Richard Lewis
282-6004; ra_lewis@comcast.net
ENG 304, Environmental Literature, presents
fiction, thoughtful prose, and poetry about the natural world around us and
invites students to think and write about the environment, both critically and
creatively. It’s
primary regional focus is the western
NOTE:
We will read and discuss all of Refuge,
the Week 5 reading. Be ready for this by
beginning to read it well before Week 5.
ELEMENTS OF ENGLISH 304
· WebCT Homepage. Important! Each time the student logs in, he or she should check the Announcement on the Home page. Information about writing assignments, exams, chat room, etc. will be there. Students are responsible for information provided in all Homepage Announcements.
· Instructor’s Commentary on weekly reading assignments. Discussion should reference this.
· A glossary of terms to be printed and kept for exam reference
· Poetry
· Weekly reading assignments (Note Instruction Schedule below)
·
Small Group Discussions
· A Chat room (students must attend one during the course)
· A 3-4 page Reading Report, due no later than Sunday, Jan 28 by WebCT email attachment.
· A Final Glossary, Poetry, and Essay Exam posted Sunday, Feb 4
REQUIRED
TEXTS
Dillard, Annie. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Perennial Classics. Pbk.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo and Henry David
Thoreau. Nature/Walking.
Leopold, Aldo. A Sand
Stegner, Wallace. Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs. Modern Library Classics. pbk.
Williams, Terry Tempest. Refuge. Vintage Books, 1992. pbk.
INSTRUCTION
SCHEDULE
NO LATER THAN 5:00 PM, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 3rd CHECK IN WITH YOUR GROUP, INTRODUCE YOURSELF, SELECT A WEEKLY LEADER FOR EACH OF THE WEEKS, INCLUDING THE FIRST WEEK. THE GROUP LEADER WILL POST THAT WEEK’S SUMMARY OF THE GROUP DISCUSSION.
WEEKLY DISCUSSION HAS A LARGE IMPACT ON YOUR GRADE; BE SURE TO CHECK IN AT LEAST TWICE EACH WEEK, RESPONDING TO EACH OTHER’S COMMENTS, QUOTING FROM THE ASSIGNED READING, AND OFFERING THOUGHTS ABOUT THE READING AND THE POETRY.
WEEK 1, Jan. 3rd to Jan. 7
Reading Assignment:
1. Thoreau, Walking, pp. 71-122.
2. Poetry
3. Instructor’s Commentary on Thoreau
General group discussion of the Reading Assignment for Week 1. Between Wednesday and Sunday, carry on discussion, citing specific passages in Walking, asking questions (e.g., “What do you think he means when he says…” or “What did you get out of the poem, ‘The Old Marlborough Road’ on page 82?”), offering thoughts of your own, related experience etc. You must check in with the group at least twice between Wednesday and Sunday.
By 5:00 PM, Sunday, Jan. 7, the Week 1 Group Leader posts a summary of the discussion in the Forum. On Monday, the instructor will respond to group postings
WEEK 2, Jan. 8 to Jan. 14
Reading Assignment:
1. Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac: Part I, February,
April, July, October, November; Part II, “Sketches Here and There”: “Odyssey,”
pp. 104-108, “On a Monument to the Pigeon,” pp. 108-112; “Thinking Like a
Mountain,” pp. 129-133; “Oregon and Utah,” pp. 154-158; Part III, “The Upshot”: “Wilderness,” p. 188
– end of book.
2. Poetry
3. Instructor’s Commentary on Leopold
No later than 5:00 PM on Tuesday, Jan. 9, the Week 2 Group Leader invites group discussion by posting a set of questions and short comments, based on all three of the assigned sections of A Sand County Almanac. Between Tuesday and Friday group members discuss the assigned readings. Each student must make at least two substantive comments, responding to other students and citing passages or information in the text.
By 10: PM, Friday, Jan. 12 the Week 2 Group Leader posts a summary of the group discussion. Instructor will respond to group summary on Saturday, Jan. 13.
WEEK 3, Jan. 15-21
Reading Assignment:
1. Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 14
2. Poetry
3. Instructor’s Commentary on Dillard
No later than 5:00 PM, Tuesday, Jan. 16, the Week 3 Group Leader invites group discussion by posting a set of questions and short comments, based on all of the assigned chapters of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Between Tuesday and Friday group members discuss the assigned reading.
By 10:00 PM, Friday, Jan. 19, the Week 3 Group Leader posts a summary of the group discussion. Instructor will respond to group summary on Saturday, Jan. 20.
WEEK 4, Jan. 22-28
Reading Assignment:
1. Wallace Stegner, Where the Bluebird Sings…, “Introduction,” “Thoughts in a Dry Land,” “Striking the Rock,” “Variations on a Theme by Crevecoeur,” “The Sense of Place.”
2. Poetry
3. Instructor’s Commentary on Stegner
No later than 5:00 PM, Tuesday, Jan. 23, Week 4 Group Leader invites group discussion by posting a set of questions and short comments, based on all of the assigned chapters of Where the Bluebird Sings… Between Tuesday and Friday group members discuss the assigned reading
By 10:00 PM, Friday, Jan. 27, the Week 4 Group Leader posts a summary of the group discussion. Instructor will respond to group summary on Saturday, Jan. 28.
WEEK 5, Jan. 29-Feb 2
Reading Assignment:
1. Terry Tempest Williams, Refuge; entire book
2. Poetry
3. Instructor’s Commentary on Williams
No later than 5:00 PM, Tuesday, Jan. 30, Week 5 Group Leader invites group discussion by posting a set of questions and short comments, based on Refuge. Between Tuesday and Friday group members discuss the assigned readings.
By 10:00 PM, Friday, Feb. 2, the Week 5 Group Leader posts a summary of the group discussion. Instructor will respond to group summary on Saturday, Feb. 3.
CHAT ROOMS
Jan. 11, 14, 18, 21, 28. Assignment to a Chatroom will be made in Week 1, with schedule posted by Sunday, Jan. 11. Students must attend one chatroom during the five weeks of the course.
GLOSSARY
A weekly glossary of terms will be posted on the Course Menu Glossary link. These
should be reviewed regularly. Identification of glossary terms will be included in the final exam.
READING REPORT
By Sunday midnight, January 28, each student must submit—as a WebCT email attachment—a 3-4 page (at least 3 full pages), double-spaced summary of the content of a chapter from a list posted on the “Reading Report Topics” on the Course Menu on the Homepage. This summary should be an adequate restatement of the ideas and information presented in the chapter. A few brief quotations should be used but most of the report must be in the student’s own words.
The primary focus of this report should be the information/ideas in the chapter; not the personal thoughts and experience of the student.
NOTE: No cover page; the first page of the paper should have the name of the student and the title and chapter of the book being summarized. Also, please paginate and proofread before submitting.
GRADING
Grades
are by the standard grading system (A-F; A, B, and C may be whole grade, plus,
or minus). The principal categories of
graded work are contributions to discussions, the Reading Report, and the Final
Exam.
FINAL
EXAM
The
Final Exam will be posted as an Announcement by noon on Sunday, Feb. 4. Responses are due by WebCT Email no later
than midnight, Tuesday, Feb. 6. There will
be three parts: glossary, poetry, appreciation essay.