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[schedule] [weekly response page] English 324: Study of Non-fiction: The
Literature of Place
Edward Abbey, from the opening lines of Desert Solitaire REQUIRED TEXTS Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac; Wallace Stegner, Wolf Willow;
Gretel Ehrlich, The Solace of Open Spaces; Annie Dillard, A Pilgrim at Tinker
Creek; Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire; John McPhee, The Pine Barrens;
Barry Lopez, Arctic Dreams; Jamaica Kincaid, A Small Place *Recommended:
Ian Marshall, Story Line: Exploring the Literature of the Appalachian Trail COURSE DESCRIPTION Perhaps you're surprised by the title. This course won't be a "study of the essay," its beginnings, development and current manifestations. Instead, we'll focus on a handful of writers who have written extended essays on a place. They write "non-fiction," a term more useful for explaining what it is not than what it is. These works are certainly creative, and have a strong element of the poetic. These writers all exhibit the serious attention to language, form and thought that characterizes other kinds literature--poetry, drama, fiction--but with particular attention to a common theme. Our focus will be somewhat narrower than "the essay," but will nevertheless focus on a specific genre. This course will examine interesting and illuminating connections between literature and the natural environment. We will examine how changing literary interpretations of the land have influenced attitudes toward non-human nature and how cultural values have shaped our definitions of nature, our perceptions of it, and our interaction with the natural world. Since environmental writing seems to begin with the assumption that we have not thought about our surroundings richly or deeply enough, how then does it go about showing us a new way of "seeing" familiar landscapes? How should humans negotiate their "place" in nature. What is a sense of place? Like all English courses, this is a course in reading and writing. You will not only read non-fiction essays, you will write them. The goal for this course is for you to become a better reader--more responsive and insightful--and a better writer-richer and more precise. Since this is a literature course and not course on philosophy or ecology, our attention will mostly be on the style and rhetoric in these writers and the shape of this interdisciplinary genre that has common topics and concerns. To read in this way, we will be noticing, interrogating, and comparing, which means careful reading, individually and as a community of readers. This process, which at best is both personal and collaborative, results in exploring all the possible meanings of each text. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES Weekly Response with Question Since one goal of the course is to increase students' awareness of their role as actants in and observers of the world around them, students will write weekly reflective pieces on assigned readings, reminiscent of a journal entry. These personal responses are intended to be informal contemplations that nonetheless demonstrate an active engagement with the literature. These weekly entries should be about 100-200 words long, sometimes composed in response to study questions, and e-mailed to your instructor before Wednesday's class (before 9:30am, but deadlines can change). Purpose: Writing a weekly response to the readings should help to enrich your understanding and strengthen your powers of verbal expression. The best aspect of keeping a journal is that it supports your personal and intellectual growth. (It also verifies that you've done the reading, thought about it, and don't need quizzes to test that knowledge.) The weekly entry is your initial contribution to class discussion. I will review the group's entries and guide discussion accordingly. (That's why they should come in early.) In class, you may at times be asked to summarize your entry or read it aloud, so be sure and keep printed copies. In discussion, you are expected to go beyond those points, listen to others, and develop fresh ideas. The journal entry is not a substitute for talking and listening well. Study Questions: I will e-mail study questions to our course alias list (you can also send your response to this or privately to me) or announce them at Monday's class. They will pose questions about the reading and may provide links to Library or Web resources. The questions help provide a focus for your journal entry (so you don't just ramble or tell anecdotes). Entries that ignore questions may receive little or no credit. Content of Entries: You are expected to work toward three objectives: (1) Respond a particular study question. (2) Show your knowledge of the reading, both in large concepts and specific details (3) Provide a point of view or question about the reading that contributes to class discussion. You are working to turn a mix of facts, ideas, and opinions into a crisp, coherent statement. Journal entries are a series of snapshots about what you are thinking and learning. Your entries need not be a polished final product. The prose should be informal but clear, and could be considered the level of discourse you might expect in a good letter or memo from a colleague at work. It should be writing however and not "chat" (as in a chat room), because this kind of writing/speech can be slangy, disconnected, and simplistic in vocabulary. Papers and Peer Review Students will also be required to write two more formal, analytical papers, of about five (5) pages each. These essays should demonstrate critical thinking and the ability to formulate and present an argument. We will devote some class to writing the paper and to reviewing and editing them. A draft of your paper will be due early in the week, you will distribute to your group so your they can read and make comments and prepare for a group sessions on those drafts on a later day. If your paper fails to undergo a peer review, it will be penalized when submitted as a final draft. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED for the papers. For the responses, a few exceptions can be made. If you fail to hand in either Paper #1 or #2, you will unconditionally fail the course. Attendance and Participation Class will begin at 11:00 am. Please be here on time; lateness is rude. You are expected to be in class every day, body and mind--that is, read the texts carefully and be ready to ask questions and engage in conversation. Absences may certainly harm your performance on the final or affect your grade in other ways. If you must miss class because of a bona-fide excuse (nuclear war, hospitalization, etc.), please notify me by phone or e-mail. You are responsible for terms, concepts, or ideas you may miss. Please read closely--annotate your texts--for the day the reading is assigned. You will not be penalized for being shy or reluctant to speak in class; however, you may contribute by posting responses to our e-mail list (perhaps just post the weekly response publicly). Remember, to participate is not to dominate; everyone deserves a chance in class discussions. Persons missing one class or none will receive three (3) points extra credit. Academic Dishonesty Radford University supports an Honor Code to which each of you is obliged to adhere. "By accepting admission to Radford University, each student makes a commitment to understand, support, and abide by the University Honor Code without compromise or exception. Violations of academic integrity will not be tolerated. This class will be conducted in strict observance of the Honor Code. Please refer to your Student Handbook for details." GRADING 100 points possible A=91-100 points B=81-90 C=71-80 D=61-70 F=60 or fewer (Note: Grading is not a mathematical science; I will consider effort, and sincere, constructive class participation may raise your grade.) |
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