ENGL 3281 Literature and the Environment

Catalog description

Introduction to the environmental humanities as a topic in literary studies. A focus on works whose representations of the natural world express a range of theoretical, practical, aesthetic, and ethical concerns. Specific topics may include: the conventional opposition between nature and culture as a way to promote different ideas, ideals, and interests; the contrast between human-centered and ecological conceptions of the natural world; nature as a concept associated with the exercise of power, especially as seen in the emergence of colonialism, empire, and capitalism, and in the pursuit of environmental justice; conservation, stewardship, and concern for the fate of the natural world at a time when the global climate is in crisis; nature as the occasion for literary innovation and expression; the interrelationship between literary and scientific conceptions of the natural world; and the emergence of ecocriticism as an interdisciplinary field of study. Fulfills Breadth and Depth Area Studies B requirement: Genre, Thematic Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies.