Introduction to Environmental Humanities

Catalog description

This seminar will examine the history of environmental thought as represented in works of literature and art, from the Epic of Gilgamesh to photographic portraits of Louisiana's Cancer Alley. How do the stories we tell about the natural world shape our relationship to it? We will explore the traditions of romanticism, naturalism, activist writing, environmental justice, climate fiction, and the literature of the Anthropocene. A series of writing assignments will culminate with a longer work that may take the form of a critical essay, a work of narrative journalism, or a short story.