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Nature Writing Spring Semester 2015

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Nature Writing Spring Semester 2015 Weber State University English 2010: Nature Writing Spring Semester 2015 Instructor: Sunni Brown Wilkinson Class times: Tuesdays & Thursdays 12 – 1:15 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: (801) 388-7279 (please call only in emergencies) Required texts (bring to class) Winter: notes from Montana, Rick Bass Writing Matters, Rebecca Moore Howard Most of our readings will be posted on our class website via Canvas, but please print them off & bring them to class. Course Objectives The main objective of this course is to build on what you learned in 1010, emphasizing critical thinking and utilizing a great variety of challenging texts and research methods. All papers will be written in an academic voice and should explore your analysis of texts and visual mediums. This class focuses on nature writing, but I will bring in a variety of mediums and aspects to discuss. I expect you to push yourselves in your writing approaches and workshops. Because we focus so much on nature and because this is an Honors course, I expect rigorous analyses, both rhetorical and personal, that contemplate why environment is so important to us as humans. Here are some questions I would like you to ask yourselves now and throughout the semester: Why is our relationship with place so tied to our own identity? What connections can you make between each writer’s concern for nature and their society’s overall sentiments about it? When do they reflect a harmonious conversation and when do they not? Or do they ever? How do you see nature writing fitting into the larger context of literature or writing in general? How do you see these arguments affecting society? Policies • Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the specified day. No late work will be accepted unless prior arrangements are made with me. • Attendance is mandatory. I will take roll every day. After two absences, each following absence will drop your grade one letter. This is English Department policy. • Be on time and do not leave class early. • Be prepared to participate in class every day. Successful class discussions depend on varied & interesting responses and preparation. • We will do regular peer reviews, and I expect you to bring completed drafts to class. These are mandatory. Failure to participate in peer reviews means you will not be able to submit the final draft for grading. • Be respectful to all students and allow all students the chance to voice their arguments. Off-campus classes We have 4 scheduled off-campus treks as a class, weather permitting. Two will be snowshoeing activities and two will be hiking. I will give you more information as they get closer, but for now know that you will not have to pay for snowshoe rental (and if you have your own, by all means bring them!) and that we will design a specific meeting place. They will not last longer than class itself and will be held the same time our class normally is. I will be asking how many of you have classes prior to and after our class so I can get an idea of how feasible these will be. Plagiarizing Submitting any work that is not your own or failure to cite sources that you use in your work is considered plagiarism and will not be tolerated. A student caught plagiarizing will fail the class, and the Dean of Students and the English Department will both be notified about the situation. Disabilities I am more than happy to work with anyone who has any kind of disability that may affect their participation in class. Please notify me of this within the first week of class and complete any paperwork necessary at the Services for Students with Disabilities (located in the Student Services Center Room 181). Assignment Points 10 summary/strong response papers: 25 points each/ 250 total 3 major papers with peer reviews: 300 points each/ 900 total 4 sources for your research paper that you bring to class: 10 points each/ 40 total In-class analysis of Bill Bryson piece: writing an effective personal essay: 10 points Total possible points for class: 1,200 Grading Scale by percentage 93-100 = A 90-92 = A- 86-89 = B+ 83-85 = B 80-82 = B- 76-79= C+ 73-75 = C 70-72 = C- 66-69 = D+ 63-65 = D 60-62 = D- 59-0 = E The research paper at the end of the semester will require you to find several sources on your own that examine your chosen topic. These sources must be current, professional/academic, and in-depth. We will be going to the library as a class for an orientation on how to use the resources there to find the best sources. However, in addition to those sources, you need to choose one book that you will also use for your paper. This will allow you to 1) read more extensively on one particular nature writer and 2) gain a wider scope of how your research topic relates to the environment as a whole. The following are suggested books and the topics they relate to: Book Title & Author Topics Silent Spring by Rachel Carson pesticides, human threats The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson ocean life, biology of sea A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold conservation, ecology The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan food production & consumption Bringing it to the Table by Wendell Berry food production, farming Walden by Henry David Thoreau naturalist notes, ecology Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey desert, National Parks, conservation Wildlife in America by Peter Matthiessen extinct & endangered species Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard naturalist notes, ecology River Notes: the Dance of Herons by Barry Lopez influence and power of water/rivers The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich Western/ranch life & landscape Cultivating Delight… by Diane Ackerman gardens, sensory pleasures The End of Nature by Bill McKibben current environmental issues Marking the Sparrow’s Fall by Wallace Stegner American West, conservation A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson Appalachian Trail, forest service And any other books by these writers or others you feel are relevant and detailed. You will choose your research paper topic by Week 3 and report to me which book you will be reading. .
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