This course introduces students to the power of writing as a means of communication and a process of thinking and understanding. As students complete a series of writing assignments, they will engage in a process of reading, drafting, reviewing and revising, working in peer groups and individually with their instructors.
How do we react when we see threats to our environment that come from human initiatives such as the Dakota Access pipeline? Do we welcome them as part of the inevitable path of human progress? Do we stand idly by, helpless in the face of higher powers? Or do we protest to try to effect change? In this course we will examine reactions to the environmental threat as they have emerged in art, literature, and popular entertainment. Through a variety of texts such as the 1997 Japanese animated epic Princess Mononoke, essays, browser video games and scholarly works, we will examine how these issues have been addressed by people and cultures in ways that speak to those most threatened by impending environmental disaster.
Jordan Clapper