Syllabus

Dr. Patrick Barron
Office: Wheatley 6-32
Office Hours: 4–5:30pm MW and by appt.

English 343: Literature, Culture, and Environment ~ Fall, 2010
Class Number 24219 / Section 01
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Room Wheatley 1-34, MW 5:30–6:45pm

Required Texts *
Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us, 9780195069976
Gianni Celati, Voices from the Plains, 9781852421434
Barry Lopez, Crossing Open Ground, 0679721835
Adrienne Rich, Your Native Land, Your Life, 039330325X
W.G. Sebald, The Emigrants, 0811213668
Mary Wollstonecraft, Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway,
and Denmark, 0803258321
*All texts are or shortly will be on reserve in Healey Library.

Course Description
In this course we will study some of the ways in which literature has dealt with the physical environment, concentrating on examples of narrative and nonfictional prose, as well as poetry. Among the topics to be considered will be the investigation of ordinary landscapes as culturally- as well as naturally-constructed phenomena, especially as presented through the lens of travel writing. Questions addressed will include: What is the relation between environmental experience and literary representation of the environment? How is environmental perception affected by cultural and ideological forces? How do the definitions of “nature” and “wilderness”—and the values attached to these—change from age to age? The course will address such questions through a combination of approaches: lecture, interactive discussion, and both formal and informal writing.

Structure and Assignments
You are expected to attend every class and to have completed the readings for each session in advance. Come to class prepared to talk about the issues they raise. As a part of this preparation, you should mark striking passages in the text, write comments in the margins, make notes about ideas that seem to you most important, and formulate questions that arise for you in the course of the reading. To do an adequate job of reading, note-taking, and reflecting on what you have read, you should allow for about an hour for each 20–30 pages. In the case of sessions dedicated to discussion (marked in the schedule with asterisks), you should also come with a one- to two-page typed response to the assignment for that day. These responses will not be graded, but they will be read and turned back with a check, check-plus, or check-minus acknowledging the level of their energy and ambition. If for any reason you feel reluctant to join class discussion, please talk to me, and we will see what can be done to make it easier for you.

Start your papers as early as you can to allow time for your ideas to develop. Always write at least two drafts. Ask a friend to read an early draft and to make suggestions for improvement. Check the spelling and proofread your papers carefully. The fewer mechanical problems in your paper, the more clearly and forcefully you will speak to your reader. Successful students will write essays whose interest derives not only from content, but also from the harmony of that content with style, tone, and the sequencing of ideas. Their essays will be grammatically correct, with only rare errors, that address complex, often abstract topics and that effectively shape and support a strong central concept. Emphasis will be placed on proficiently integrating primary and secondary sources into the texts of essays, and citing those sources conventionally.

Course Requirements
1. Complete short exams for each of the six books we will read.
2. Respond in writing and verbally to your classmates’ written work.
3. Complete assignments.
4. Write a midterm paper.
5. Participate in class activities (note: participation means active engagement in the discussion, not mere attendance).
6. Write a final paper.

Grading and Attendance
Your final grade will reflect the progress you have achieved by the end of the course. It will be determined approximately as follows: 6 short book exams: 60% (10% each); midterm paper: 10%; final paper: 20%; assignments and class participation: 10%. If you are forced to miss class because of illness or emergency, please notify me or ask someone else to notify me (by phone or email). On a day you are not in class you are still responsible for the work covered that day, including homework and in-class assignments. If you have an unexcused absence during the first two weeks of class, you may be dropped from the class in order to make space for others who wish to enroll.

What to Expect
You will be expected to submit your work on time and come prepared for class activities. Late assignments, with the exception of an illness or family emergency, will not be accepted for credit. All assigned work must be completed in order to pass the course. It is your responsibility to take exams at the scheduled times and know the location of the exams, to make alternative arrangements in advance if you have a legitimate reason for not being able to take an exam, and to provide appropriate explanation and documentation if you miss an exam without making prior arrangements.

Please use email only for very brief correspondence, such as to request a time to meet or to notify me of an unavoidable absence due to sickness. All email messages should be written in appropriate language and be carefully proofread before being sent. Please do not use email for lengthy questions regarding assignments or your progress in class. Matters of import that necessitate detailed discussion are best addressed during an appointment in my office.

Please be aware that a grade of incomplete may only be given where a portion of the assigned or required class work, or the final assignment, has not been completed because of serious illness or extreme personal circumstances. If a student’s record is such that he or she would fail the course regardless of the missing work, then the student fails.

Turn off all cell phones, “smart phones,” and any other electronic devices at the start of class.
For matters regarding academic dishonesty and misconduct, please refer to the University of Massachusetts Boston Code of Student Conduct and the UMASS Policy on Academic Dishonesty as posted on the university website.

If you have a disability and feel you will need accommodations in order to complete course requirements, please contact the Ross Center for Disability Services (Campus Center 2nd Floor, Room 2010) at (617) 287-7430.

Calendar
Some readings in addition to the assigned course texts will placed on reserve in the library or will be available online. Assignments may change, so be sure to double-check if you must be absent. Come to class having carefully read the assignment listed for that day. On dates marked in the schedule with asterisks, a one- to two-page typed response to the book is due on the assigned reading.

M. Jan 25 Course Introduction
W. Jan. 27 Read syllabus. Barry Lopez, Crossing Open Ground, read 1-18. Come to class with questions about the syllabus and a definition of “travel writing” (either your own or someone else’s, properly cited in MLA style).

M. Feb. 1 Lopez, read 19–54
W. Feb. 3 Lopez, read 55–100; print and read Christian Martin, “On Resistance: An Interview with Barry Lopez,” <>.

M. Feb. 9* Lopez, read 101–154; response paper due.
W. Feb. 10 Lopez, read 154–end; Short Exam 1

M. Feb. 15 Presidents Day
W. Feb. 17 Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us, read Part I to end of “The Sunless Sea”

M. Feb. 22* Carson, read rest of Part I; print and read “The Nature of Knowing: Rachel Carson and the American Environment,” by Vera L. Norwood (Healey Library Databases: JSTOR); response paper due.
W. Feb. 24 Carson, read Part II

M. March 1 Carson, read Part III; Short Exam 2
W. March 3 Gianni Celati, Voices from the Plains, read 9–42

M. March 9 Celati, read 43–88
W. March 10* Celati, read 89–124; print and read Robert Lumley, “Gianni Celati: ‘Fictions to Believe in’.” The New Italian Novel. Ed. Zygmunt Baranski and Lino Pertile. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 1993. 43-59 (on reserve in Healey: PQ4174 .N483 1993); response paper due.

M. March 15 Spring Break
W. March 17 Spring Break

M. March 22 Celati, read 125–end
W. March 24 Short Exam 3; Midterm Paper Due.

M. March 29 W.G. Sebald, The Emigrants, read 1–24
W. March 31 Sebald, read 25–64; print and read Christopher C. Gregory-Guider, “The ‘Sixth Emigrant’: Traveling Places in the Works of W. G. Sebald.” (Healey Databases: Project Muse)

M. April 5* Sebald, read 65–146; response paper due.
W. April 7 Sebald read 146–end; Short Exam 4

M. April 12 Mary Wollstonecraft, Letters, read vii–18
W. April 14 Wollstonecraft, read 19–72

M. April 19 Patriots Day
W. April 21* Wollstonecraft, read 73–141; print and read Florence S. Boos, Review of Wolstonecraft’s Letters (Healey Databases: JSTOR); response paper due.

M. April 26 Wollstonecraft, read 142–end; Short Exam 5
W. April 28 Adrienne Rich, Your Native Land, Your Life, read part I

M. May 3 Rich, read part II
W. May 5* Rich, read part III (to page 90); print and read Anne Blackford, review of Your Native Land (Healey Databases: JSTOR); response paper due.

M. May 10 Rich, read rest of part III; print and read Harriet Davidson, “‘In the Wake of Home': Adrienne Rich’s Politics and Poetics of Location” (on electronic reserve in Healey).

W. May 12 Last day of class; Short Exam 6

Final Paper Due (TBA) ______________________