ESS204

Introduces ecocriticism, the study of literature and the environment, alongside American environmental writing. With readings ranging widely from traditional nature writing to multi-ethnic U.S. fiction, specific questions are addressed such as: How does environmental writing both reflect and shape values and attitudes about the human relationship with our environment? What kinds of questions does ecocriticism raise and how do different ecocritical strains approach literary, philosophical, and ethical questions in different ways? How is the understanding of the physical environment impacted by discourses of nature, race, gender, class, and location?