parsing the eco in ecocriticism: what are we to do with science?

Greetings from the wrong end of spring break,

Our task this week, before turning (in)to animals, is to figure out what science has to do with ecocriticism.   Should be pretty simple, right?  

Please post your questions, comments, and/or laments that spring break is over under this thread.

thanks, 

kevin

PS don't forget to read Haraway's essay on situated knowledges--this is replacing the Latour selection listed on the syllabus--if you lost your copy, I can e-mail you another, just drop me a line.  

The Mimesis Wars: Buell, Phillips, and the Status of Representation

How can we theorize a theory-adverse sub-discipline of literary studies like ecocriticism?  This week, Buell and Phillips do battle over this and other questions.   As we watch the battle unfold, I hope we have some questions of our own.  Post them here, with your replies, and we'll have a conversation about them on Wednesday night before taking a much-needed week to commune with some real trees--or some representations of trees, if that's your preference.  

kevin

Spelling Place

To continue our theme of less-troping, more theorizing, we're moving ahead with a consideration of the ecology of language itself, amongst other important phenomenological and indigenous-perspective questions.  I hope you find these questions--and  this reading--as  refreshing and interesting as I do.  

For those of you missing in action last week, the assignment is to read the first 4 chapters of Abram.  Although this is about 130 pages, it's fast reading, relatively speaking.  It might be helpful, also, to read pg. 137-9 as Abram sums up his project in those first 130 pages in 3 short pages.  If you're wondering what to do with all his theorizing, you might also check out the last chapter, "Coda: Turning Inside Out."  

OUTING UPDATE: Due in part to our own deliberate hemming and hawing and in part to the slow wheels of bureaucracy, we couldn't get the Cowee Meadows cabin for our planned April 20 outing.  So we'll head to Blue Mussel instead.  Hope that's acceptable. 

until Wednesday,

kevin 

After a couple of weeks trope-ing through ecocriticism, let's get down to the real theorizing.  On tap for this week:  feminist theory.  

Please post your questions, comments, and concerns here. 

As a reminder: while I'd obviously prefer that you read everything, if forced to economize, here are some suggestions.  

1) After reading chapter two in Westling's The Green Breast of the New World, choose from either chapter 3 or 5. 

2) Feel free to skim through the data of Warren's first chapter and focus instead on her second chapter.  

3) Contrary to what I suggested in class, I think you should read Sandilands carefully. Her chapter is the most nuanced of the readings; and, as such, she assumes a bit of background knowledge, but she also discusses directly some of the key questions at issue that we'll want to address in class.     

Until Wednesday,

kevin

out of woods

From the wilderness back to the city, this week we imagine apocalypse, toxic events, and we take stock of the environmental justice challenge to ecocentric ecocriticism.  

Please post your comments here.  

Also, if you've missed the last two class sessions, there is still a fancy, green course reader in my departmental mailbox.  Come pick it up!  

Until Wednesday,

kevin

into the wilderness

This week our attention turns outward from the (relatively) narrow confines of the pastoral literary tradition toward the Big Woods and all its messy problems.  As always, please leave your questions and commentary in the comment section here.  It'd be really good for me to have these posted by 3:15 on Wednesday, so I can read and prepare based on your interests.   

If you missed the last class session, you may not know that the bulk of the reading can be found in our fancy new course reader.  I've left copies of the green, plastic-bound collection in my departmental mailbox.  Please stop by and pick one up.   

kevin

pastoral comments

Like last week, I'd like to use these questions and answers to frame the second half of our discussion.  So, once again, please keep up the good work.      

I'll see you Wednesday--in the  meantime, get outside and enjoy this snow!