Environmental Writing & Rhetoric
Spring 2022 | CRN 24104 | T 6:30-9:15 | Robinson Hall
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In this course, we’ll be studying the history and practice of environmental writing, from classics such as Thoreau’s Walden and Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring to contemporary climate change reporting and scientific debates about the Anthropoence. The focus of the course will be helping students develop skills like conveying complex scientific information in clear prose and intervening in pressing environmental issues. We’ll tackle questions like: if a majority of Americans profess to care deeply about the natural world, why do a much smaller percentage of these people discuss it with their peers and prioritize it when making political and economic decisions? How can we write coherently and effectively about environmental issues, especially massively distributed and “wicked” problems like climate change, mass extinction, or pollution?
Students will also work on a writing project in a genre of their choosing, ranging from poems to research reports, making this course a great choice for anyone interested in environmental issues who wants to know how to advocate, in writing, for things that matter to them. Any questions, please contact Dr. Ted Howell at [email protected]. |