Ms. Susan Hanson
Honors 2381V.251, Spring 2012
LAMP 501
Office: Flowers Hall 249
Office Hours: 9-10 MW; 10-11 TTH and by appointment
Telephone: 245-7697 (office), 245-2163 (Dept. of English), or 353-0440 (home)
(Leave messages at school only between 8 – 12 M-TH.)
sh17@txstate.edu or skhanson@gmail.com
http://www.susankhanson.comCourse Goals:

While human history abounds with examples of men and women struggling against nature, it also reminds us that for many, nature has been a guide, a teacher, a friend. Indeed, for such contemporary writers as Gary Nabhan, Stephen Trimble, and Janisse Ray, the natural world offers insight not only into the meaning of individual lives, but also into the experiences human beings share in confronting such phenomena as “otherness” and loss.

In examining the work of some of today’s leading nature writers, students will consider the following questions, among others: What is the relationship between our perception of nature and the way we interact with it? In what sense is the human experience of the natural world a lesson in the nature of paradox? What does it mean to confront the “other” in nature? How does the observation of nature assist us in understanding our journeys as individuals? In what sense is the experience of nature an experience of transformation?

Studying a selection of nonfiction texts, students will look at the relationship between perceptions of nature and such variables as gender, form, and style. Starting with Parker Palmer’s assumption that “[t]he way we interact with the world in knowing it becomes the way we interact with the world as we live in it,” the class will look for links between conceptions of nature (e.g., as a commodity, as a subject for research, as a resource in need of protection, as a source of revelation) and responses to nature in daily life.

Students will write one short paper, based on their own experience of nature, and two longer ones, a documented paper and a personal essay based on the journal they will be keeping throughout the semester. They also will be asked to lead class discussion on two occasions, to participate in several service projects and/or enrichment activities, and to make a presentation with a partner.

Please read if you are taking this course to satisfy your English requirement: The Department of English has adopted student learning outcomes for general education courses in writing and literature and for degree programs in English. These outcomes are available for your review at http://www.english.txstate.edu. Pull down the Student Resources menu and go to “Learning Outcomes.”

Required Texts:
The Geography of Childhood, Gary Nabhan and Stephen Trimble

Water and Light, Stephen Harrigan

The End of Country, Seamus McGraw

Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, Janisse Ray

The Texas Legacy Project: Stories of Courage and Conservation, David Todd and David Weisman, eds.Class Format:

Lecture, discussion, guest speakers, class presentations, videos, and field trips

Grades:

Your grade in the course will be based on the following:

Short Essay                                                                     10%
Documented Paper                                                         20%
Creative Nonfiction Paper  (final)                                  20%
Project (with partner)                                                      20%
Daily Work (performance as discussion leader,          25%
class participation, journal, other in-class work)
Service Projects and/or Enrichment Activities              5%

Your work will be graded for its overall effectiveness—that is, grammar, spelling, and general readability will matter.

Attendance:

Although your attendance will not be reflected directly in your grade (that is, I don’t subtract a set number of points when you miss a class), I do take attendance each day and your absence will have an effect on your daily grade. Obviously, if you aren’t in class, you can’t participate in class discussion.

Late work:

I will deal with this on a case-by-case basis. See me as soon as possible if you miss an assignment.

Manuscript form:

All papers—with the exception of your journal—must be typed. See any standard handbook for other specifics.

Plagiarism:

The Texas State University Honor Code states, “We do our own work and are honest with one another in all matters. We understand how various acts of dishonesty, like plagiarizing . . . conflict as much with academic achievement as with the values of honesty and integrity.”

Plagiarizing is submitting work that is in any way not your own. Any case of verifiable plagiarism, whether deliberate or accidental, will result in a failing grade on the assignment.

Students with Special Needs:

Students who require accommodations for successful completion of this course must notify both the TSU Office of Disability Services and the instructor by no later than the end of the first week of classes so that accommodations can be made.

The Writing Center:

If you have serious problems with your writing, I may recommend or require individual counseling in the English Department Writing Center (FH G08). You may also seek help from the Center on your own.

Course Requirements1. Journal: Keep a writing notebook, with a minimum of three entries per week. At the end of the semester, you should have at least 40 entries. Your grade will be based on the number you have completed. For example, 30 entries would earn a 75; 35 would earn an 88; 40 would earn 100. This number will be figured into your daily grade.

2. Short Essay: Your first assignment will be to find an essay or article on an environmental issue and write a three-page reflection on it. In short, you will need to (1) summarize the article on which you’re commenting, (2) evaluate the effectiveness of the piece, and (3) consider its effect on you personally. You will be expected to quote from the essay you read, but the method for citing the source will be informal; that is, this will not be a documented paper in the formal sense.

3. Leading Class Discussion: On two occasions, you will be responsible for co-leading (with one other student) a discussion on one of the readings. On those days, you and your partner should come to class with a list of questions and comments you can use to elicit response from your classmates. When preparing your questions and comments, please consider the following:

• What attitudes toward the natural world does this text reflect?
• What cultural values and assumptions does it challenge?
• What contribution does it make to the field of nature writing?
• How does it compare to the other texts you’ve read in this class?
• What impact has it had on you? What questions has it raised?
You will turn your questions in on a single sheet (combining your questions) at the end of class.
Tips for leading the discussion:
• Avoid overly broad questions such as “What do you think of that?”
• Avoid questions that can be answered simply with “yes” or “no.”
• You may ask questions about details that are peripheral to the author’s main topic, but don’t spend all your time on these.
• When discussion lags—and it will—try asking a question of a specific person.

4. Class Responses: Each time we have a student-led discussion, you will write a very brief critique of the leaders’ performance. These critiques, which will be part of your daily grade, should not exceed one page. They will be due the class period immediately following the discussion they assess. These are some issues you might address in your critique: Did the leaders show a thorough understanding of the text? Did they ask engaging questions? Did they elicit responses from more than one or two students? Did they cover the most important points in the reading, or did they focus on incidental details? Were they able to keep the discussion on track? Did they work well together? These are just suggested questions, some of which can be answered in a sentence or two. Don’t nit-pick in writing your response, but do hold your classmates to a high standard. * Note: Be sure to comment on the two students as individuals as well as partners.

5. Presentation: With a partner, make a presentation on a topic approved by your instructor. The form your project takes is up to you: e.g., a video or slide presentation, a debate, a demonstration, a visitor’s guide, a web site, etc. Upon the project’s completion, submit a one-page abstract describing your work. Note: Each partner will submit his or her own paper. Your presentation, including a question-answer period, should take no more than 20 minutes. Your elicitation of class response (that is, questions and comments) will be considered as part of your grade. In giving your presentation, try to make the issue relevant to the lives of your classmates, and if possible, suggest ways that they can become involved.5. Longer Essays: Write two papers whose combined length is at least 20 pages. The first of these papers will be scholarly, using the MLA form of documentation and taking a persuasive approach. The second will be a work of creative nonfiction.

In selecting the topic for the first paper, consider the issues and themes that have been suggested by your texts. You may approach this topic from a literary perspective, or from the perspective of environmental history, natural history, political science, economics, ecology, biology, or any other related discipline. Note: Your instructor will be giving you a list of suggested topics. All topics must be approved.

While the work of creative nonfiction should be drawn from your own experience, it may be expository in part. That is, it may include information drawn from your reading of natural history, environmental history, etc.

6. Service/Enrichment Experience: During the semester, you will be expected to participate in six service and/or enrichment activities. These are some of your options. Others will be added as they become available or as we learn about them. (You may also suggest activities for the class.)

Scheduled activities:
Jan. 13-14—Retreat at Wessendorf
Feb. 2 – Aquarena Springs
March 3—San Marcos River Cleanup
March 31—Bobcat Build
April 13-15—Camping trip/Garner State Park
April 28—Earth Day at Aquarena Center
TBA—Class Visit to Campus Planetarium

Activities you can do on your own:
(Submit a short report afterward explaining what you did.)
• Watch the Congress Avenue Bat Emergence, Austin: http://www.batcon.org/index.php/get-involved/visit-a-bat-location/congress-avenue-bridge/subcategory/51.html

• Find a bat emergence site in San Marcos
• Organize a river or local park cleanup
• Go see the bald eagles near Llano: http://www.austin360.com/recreation/the-llano-bald-eagles-are-back-1889604.html?cxtype=rss_a-list_123074

Misc.
• Prior to the writing of your scholarly paper, I will be holding at least one in-class workshop on documentation.
• If you have questions regarding style, documentation, or manuscript form, please consult any standard handbook. Note that there are also links to MLA documentation sites on my web page.
• American Nature Writers (John Elder, ed.) is a two-volume work located in the reference section of the library. It is an excellent resource.
• Please see the ASLE (Association for the Study of Literature and Environment) Web site for links to pages on many of the writers you will be studying:
 http://www.asle.org

Other online resources of interest:
• Wild Thoughts: An Online Journal of Environmental Writing
http://www.wildthoughts.org/


• Orion magazine, http://www.orionmagazine.org
• “The Psychological Benefits of Wilderness,” Garrett Duncan
http://ecopsychology.athabascau.ca/Final/duncan.htm
• “A Literature of Place,” Barry Lopez
http://arts.envirolink.org/literary_arts/BarryLopez_LitofPlace.html
• “Beauty,” Scott Russell Sanders
http://arts.envirolink.org/literary_arts/ScottRSanders.html


• “Arousing Biophilia: A Conversation with E.O. Wilson,” Robert Finch
http://arts.envirolink.org/interviews_and_conversations/EOWilson.html


• “Paying Attention: An Interview with Barry Lopez,” Kenneth Margolis
http://arts.envirolink.org/interviews_and_conversations/BarryLopez.html
• “Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education,” David Sobel
http://arts.envirolink.org/arts_and_education/DavidSobel1.html

There is also an extensive list of nature writing links on my web page: http:/www./susankhanson.com

 Tentative Schedule 

“Once in his life, a man ought to concentrate his mind
upon the 
remembered earth. He ought to give himself
up to a particular 
landscape in his experience; to look at it
from as many angles as 
he can, to wonder upon it, to dwell upon it.
He ought to imagine 
that he touches it with his hands at every
season and listens 
to the sounds that are made upon it.
“He ought to imagine the creatures there and all the faintest 
motions
of the wind. He ought to recollect the glare of the 
moon and the
colors of the dawn and the dusk.”N. Scott Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain

* * * *“To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.”

Mary Oliver, White Pines

* * * *“The way we interact with the world in knowing it becomes
the way we interact with the world as we live in it.”

Parker Palmer, To Know as We Are Known

* * * *

“This is a highly sensual business you are setting about.
So think small, move 
slowly, look sharply, be
patient–and prepare for extraordinary pleasures.”

Robert Michael Pyle, Handbook for Butterfly Watching

* * * *

JANUARY

1/17      Discuss syllabus and course requirements. Why do we need nature? What is nature? What do we know about the nature of the place where we live? Schedule camping trip.

1/19      Sign up to lead class discussion. Select liaison for Bobcat Build. Announce due dates for writing assignments. Discuss Prologue to A Natural History of Nature Writing. What is nature writing? What forms does it take? Also discuss “Very Like a Whale.” (See Resources in TRACS)

1/24                  Video (Robert Louv, Last Child in the Woods)
1/26                  Geography of Childhood

1/31                  Geography of Childhood

FEBRUARY

2/2                    Aquarena Springs

2/7                    Sign up for Bobcat Build (We’ll need a team leader to do this.);
Geography of Childhood

2/9                    Field Trip to Prospect Greenbelt with Todd Derkacz, Board Member, San Marcos
Greenbelt Alliance

2/14                  Ecology of a Cracker Childhood

2/16                  Ecology of a Cracker Childhood

2/21                  Ecology of a Cracker Childhood

2/23                  Video & discussion

MARCH

3/1                    Water and Light

3/6                    The Texas Legacy Project

3/8                    Catch-up day

3/20                  The Texas Legacy Project

3/22                  The Texas Legacy Project

3/29                  The End of Country

APRIL

4/3                    The End of Country

4/5                    The End of Country;Mark Franki, Petroleum Engineer

4/12                  Bat Conservation International (tentative date)

4/17                  Presentations

4/19                  Presentations

4/24                  Presentations

4/26                  Presentations