LI 217 - Literature, Culture, and the Environment in North America

Credits: 4
Examines the literature, art, and culture of Native and non-Native America and considers how these two very different traditions have affected the environment. Initially, students focus on Native Creation stories and on Genesis to better understand the definition of “wilderness.” They then study the work of 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century authors and artists who influenced and/or responded to environmental management and change. Students then consider the work of 20th- and 21st-century artists, writers, and filmmakers who acknowledge and attempt to come to terms with a drastically changed and oftentimes degraded landscape.

Liberal Arts Perspective(s): Literary