Advanced Studies Seminar: Ecocriticism
Times
Wednesday 11 am - 1 pm
Instructor
A. Most
Brief Description of Course
In this land-based course, we utilize a wide variety of ecocritical approaches – along with historical and literary texts -- to help us hear the stories buried within two locations on the University of Toronto campus: Back Campus and Philosopher’s Walk. Class takes place outdoors, where students share the stories they have unearthed in their research and interpret them through the prism of the theoretical readings. The course culminates in a storytelling tour designed and conducted by the entire class, creating a layered ecocritical history of a site at the very centre of our campus.
Required Reading(s)
Texts by writers such as Lynn White, Jr., Robin Wall Kimmerer, Thomas King, William Cronon, Annette Kolodny, Stacey Alaimo, Rob Nixon, Wengari Maathai, Barry Lopez, Ursula Heise, Raj Patel, David Abram, Aldo Leopold, Timothy Morton, Bruno Latour, Donna Haraway, Amitav Ghosh, Carl Safina, Rachel Carson and others.
First Three Authors/Texts
Scatterlings, by Martin Shaw (Selections), Robin Wall Kimmerer, “Skywoman Falling,” Braiding Sweetgrass, Lynn White, Jr “The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis.”
Method of Evaluation
- Class Discussion (25%)
- Short Weekly Responses (30%)
- Presentation and Final Project (50%)