ESH6093

American Ecologies

Level 6 (30 credits)

In American literature, 'nature' his long been celebrated as a locus of national identity and source of philosophical inspiration. But the very celebration of nature prompts tricky questions: what if nature is inhospitable to humans; what if humans are inhospitable to it; what if 'nature' is not one thing but many? This module considers texts from the early 1800s to the twenty-first century; human-animal relations; gender, ethnicity and race; technology, climate change and ecological disaster. Literary text are read alongside concepts and methodologies drawn from ecocriticism.

Preparing for this Module and Approximate Costs

No advance prepartation is required, though you could read a short introduction to ecocritical ideas, e.g. Greg Garrard, Ecocriticism (2023). Full details of the set texts will be published near the start of teaching but these may include: Ralph Waldo Emerson, 'Nature' (1836); Mary Austin, The Land of Little Rain (1903); Jack London, Call of the Wild (1903); Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us (1951); Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower (1993); Jesmym Ward, Salvage the Bones (2011).

You will need to buy approximately 5-7 books, costing c. £70.

 
Why take
American Ecologies
?

  • Read a wide range of American literature, from several periods and many genres.
  • Think critically about key issues that now confront the planet.
  • Acquire key concepts of ecocriticism.
Learning Context Long Seminar + Workshop (or equivalent)
Semester Two
Assessment
  1. Participation, 10%
  2. Written Assignment 1, 30%
  3. Written Assignment 2, 60%
Mode of reassessment Standard
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