Information Package
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Program of American Culture and Literature (English)

ACL479

AMERICAN NATURE WRITING

Course Code
ACL479
Semester
-
Theory+Practice
3 + 0
ECTS
4
Course TypeElective Course
Course LevelBachelor's Degree
Year of Study-
Semester-
ECTS4
Name of Lecturer(s) -
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

  1. Recognize American nature writing within its the historical and theoretical contexts.
  2. Analyze relevant literary texts in order to address contemporary concerns with respect to Nature and the environment.
  3. Evaluate the ethical and cross-cultural perspectives by comparing environmental literary texts from different historical periods.
Mode of DeliveryFace to face
PrerequisitesNo
Recommended Optional Programme Components
Course DescriptionThis course covers examples of American nature writing from a theoretical and historical perspective. Within the framework of contemporary theories dealing with literary representations of nature, selected texts from various genres, with a particular emphasis on non-fiction, are studied.
Course Contents
WEEK TOPICS
1st Week Introduction: The Nature-Culture Debate
2nd Week Introduction: Nature in Contemporary Literary Theory
3rd Week Nature in American Literature: Native American Perspectives
4th Week The Wilderness: Puritan and Early Republican Perspectives
5th Week Nineteenth Century: Transcendentalists and Nature
6th Week Henry David Thoreau
7th Week Midterm
8th Week Twentieth Century: National Parks, Politics, and Literature
9th Week Twentieth Century: Aldo Leopold and Environmental Ethics
10th Week Contemporary American Writers on Nature: Selected Texts
11th Week Contemporary American Writers on Nature: Selected Texts
12th Week Contemporary American Writers on Nature: Selected Texts
13th Week Contemporary American Writers on Nature: Selected Texts
14th Week Revision
Recommended or Required ReadingBaym, Nina, et al., editors. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed., Norton, 2011.
Finch, Robert, and John Elder, editors. Nature Writing: The Tradition in English. Norton, 2002.
Ingram, Annie Merrill, et al., editors. Coming into Contact: Explorations in Ecocritical Theory and Practice. U of Georgia P, 2007.
McKibben, Bill, editor. American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau. Library of America, 2008.
Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
  • Lecture
  • Discussion
  • Questions/Answers
  • Presentation
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Quantity Percentage (%)
Mid-term 1 30
Quiz 1 20
Presentation of Article 1 10
Total(%) 60
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%) 60
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%) 40
Total(%) 100
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration (Hour) Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam 1 2 2
Preparation for Quiz 1 3 3
Individual or group work 14 3 42
Preparation for Final exam 1 13 13
Course hours 14 3 42
Preparation for Midterm exam 1 13 13
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam 1 2 2
Homework
Presentation (including preperation) 1 5 5
Total Work Load122
Total Work Load / 30 (h)4.06
ECTS Credit of the Course4
Language of InstructionEnglish
Work Placement(s)No

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

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