English 3334: Honors Environmental Writing
and Rhetoric
Professor: Christian Weisser
Office: MHC 106
Office Hours: MWF
Email:
weisser@fau.edu
The
preservation of wilderness is not simply a question of balancing competing
special-interest groups, arriving at a proper mix of uses on our public lands,
and resolving conflicts between different outdoor recreation preferences. It is an ethical and moral matter. Human beings have stepped beyond the bounds;
we are destroying the very process of life.
--Dave
Foreman, Confessions of an Ecowarrior
Texts
and Materials:
Reading the Environment. Ed. Melissa Walker. Norton, 1994.
Silent Spring (Fortieth Anniversary Edition). Mariner Books, 2002.
The Seacoast Reader.
Ed. John Murray.
Selected readings from other sources.
Two
IBM formatted floppy disks; one for journals only.
This
course provides an introduction to environmental issues in contemporary society
and the important texts that shape debates and discussions about those issues. While we will look at a few of the important
literary texts that have addressed the environment, our primary focus will be
on persuasive, rhetorical texts that deal with environmental issues. Our goal for the course is to develop two
types of awareness. First, we seek to develop
an awareness of the most important environmental issues and topics facing us in
society today. Second, we will work to
develop a critical awareness of how debates about the environment are discussed,
debated, and shaped through the written and spoken word.
The
environment is more than just the great outdoors. It is also a product of the discourse
surrounding it. In other words, the
environment—and
what we think, say, and do concerning it—is influenced by what other groups and
individuals have written or said about it.
Environmental debates are shaped by more than simply “the facts”
surrounding environmental issues; they are also shaped by the persuasive tactics
and stylistic choices writers and speakers make. We will spend our time this
semester analyzing, discussing, and experiencing many of the most important
environmental issues that affect our world.
COURSE WORK:
|
Environment and
Popular Culture Assignment |
(2-3 pages; 100 points) |
|
Environmental Organization Website—Description
and Analysis |
(2-3 pages; 100 points) |
|
Short Response Essay |
(2-3 pages; 100 points) |
|
Research Article |
(7-10 pages; 200 points) |
|
A |
(approximately 30 pages; 100 points) |
|
Quizzes and Class Participation |
(100 points) |
Environment and Popular
Culture Assignment: Find a cultural product that is associated with some
environmental theme or topic. This can be any type of product, from a box
of cereal to a pair of hiking boots. Write a 2-3 page (500 word) analysis of this product and the text and images used
to market and define it. Your analysis
should describe how the environment is associated with this product, how the
text and images present a particular environmental message or perspective, and
why this message does or doesn’t present an effective rhetorical stance. Your analysis may draw on class readings and
your own insights, though it is not required that you do so. You’ll need to bring the item (and its
marketing and advertising documents) to class and make a short presentation to
the class about your findings.
Environmental
Organization Website: Find a website for a major environmental organization (like The Sierra
Club or Greenpeace) and describe and analyze it. You’ll begin by summarizing the content, layout,
and overall structure of the site. You’ll
then analyze how the text and images assert a particular perspective, and why
that assertion is or is not effective. Your
description and analysis should be 2-3 pages long, and you should be prepared
to make a short presentation to the class about it.
Response Essay: For this assignment, you’ll
select one of our reading assignments and write a 2-3 page response to it. You should describe and analyze the argument
offered in the text, and you should also discuss the rhetorical strategies the
author uses to make their assertion
Research Article: For this final
assignment, you’ll write an article for a popular magazine, newspaper, or
website that asserts a particular viewpoint or argument on an environmental
topic of your choice. I suggest that you
to select a local or regional topic rather than a huge global issue, and I
encourage you to select a subject about which you can include personal details
or examples. Your essay should
incorporate at least three sources. At
least one of your sources should be from our class readings, and one of them should
be from the news media, such as a newspaper, magazine, or website. You’ll want to draw upon many of the
rhetorical techniques and strategies we’ve discussed in the class to craft a
persuasive, rhetorically savvy article.
This article should be 7-10 pages long and should include some images
and/or graphics. You’ll also be required
to make a short presentation about your topic to the class.
Journals: In addition to the four writing assignments,
you are also responsible for completing at least two weekly journal entries.
Each entry should be at least one page long, single spaced, 12 point font,
standard margins. Place all of your journal entries on a floppy disk in one
file. In other words, you should be able to open the file and read through all
of the journals you've written at one time by scrolling down. Please number,
title, and date each entry. Please name the document
"YourLastnameJournals.doc" or YourlastnameJournals.wpd"
and do not put other documents on this disk. Make sure you put your name on the
disk as well.
I
will not announce journal checks, and you should bring your journal disk with you to each class meeting. If you do
not have your disk with you, you will not receive any credit, nor will you be
able to turn it in late. Make sure you use an IBM formatted disk, and complete
all of your entires in Word or Wordperfect.
I
will sometimes assign topics for particular journals entries, and I will also
offer suggestions for some other entries.
At times, you will need to choose a topic of your own. You may write about anything that pertains to
your essay topic, the reading and writing assignments for this class, any
environmental topics in the media or popular culture, or your own development
as a rhetorician and writer. The Journal
is worth 100 points for the semester.
Grade Distribution: A 90% (900 pts.)
B 80% (800 pts.)
C 70% (700 pts.)
D 60% (600 pts.)
Format of Essays: All essays, including any
prepared for class discussion, must be typed, double spaced with a cover page
(see my sample cover page). Margins
should all be one inch. Number each page
top right corner, including your name (Smith 5). Staple all work (including drafts and peer evaluations)
together before it is to be turned
in.
Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. 2
absences are allowed. Any non-medical
absences beyond the second will result in the loss of 50 points from your final
grade.
You are responsible for finding out, from classmates, all work and
assignments missed.
Lateness:
Showing up late disrupts everyone, so please come
to class on time. If you miss role by
more than five minutes, you are considered absent.
Conferences: Blocks of time will be set aside for
individual conferences. Come prepared to
discuss your work. Please come see me
during office hours at any time.
Late Essays: Loss of one letter grade per day for a late
paper. This means per day, not per class
period.
Plagiarism: The penalty for
plagiarism is automatic failure for the course, but could result in expulsion from the university. See me if you are at all in doubt about what
constitutes plagiarism.
Quizzes: Cannot be made up if missed. Most will be based on reading assignments and
will not usually be announced. Hint:
Keep up on the reading.
Class Participation: Crucial!
Most classes will be a discussion rather than a lecture. Be prepared to speak up and out. Socializing after class has started results
in a lower score. Remember: This is
worth 100 points!
Tentative Course Outline
|
Week # |
Date |
Topic |
|
1 |
Jan
7 |
Introduction/Course Policies; Reading
the Environment: Chronology, Ch 1 intro; begin journals |
|
2 |
Jan
12, 14 |
Roots of the Environmental
Crisis—“The Age of Ecology,” “Ships in the Desert,” “At War with the
Planet”; Discuss pop culture assignment |
|
3 |
Jan
19, 21 |
|
|
4 |
Jan
26, 28 |
Aristotle (On Rhetoric) |
|
5 |
Feb
2, 4 |
Environmental Issues
in the Media—“Two by Two,” “Mexico City Family,” “Still Killing Whales”; Environmental
Rhetoric—Ecospeak Ch 1; Discuss website
evaluation |
|
6 |
Feb
9, 11 |
Green Culture,
Intro; excerpt from Natural Discourse; Arguing
about the Environment—“Why Wilderness?” “The Idea of a Garden,” “The Case
for Human Beings,” “Ozone Shock,” Letter from Dupont” |
|
7 |
Feb
16, 18 |
Ecosystems and Animals—“Storm over the Amazon,” “Life on
the Rock” “Life on the Rocks” “Losing a limpet”; Website evaluation due |
|
8 |
Feb
23, 25 |
Silent Spring; Discuss
response essay; video |
|
9 |
Mar
1, 3 |
Silent Spring, responses
to Silent Spring; Response Essay Due |
|
10 |
Mar
8, 10 |
--SPRING BREAK |
|
11 |
Mar
15, 17 |
Silent Spring,
responses to Silent Spring; Discuss
Research Article |
|
12 |
Mar
22, 24 |
More discussion of Research Article; Conferences |
|
13 |
March
29, 31 |
The Seacoast Reader;
video |
|
14 |
April
5, 7 |
The Seacoast
Reader; Guest speakers |
|
15 |
April
12, 14 |
The Seacoast Reader;
Guest speakers |
|
16 |
April
19, 21 |
Research Article Due; course evaluations |