American Ecocriticism 3301-LA2209
Ecocriticism, sometimes referred to as environmental criticism, is a way of reading which foregrounds the questions of the environment and of the relations between human beings and non-human nature. Like other forms of political criticism (feminist criticism, postcolonial theory), ecocriticism moves beyond the purely formal examination of texts and treats them as reflections of a certain reality. One of the central objects of ecocritical analysis is the nature/culture binarism and its varied representations in literary and other kinds of texts. Ecocriticism complicates the notion of nature demonstrating the multiple meanings and ideological colorings that concept acquires depending on the contexts in which it is used. Is nature the pristine "lost paradise" of civilization or is it a rhetorical construction? Ought we to "return" to nature or should we want to emancipate ourselves from it? Are humans inevitably divided from nature or are they continues with it? Is anthropogenically modified nature still nature? Is it possible to reconcile the interests of humans and other species? Do the ways in which we represent our environment influence our environmental attitudes? Can we rethink the notions of subjectivity and agency such that they include more-than-human beings and phenomena? Do other beings communicate, have languages, make metaphors? Can we revolutionise ethics, politics, aesthetics, in such a way that they respond more adequately to the challenges of Anthropocene (rapidly progressing climate change and the sixth great extinction)? We shall look for inspirations in science (including biosemiotics), poetry and other forms of literature and art, and indigenous knowledges.
Required readings include a variety of texts representing different genres (in addition to literary works we will sporadically look at philosophical and even scientific writings concerning the problem of nature) and epochs (from the Bible and Native American stories of emergence, through 19th century Transcendentalism to postmodernism, science fiction and cyberpunk) as well as a selection of texts by American ecocritics (Lawrence Buell, Ursula Heise, Anna Tsing, Donna Haraway and others).
Some key terms and problems include: anthropocentrism/biocentrism, the pastoral imagination, apocalyptic ecology, wilderness, the frontier, dwelling, animals, the Earth, ecofeminism, the cyborg, biotechnology, pollution, and biopower.
Requirements: attendance (no more than 2 absences allowed), active participation in class discussions, presentations, term paper. Retake possible only for students who did not exceed the limit of absences.
Course coordinators
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Learning outcomes
A student will acquire advanced information about :American Ecocriticism and will develop his/her analytical skills.
Knowledge
Students will have in-depth familiarity with:
K_W01 advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art in the disciplines of literary studies and culture and region studies, in accordance with their chosen specialization (basic terminology of ecocriticism
the history of "environmental humanities", the ties of literature with other areas of knowledge, including the natural sciences)
K_W04 concepts and principles concerning the protection of intellectual property and copyright
Abilities
Students will be able to:
K_U01 apply the advanced terminology, theories and research methods of literary studies and culture and religion studies to solve complex and original research problems within the field of ecocriticism
K_U04 apply the concepts and principles of intellectual property protection and copyright law
Social competences
Students will be ready to:
K_K01 critically appraise their knowledge and content obtained from various sources
K_K02 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems; consult experts when required
English:
Education at language level B2+
Assessment criteria
Active participation in class discussion, systematic prep-work, term paper, shorter writing assignments several times during the semester
In case the class is failed re-take possible in the form of a longer research paper
Absences allowed - 2
Bibliography
Detailed sylabus of the course changes depending on the edition of the course. Below some basic bibliography:
Armbruster, Karla; and Kathleen R. Wallace, eds. Beyond Nature Writing: Expanding the Boundaries of Ecocriticism. Charlottesville and London: The University Press of Virginia, 2001.
Buell, Lawrence. The Future of Environmental Criticism: Environmental Crisis and Literary Imagination. New York, Blackwell: 2005.
Buell, Lawrence. "Toxic Discourse" Critical Inquiry. Vol. 24, No. 3 (Spring 1998), pp. 639-665.
Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring (1962). London: Penguin, 2000.
Coupe, Laurence, ed. The Green Studies Reader: From Romanticism to Ecocriticism. New York: Routledge, 2000.
DeLillo, Don. White Noise. (1984) New York, London: Penguin. 1985.
Harrison, Robert Pogue. The Dominion of the Dead. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Harraway, Donna. "A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology, and Socialist Feminism in the 1980's" (Feminisms ed. Sandra Kemp and Judith Squires. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1997)
Heidegger, Martin. (1974) Poetry, Language, Thought. New York: HarperPerennial, 2001.
Heise, Ursula K. Sense of Place and Sense of Planet. The Environmental Imagination of the Global. Oxford University Press, 2008.
Lyotard, Jean-Francois. The Inhuman. Trans. Geoffrey Bennington and Rachel Bowlby. Stanford, Calfornia: Stanford University Press, 1991.
Marx, Leo. The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America. Oxford University Press, 1964.
Merchant, Carolyn. "Women and Ecology" (Feminisms ed. Sandra Kemp and Judith Squires. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.)
Merchant, Carolyn. Reinventing Eden. The Fate of Nature on Western Culture. New York and London: Routledge, 2003.
Scott, Ridley. Bladerunner. 1982.
Tsing, Anna. "The Mushroom at the end of the World. On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins" (2018)
Willis, Roy, ed. Signifying Animals: Human meaning in the natural world. New York, Routledge, 1994.