There are two main components to this course. The first is a survey of American environmental literature (or nature writing) that will consider such topics as American attitudes towards nature and the wilderness, ecological history, the spiritual aspects of nature writing, literary movements such as Romanticism and Transcendentalism, the effect of nature writers on the growth of the conservation and environmental movements and modern developments in literary environmentalism. The second component of the course will center around your own experiences in and writings about nature, as well as your research and ideas regarding the writers and works discussed in class. In both cases, our considerations will focus on nature and how we- both as individuals and as a species- interact with our environment. As befits a course on nature, outdoor experiences including field trips to sites such as Walden Pond or Slabsides (John Burrough's writing cabin) will be included as part of the curriculum. Offered every 2-3 years.