ENVS 410: Nature in Popular Culture Course Schedule
All reading and course journaling assignments are due the start of class on the date listed
in this course schedule. Print all pdf readings and bring them to class, as well as your
course journal entries.
Reading Intensity Forecast (RIF): This color-coded system estimates the amount of effort and depth of
engagement each night’s reading and course journaling activities will require of you. Reading Intensity
Forecasts for each night may register as light intensity (green), medium intensity (orange), or heavy
intensity (red). The RIF gives you a rough idea of how much time and effort you’ll need to put into each
day throughout the term. As the instructor, I’ve tried very hard to keep class work to between one and
three hours between class meetings. Less work would fall shy of the rigorous academic standards the
University and Environmental Studies Program demands of our students. More work would likely be
unsustainable in the short, brutish sprint of a summer course. You can use the RIF to plan when you’ll
need to set aside extra time for studying… or conversely when you’ll be able to fit in some rest and
relaxation.
Week One: Finding Nature in Popular Culture
Monday Aug 15: Introductions: What is Popular Culture? What is Nature? Who are we?
Read: John Storey, “What is Popular Culture?” (pp. 1-19)
Course Journal Assignments: Complete Course Intro Survey (Online)
RIF: Orange
Tuesday Aug 16: Introducing the Politics of the Natural in U.S. Popular Culture
Read: Nöel Sturgeon “The Politics of the Natural in U.S. History and Popular Culture” (pp. 1749), Jennifer Price, “Introduction” from Flight Maps (XV-XXII)
Course Journal: Response Questions and Online “Scavenger Hunt”
RIF: Red
Wednesday Aug 17: Ideology and Discourse
Read: James Kavenaugh, “Ideology” (~15pgs)
Course Journal: “3, 2, 2, 1” for Kavenaugh,
Note: Bring all previous readings to class and bring an object of popular culture
RIF: Red
Thursday Aug 18: Wilderness Narratives
Read: William Cronon, “The Trouble with Wilderness” from Uncommon Ground (pp. 61-90)
2
Course Journal: “Clearest Five/Muddiest Five”
In Class: Sign up for your Pop Culture Provocation partner and date
RIF: Orange
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: Binge Watch Weekend!
Archive Project: Add 3 texts to the Nature in Popular Culture Archive Project
Week Two: Who Belongs in Nature? Who is Natural to a Place?
Monday Aug 22: Gendered Natures and Environmental Justice Perspectives
Read: Nöel Sturgeon, “Introduction: Developing a Global Feminist Environmental Justice
Analysis to Understand the Politics of the Natural” (4-16), Kate Soper, “Naturalized Woman,
Feminized Nature,” (139-143);
Course Journal: Guided Reading Questions
Workshop: Research Question or Project Brainstorm
RIF: Greenish Orange
Tuesday Aug 23: Naturalizing Frontiers
Read: Either Nöel Sturgeon, “Frontiers of Nature: The Ecological Indian in U.S. Film” or Nöel
Sturgeon, “Forever New Frontiers: Extraterrestrialism and U.S. Militarism in Space” [We’ll
divide these readings amongst the class on Monday Aug 22]
Course Journal: “Amicus Brief”
RIF: Orange
Wednesday Aug 24: Who Belongs in Nature? Who is Natural to a Place?
Read: Binyavanga Wainaina. “How to Write About Africa,” Eddie Harris, “Solo Faces”
Course Journal: Bring in your draft research question and a brief discussion of why you’re
moving in this research direction
RIF: Green
Thursday Aug 25: Who Belongs in Nature, Who is Natural to a Place?
In-Class: Part I of Midterm Exam
Read: TBD
Course Journal: No Journal
3
RIF: Green
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: Binge Watch Weekend!
Archive Project: Add 3 texts to the Nature in Popular Culture Archive
Week 3: Testing the Theories; Case Studies and Topics
Monday Aug 29: Monstrous Natures part I:
Read: Skim: Jeffrey Cohen, “Monster Culture (Seven Theses)” (pp.1-28),
Course Journal: No Course Journal
In-Class Viewing: Splice (2009)
Assignment: hand-in Part II of Midterm Exam
RIF: Green
Tuesday Aug 30: Monstrous Natures part II:
Read: Jeffrey Cohen, “Monster Culture (Seven Theses)” (pp.1-28), Juno Diaz, “Monstro”
Course Journal: No Course Journal, but be prepared to apply Cohen’s “seven theses” to Splice
and “Monstro”.
Guest: Katrina Magguli, on the “Utopian Horror” of human-animal hybrids
RIF: Red
Wednesday Aug 31: Commoditizing Nature, Commoditizing Environmentalism
Read: Susan Davis, “Touch the Magic,” (~18 pgs) from Uncommon Ground, additional TBD
Course Journal: Apply Davis’s argument to a location you visit in person or virtually (i.e. zoos,
aquariums, or even nature-themed stores)
Assignment: hand in “Draft Bibliography” for Prospectus Project
RIF: Orange
Provocation: 1strd Group
Thursday Sept 1: Tactical Media
Read: Rita Raley, “Introduction” excerpts, from Tactical Media, watch Micha Cardenas, “the
transborder immigrant tool: the science of the oppressed”
Course Journal: TBD
RIF: Red
4
Provocation: 2nd Group
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: Binge Watch Weekend!
Archive Project: Add 2 texts to the Nature in Popular Culture Archive
Week 4: De-Naturalizing Nature in Popular Culture
Monday Sept 5: Serious Play
Read Play: Fort McMoney (link on web) for at least forty five minutes
Also read Roger Callois, “The Definition of Play” (pp. 122-128)
Course Journal: Write a short (~1pg) commentary on your experience playing Fort McMoney.
RIF: Green
Workshop: Writing an Introduction to a Research Topic
Tuesday Sept 6: Topic TBD
Read: TBD
Course Journal: TBD
RIF:
Provocation: 3rd Group
Wednesday Sept 7: Topic TBD
Read: TBD
Course Journal: TBD
RIF:
Provocation: 4th Group
Thursday Sept 8: Final Discussions
*** Course “Brunch” meeting
Read: TBD
Course Journal: TBD
Assignment: Submit Final Prospectus
RIF: Green
Course Journal Assignments for week One and Two, briefly
annotated
5
*** Note that these are subject to change.
Monday, August
15
Tuesday,
August 16
Wednesday,
August 17
Thursday,
August 18
Monday, August
22
Tuesday, Aug
23
Complete the “Pre-class Survey” via the link in your email.
Scavenger Hunt: You’ll “find” moments in the text that will
help you understand some of the connections and potential
disconnections between Sturgeon, Price, and Storey.
“3-2-2-1” for Kavanagh. Type out three things you’ve learned
from the chapter, two things you don’t understand or are
confused about from the chapter, two terms or concepts you
had to look up from the chapter (along with the definition you
found), and one question you’d like to pose to the author (that
goes beyond a clarifying question about what he meant).
Clearest Five/Muddiest Five: Capture the most
exciting/interesting five moments in Cronan’s essay. Capture
five additional moments from this text that seem the least well
articulated or are least-substantiated in the piece; places
where you find yourself pushing back against his argument or
find yourself confused. Briefly annotate these in a “listicle”
format (I.e. you explain why you find something
exciting/confusing in a sentence or two… or if you want to be
really authentic to the listicle genre, a GIF).
Guided Reading Questions: prompts to be announced.
Amicus Brief: We’ll split up the two assigned chapters for
Tuesday evenly among the class. In class, it will be the
responsibility of each individual student to “teach” the content
of each chapter to each other (with some structured help from
the class en route). To prepare for your in-class role you’ll
become an expert in your assigned chapter and prepare an
“amicus brief:” a document that will help you communicate
your chapter’s central thesis, its methodology, assumptions,
and results to your friend. Mores specific directions will be
provided to you on Monday. Note to legal schoalrs: I’m
conciously switching who the “amicus” is in this version of an
amicus brief. No hate mail.