Sierra Institute
California Wilderness: Nature, Philosophy, Literature and Ecopsychology
Spring Quarter
American Nature Philosophers
X129.1
Course Overview
This course, along with two concurrent courses, is part of a 9-week, 15-unit field program called
“California Wilderness: Nature Philosophy, Literature and Ecopsychology”. The program is taught
entirely while out on a series of backpacking trips.
This particular course will survey American philosophies of nature as seen through the lives and
work of Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Muir and selected contemporary thinkers. The historical context
of the development of American attitudes towards nature will be traced through romanticism and
transcendentalism, conservation and preservation, scientific ecology, active defense of the earth, beat
literature and the back-to-the-land movement. Readings will accent critical study and comparison of
primary texts. The role of wild nature in shaping cultural values and experience will be examined
throughout.
Learning Objectives
1) To become familiar with the lives and writings of selected American nature philosophers.
2) To be able to place those philosophers in a historical perspective, seeing how each earlier writer
influenced those who followed.
3) To be able to articulate the predominant perspectives of these writers, to respond to them
critically and to compare and contrast one to another.
4) To form one’s own philosophy of nature using the selected authors as a springboard.
Course Outline
The course will begin with an exploration of the archetypes that inform American nature
philosophy, drawing from the writing of William Everson. We will then begin a progression through the
lineage of American nature philosophers beginning with Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman. Their writings
will be read and discussed and lectures will provide perspective on their biographies and their influence
during their time period and through subsequent generations.
John Muir as wilderness explorer, philosopher, and activist will be considered next. His influence
on politics and the beginnings of the preservationist movement will be emphasized. Guifford Pinchot
and his conservation principles will be juxtaposed to Muir’s alongside the various public land
management agencies.
Continuing toward the present, Ed Abbey will also be read and discussed. The emphasis will be
on following the changing attitudes of the nation toward its wild areas through the decades, from Muir
right up through the Wilderness Act. Annie Dillard, Terry Tempest Williams and Gary Snyder (both
poetry and prose) will also be read for their contributions to the shaping of a contemporary American
nature philosophy.
The final week will be used for review, summary, and independent work on the final paper.
Schedule
Session #
Weeks
1-2
Weeks
3-4
Weeks
5-6
Topical Outline
I.
William Everson
A. Wilderness as archetypal of the American experience
B. Poets as shaman; intermediary between humans and nature
C. Commentary on the influences of Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman on
American nature philosophy
II.
Emerson and the Romantics
A. Nature as sublime
B. Transcendentalism
C. Emerson's cultural influence
III.
Thoreau: Philosopher and Naturalist
A. The Walden experiment
B. Civil disobedience
C. Attention to unmeasurable phenomena
IV.
Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass
A. Celebrating the natural self
B. Free verse
V.
John Muir and the Preservationist Ideal
A. Scotland to Wisconsin to the Sierra Nevada
B. American schism: conservation (Pinchot) vs. preservation (Muir)
C. Hetch Hetchy: mixing politics and philosophy
VII.
Edward Abbey
A. Defense of the earth – resistance and sabotage
B. Political and social critic
VIII. Annie Dillard
A. The profligacy of nature
B. Wonder and weirdness
IX.
Terry Tempest Williams
A. An emotional, sensual, intuitive perspective on nature
B. Women and political power in protecting the earth
X.
Gary Snyder
A. The real work—daily life as spiritual practice
B. Place as our organizing principle
TOTAL HOURS
Approx. Hours
20
15
15
50
Required Readings
Everson, William. Birth of a Poet. ed. Lee Bartlett. Black Sparrow Press, 1982.
Emerson & Thoreau. Nature : Walking. Beacon Press, 1994.
Abbey, Edward. The Best of Ed Abbey. SF: Sierra Club Books, 1984.
Found in course reader:
Dillard, Annie. “Living Like Weasels”, from Teaching a Stone to Talk. NY: Harper & Row, 1982.
----------------- “The Fixed”, from Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. NY: Harper & Row, 1974.
Kerouac, Jack. Dharma Bums. (selections)
Muir, John. From Edwin Way Teale, ed. The Wilderness World of John Muir. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Company, 1906. (selections)
Snyder, Gary. The Gary Snyder Reader. Washington, D.C.: Counterpoint, 1998. (selections)
Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass, the 1892 Edition. NY: Bantam Books, 1983. (selections)
Williams, Terry Tempest. “The Wild Card”, from An Unspoken Hunger. NY: Vintage Books, 1994.
---------------------------- “Part Two: Water”, from Desert Quartet. NY: Pantheon Books, 1995.
Assessment
1) Class participation (consists of two parts) - 10%
a) Preparation: Thorough reading, as demonstrated primarily through bringing questions
of clarification and larger questions to each class meeting that take group discussions
deeper into the material.
b) Involvement: Focused contribution to the group discussion, demonstrating a mature
awareness of how to listen, respond to and build on others’ ideas, as well as the ability
to facilitate equality of participation.
2) Journal writing (consists of two parts) - 30%
a) All classes will include a period of journal writing in response to a question posed by the
instructor that relates to the readings.
b) A minimum of two journal “sharings” per leg of program. All classes begin with the
invitation, “Are there any sharings?” Journals will not be turned in to the instructor to
provide a safe space for honest and intimate expression. A diverse array of entry types
are recommended: observations, descriptions, analytical responses to readings or
lectures, poems, sketches, personal reflections on one’s own thoughts and feelings, a
chronicle of one’s changing relationship to nature as the program advances, etc.
Evaluation is based on quantity and quality of journal sharings and on the apparent
dedication of the student to use their journal in a way that is meaningful to them, not
just because it is a requirement.
3) Quote and comment - 20%
Students will write a 300 to 500 word response to a quote of Emerson, Thoreau,
Whitman or Muir. The goal is to not only succinctly show one’s understanding of the
author, but also to add an engaging commentary either analytic or personal.
4) Final paper - 40%
The topic: “Describe your personal nature philosophy using the class readings to
illustrate and defend.” The paper should include references and citations to three or
more authors and avoid loose generalities, clichés and unsubstantiated sentiments. It
should be focused and intense, staying close and aware of one’s thesis at all times. The
first person perspective (“I”) is welcome, especially if using it encourages one to push his
or her comfort zone, write with authenticity and passion, and compose one’s manifesto.
Please turn in nothing that could have been written before the program began. Because
you will have no computer to edit your work, some concession will be made for
misspellings and cross outs, but the final product should be as tidy as possible.
Learning Outcomes
1) Have gained historical knowledge of the general sweep of American nature philosophy from the
mid-nineteen century to the present.
2) Have particular knowledge and understanding of select American nature philosophers and
writers.
3) Be able to compare and contrast the nature philosophies of the selected authors.
4) Be able to articulate a personal nature philosophy and place it in the American tradition.