EST 245 Nature and Popular Culture

About the Course

The environmental crisis is not simply about scientific, economic, regulatory, technical or personal choices. It is also a crisis of culture and meaning. What does our society value? How does it see? What does nature mean to us? Permeating this crisis are the arguably dominant ideologies of 20th century Western thought, namely anthropocentrism and consumerism. Both have encouraged environmental degradation in numerous ways, not the least of which by legitimating the instrumental value of nature as simply a resource for human use.

These ideologies are most often seen expressed though the artifacts and texts of popular culture. By focussing on the expression of these ideologies in everyday life, this course provides an atypical yet familiar way for students to engage with the deeper issues raised by environmental degradation. This course is intended to provide an important interdisciplinary and holistic perspective on the meanings of nature expressed in North American popular culture and on the relation between everyday lived experience and environmental affairs. A range of popular culture phenomena will be explored, including advertising, nature shows, tourism, parks, zoos, fashion, feature films, and lawns.

Who Should Take the Course?

This is a lower division humanities course. It has no prerequisites. It is required for Environmental Studies students and offered as an elective to other students. Each year a number of Syracuse University students also take the course.

Details

• 3 credits
• Fall semester
• Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30-1:50pm
• 319 Marshall Hall
• Check the Registrar's timetable to be sure
• Enrollment is approximately 60 students

Syllabus

For more details, download the latest syllabus in PDF format. Future iterations of the course will likely differ somewhat from what's in this syllabus. Therefore, it is important for prospective students to consult with me before buying books based on a previous syllabus.

Participation Journals

Students who do not feel comfortable speaking in class may supplement their participation by keeping a journal. Here is what you need to do. At the end of each class, you should briefly type up your reactions and reflections on the topics discussed in class and on the readings for that day. Each journal entry should be dated and you should be as specific as possible in referring to discussion or lecture points, or readings. This is a chance for you to express your views and analysis of the topics. If I ask the class a question, such as "tell me about your experience with zoos," as part of the lecture, then I would expect to see you answering that in your journal.

At the end of each section of the class (see syllabus for specific dates) you should submit your journal to me electronically, following the guidelines for preparation and submission.

"A message in support of the status quo is typically considered to be 'neutral', 'objective', and 'non-controversial', while a message that departs from the status quo position or criticizes it is considered to have a 'point of view' and 'bias'."
- Joyce Nelson