This course focuses on western culture’s propensity for trash: producing waste upon the Earth, but also treating people and resources as waste; therefore, in looking at the production and nature of waste in North America, we will use literature as a tool to reconsider ecological systems.
In addition to our primary focus on literary representations of environmental mistreatment, we will also look at archaeological studies of landfills to greater understand how our waste defines us.
Finally, we will explore how recent theories re-envision the human race by paying attention to indigenous and ecological connections that enable sustainability.
Method of Instruction: Online discussion, lecture, presentation, research, essay writing
Content Outline by Topic:
– History of industrialism in the west
– Environmental responses from the 19th century to the present in USA, England and Canada
– 19th and 20th century ecological literature
– Movements in literature, art, philosophy: Romantic, Victorian, Modern, Aboriginal, Contemporary
– Environmental studies across theoretical disciplines, especially anthropology
– Waste management on various levels including making personal records
