Seminar Stuff
Sept.30
1. Why do we appreciate the more romantic forms of nature as opposed to the more humble? Why go to tourist attractions instead of seeking unadulterated nature?
2. How can society give equal respect to lands not seen as sublime? How can we find a common ground between wilderness preservation and accessibility (with detrimental effects)?
3. Should nat'l parks be for the preservation of land or the enjoyment of people?
4. How do we as a community, in our every day lives, balance preservation, use, and abuse?
5. Is there a universal truth to nature independent of culture? If so, where do we fit? If not, does the concept of nature exist?
LURE OF THE LOCAL Oct . 6
after section 1: Around Here
thesis statements: (written in groups)
1. One must overcome the obstacles a multicentered American culture creates in order to find self & place and to create community.
2. The strongest individuals are able to find a balance between being multicentered and being local.
3.Americans have a need for place, whatever that may be, which is often found in the locale; within that place, community is developed based upon the landscape and people of that place.
4.How have we tried to compensate for a lack of belonging in our new nation and our creations? We have drawn from our roots to create new version of culture and a universal society, maintaining and improving old cultural values.
5.The sense of place is derived from our culture which is promoted by art, giving us pride in our community.
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Oct. 8.
A smattering of subjects:
multicenterdness
local, community
construction of nature (physical and conceptual)
ethics / environmental ethics
monoculture (forests) managed forests
domesticated nature
nature reflects culture (jobs in nature, priorities, values)
Instrumental and intrinsic/extrinsic values
preservation/conservation abuse - wise use
environementalists (role in debates, policy, culture)
history of land, discovery and maintenance
wilderness and civilization
sublime wilderness
frontier
gender & landscapes
common nature
definitions of nature
work in/of/with nature
unnatural
american culture
art