COURSE UNIT TITLE

: ECOCRITICISM

DEGREE PROGRAMMES

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
AKE 6021 ECOCRITICISM ELECTIVE 3 0 0 8

Offered By

American Culture and Literature

Level of Course Unit

Third Cycle Programmes (Doctorate Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR NILSEN GÖKÇEN ULUK

Offered to

American Culture and Literature

Course Objective

The purpose of this course is to examine the relations between human and Nature in the American history and literature which provides a laboratory where humanity at its civilized form meets the wilderness condition, itself a product of the process of colonization, and to comprehend the process of the objectification of Nature through oppression and exploitation, which becomes the first "other" of humanity thereby providing a model for all kinds of oppressions and exploitations based on gender, race, and class.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Develop sensibilities towards the process of "other"ing of Nature,
2   Learn the pioneers and leaders of the Environmental thought in America and the Western civilization,
3   Learn and apply the basic theories of Eco-criticism to cultural, historical and literary works.
4   Comprehend the fact that this process underlies other forms of discrimination and stratifications,
5   Become aware of a Land's-Eye-View or Biocentrism, instead of anthropocentrism, and reevaluate American culture, history and literature from the perspective of human-Nature relations,
6   Interpret and analyze their own culture, history, and literature from an Eco-critical position.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Introductions Class Discussion
2 Greg Garrard, Ecocriticism: "Position," "Pollution," and "Pastoral" Student Presentation:Emerson, "Nature." Class Discussion
3 Garrard, "Wilderness" and "The apocalypse" Student Presentation: Annette Kolodny, The Lay of the Land: Metaphor as Experience and History in American Life and Letters. Class Discussion
4 Garrard, "Dwelling," "Animals," and "The Earth" Student Presentation: Annette Kolodny, The Lay of the Land: Metaphor as Experience and History in American Life and Letters. Class Discussion
5 Henry David Thoreau, Walden. Student Presentation:Lawrence Buell, Thoreau, Nature Writing and the Formation of American Culture Class Discussion
6 The Machine in the Garden: Chps 1-3. Student Presentation: Lawrence Buell, Thoreau, Nature Writing and the Formation of American Culture Class Discussion
7 The Machine in the Garden: Chps 4-6. Student Presentation: Lawrence Buell, Thoreau, Nature Writing and the Formation of American Culture Class Discussion
8 Nash, Wilderness and the American Mind: "Prologue," Chps 1-3. Student Presentation: Lawrence Buell, The Environmental Imagination. Class Discussion
9 Wilderness and the American Mind: Chps. 4-6, "Epilogue." Student Presentation: Karl Kroeber, Ecological Literary Criticism Class Discussion
10 Oelschlaeger, The Idea of Wilderness: Chps. 1-5. Student Presentation: Karl Kroeber, Ecological Literary Criticism Class Discussion
11 Oelschlaeger, The Idea of Wilderness: Chps. 6-10. Student Presentation: Murphy, Literature, Nature, and Other. Class Discussion
12 Steven Rosendale, The Greening of Literary Scholarship: Literature, Theory and the Environment. Student Presentation:Murphy, Literature, Nature, and Other. Class Discussion
13 Dana Phillips, The Truth of Ecology: Nature, Culture and Literature in America. Student Presentation: William Cronon, Uncommon Ground. Class Discussion
14 General Evaluation Class Discussion

Recomended or Required Reading

Greg Garrard, Ecocriticism.
Leo Marx, The Machine in the Garden.
Roderick Frazier Nash The Rights of Nature.
---., Wilderness and the American Mind.
Annette Kolodny, The Lay of the Land: Metaphor as Experience and History in American Life and Letters.
Lawrence Buell, Thoreau, Nature Writing and the Formation of American Culture.
---., The Environmental Imagination.
Max Oelschlaeger, The Idea of Wilderness: From History to the Age of Ecology.
Glen A. Love, Practical Ecocriticism: Literature, Biology and the Environment.
Steven Rosendale, The Greening of Literary Scholarship: Literature, Theory and the Environment.
Karl Kroeber, Ecological Literary Criticism
Dana Phillips, The Truth of Ecology: Nature, Culture and Literature in America.
William Cronon, Uncommon Ground.
Patrick Murphy, Literature, Nature, and Other.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Nature"
Henry David Thoreau, Walden.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lecture
Discussion
Text Analysis
Student Presentation

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MTE MIDTERM EXAM
2 STT TERM WORK (SEMESTER)
3 FIN FINAL EXAM
4 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE MTE * 0.30 + STT * 0.20 + FIN* 0.50
5 RST RESIT
6 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MTE * 0.30 + STT * 0.20 + RST* 0.50


*** Resit Exam is Not Administered in Institutions Where Resit is not Applicable.

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

Either the midterm or the final of this course will involve writing a research paper. The minimum criteria in the evaluation of this assignment will be the sensibleness and coherence of the argument, fluency of the development of ideas and thoughts, the quality and range of research, the intellectual level of the analyses and syntheses of the sources, their integration to the main idea, and the success in the accuracy, fluency in the idiomatic usage of language. The latest version of the MLA documentation style shall be employed in the research paper. The Wrks Cited must include at least ten secondary sources. Study aids such as Cliffsnotes, Sparksnotes will not be accepted as part of the Works Cited.
The minimum criteria for the in-class exam with essay type questions include the logical associations with the question, coherence and consistency in the unfolding and development of the idea(s), and the accurate and fluent usage of language.
In the presentations the minimum criteria for evaluation are an overall command of material, clarity and succinctness of verbal expression, organization of thoughts and ideas, timing, and the knowledgeableness of the presenting student in answering questions in the ensuing discussion.
In order to be able to follow class discussions and lectures, the students must read the required material for the week. Each student is thus expected to be ready to participate in an intellectually stimulating discussion of the texts. In addition, s/he is expected to establish ties between the present and previously introduced material in order to be able to develop a wider perspective on underlying issues.
In the quizzes, the questions are tailored to evaluate the student s class preparation for the day; therefore, they will be based on facts in rather than interpretations of the assigned materials.
In all sorts of exams, personal interpretations must be supported by facts and fact-based knowledge on the part of the student.
The grade from class participation will be earned based on the intellectual level of the student s class participation in discussions.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

Any attempt at plagiarism at research papers will result in failure in this course and start a legal process against the student.
The minimum attendance requirement for this class is 70 %.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

Address:Faculty of Letters Building Office A 220
Phone: (232) 301 86 78
E-mail: gokcenils@yahoo.com

Office Hours

By appointment.

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 12 3 36
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 12 9 108
Preparation for midterm exam 1 10 10
Preparation for final exam 1 11 11
Preparation for quiz etc. 2 3 6
Preparing assignments 1 10 10
Preparing presentations 1 10 10
Final 1 3 3
Midterm 1 3 3
Quiz etc. 3 1 3
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 200

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10PO.11PO.12PO.13PO.14PO.15PO.16PO.17
LO.15555
LO.255555
LO.355555555555
LO.4555555
LO.555555555555
LO.655555

CONTACT INFORMATION
Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Cumhuriyet Bulvarı No: 144 35210 Alsancak / İZMİR
Phone: +90(232) 412 12 12 - Fax: +90 (232) 464 81 35

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