Writing About the Environment - University of Virginia
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Writing
About the
Environment
ENWR 1510: Writing and Critical Inquiry
Bryan Hall 310 Instructor: Emily Lawson
MWF 1:00pm-1:50pm email: eel2eb@virginia.edu
Spring 2020 phone: 609-751-1723
The University of Virginia mailbox: Wooden mailboxes, center of 4th Floor, Bryan Hall
ENWR 1510 Office Hours: By Appointment MWF 2-5pm, Bryan Hall 423
Guiding principles for the class:
o Writing is thinking; thinking well is not easy.
o Good writing is the result of planning and revision.
o Good writing is a pleasure to read.
o Habitually reading and writing is essential to improving your prose.
o The goal is NOT to express something simple in a complicated way:
o The goal is to express something complicated as clearly as possible.
Goals for the semester:
o Finding pleasure in writing
o Building habits of mind
o Finding your own voice
o Improving grammar, style, and organization
o Thinking deeply about your relationship to the natural world
o Producing a body of intellectual work and a substantial investigative project
Course Description
In “Writing about The Environment,” an ENWR 1510 course, students will produce original nature writing,
personal essays about place, and critical essays about land and environmental issues. We will read about the
historically shifting concept of “nature” through the lens of American Transcendentalism, Native American
philosophy, and other traditions; explore a range of essays, stories, and poems grouped thematically around
“forests,” “deserts,” “seas,” “skies,” and “the arctic;” and explore journalism and literature about climate
change, environmental ethics, and activism. In this class, we will frequently leave the classroom to observe the
outdoors on campus. We will also write in class every meeting, and each student will produce about 50
handwritten pages of thinking over the course of the semester.
You will likely do more writing this semester than you have done in any other class. This ENWR course is
meant to help you develop your ability to write college-level essays with insight, clarity, nuance, and pleasure.
While you won’t learn how to write for specific disciplines like Biology or Sociology, you will engage in
writing as a form of critical inquiry—that is, writing as a way to learn and reflect as well as to critique and
contend. In this course, regular practice in writing will help you pose questions, identify problems, respond to
conversations, create descriptions, construct arguments, imagine alternatives, and explore ambivalence.
All sections of ENWR 1510 place student writing at the center of the course, which means that you should
expect to see your writing and that of your peers regularly discussed in class. By the end of the semester,
every student will have had a piece of writing distributed for class discussion, so keep in mind that the
audience for your writing includes your classmates as well as the teacher. Frequently discussing each other’s
work in small groups and as a class will help us gain a better understanding of how we can develop as writers.
Required Text
Course Packet to be picked up from N.K. Print & Design on 7 Elliewood Avenue by the Corner
(hours: 10am-5pm, M-F) www.nkprintdesign.com. phone: 434.296.9669
Grading
30% 3 Essays (10% Each)
25% 5 Writing Exercises (5% Each)
25% Participation (Including journal!)
15% Final Project
5% Final Presentations
Assignments
WRITING JOURNAL: In this class, you will keep one journal in which you complete every in-class
writing exercise, draft your other assignments, collect your favorite quotations from every essay we
read, keep a page of “magnetic” ideas, outline your papers, and do other writing. You are also
welcome to use it as your own journal for the semester, writing down your observations and
thoughts. I will look at this journal at the end of the semester, and you will not get an A in this class if you neglect it.
Exercise 1 (1-2 pages) Take a one-hour walk carrying nothing unnecessary with you. No phone, no
pencil, no headphones, no wallet, no sunglasses. How does it feel? What do you sense around you?
Collect observations in your head. Write them down when you get back. Craft them into a passage
that you think could be a good read. 1-2 pages
Exercise 2 (1-2 pages) The big challenge: spend 24 hours with No Screens at all. No phone, no
computer, no smart watch or step-tracker. It will probably be quite hard. Reflect on the experience,
and describe what you learned from it.Exercise 3 (1-2 pages) Choose one of the writers we have read so far in the semester) and emulate their
writing voice. In that voice, explore one of your strongest memories about being in nature. Don’t be
afraid to ham it up!
Exercise 4 (1-2 pages) Due Monday: Casually interview at least two peers about their perspectives on
the environmental future, recording your conversations. Do your interviewees feel nihilistic?
Hopeful? Are they involved in activism? Do they think it’s a waste of time? Using direct quotes from
the interviews, write about your generation’s attitudes on the future.
Exercise 5 (1-2 pages) Turn your guided writing pages on animal ethics into a focused argument for or
against purchasing Canada Goose jackets, eating animals or animal products, testing on animals, or a
related issue.
Essay 1 (2-3 pages) Expository. In a crystal-clear, un-fluffy, journalistic voice, report on a complex
issue of your choosing relating to land, place, or environment. Begin with a very brief personal
anecdote, then lay out the issue as clearly as possible. Teach us something new.
Essay 2 (3-4 pages) Argumentative. Explain a controversy relating to that particular issue and then
argue for a particular side, marshalling substantial evidence to make your case.
Essay 3 ( 3-4 pages) Investigative. Four pages or rough equivalent. Interview someone working in
environmental issues or sciences in Charlottesville. Turn the interview into something informative,
entertaining, and serious, incorporating it into the larger question or issue you’ve been exploring over
the course of the class.
Final Project: You will hand in a final project that incorporates all three essays in revised form. Your
final project can take the form of one long essay, an article, a podcast episode, or even a video, as
long as it is rigorous and demonstrates serious revision.
Policies
Attendance: Students may miss three classes without penalty, no questions asked. Students who miss more
than three classes will lower their final course grade by two-thirds of a letter grade for each additional
absence. (So a third absence would change a grade of an A to a B+, a B+ to a B-, etc.) Absences due to
University travel, religious holidays, or serious illness will be excused, if documentation is provided.
Extensions: I am very happy to negotiate extensions for any assignments which are due only to me. I do
require that you ask me at least 48 hours before the assignment is due.
No Screens. Seriously. If I see you on your phone, you’ll get a zero for participation for the week.
No Sleeping. I know many students at UVA are chronically exhausted, and I truly feel for you. But if you
put your head down, you’ll be asked to leave, hopefully to go take care of yourself. It will count as an absence.
Be Kind. In this classroom, we agree to always assume the best of one another, and to take as a given that
each Harassment, abuse, or engaging in hateful or offensive speech is not appropriate here.
Food is Fine! You are most welcome to bring snacks and beverages, unless someone has a deathly allergy.
Don’t plagiarize. If you commit an honor violation, you will fail the class and be reported.Mandatory Reporting
As Responsible Employee under Title IX, I am required to report sexual assault, abuse, or stalking. I want
to discuss anything that is important to you, but know that I am not a confidential resource. Some
confidential resources include the Sexual Assault Resource Agency (434) 977-7273; the Shelter for Help in
Emergency (434) 293-8509; and the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Virginia Hotline (800) 838-8238.
Class Contacts
If you miss class, it will be your responsibility to contact another student to ask what happened while you
were away. Assignments or schedules are subject to change as we go. Please get the contact information of
two other students:
Name: _____________________ Email:_______________________ Number:_________________
Name: _____________________ Email: ______________________ Number: ________________Class Schedule
*It is your responsibility to check the syllabus & stay on top of assignments and reading.
Week 1: Getting Lost in “Nature”
Mon. January 13 – Welcome to the Anthropocene
– Introductions, Syllabus, Planet Earth scene, Ritual Shredding of Bad Writing Memories, a walk.
Wed. January 15 – Getting Lost
Read before class: Excerpt From A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit
In class: concept-mapping
read together from Forest Gander on primordial life
Fri. January 17 – Short Takes on Nature
Read: Excerpt from Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Earthbound” – Bell Hooks
Excerpt from Braiding Sweetgrass
In class: “Passing Notes” about which ideas about nature resonate and why
Note: you have homework for our next meeting! See below.
Week 2 : Stepping into the Wilderness
(NO CLASS MON: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY)
[Tues. January 21, 4pm, Rotunda Dome: Lecture on “Oceans, Climate, and Human Health.” –
Attend for extra credit: get ahead of the game on your grade.]
Exercise 1 due Wednesday: Take a one-hour walk carrying nothing unnecessary with you. No phone, no pencil, no
headphones, no wallet, no sunglasses. How does it feel? What do you sense around you? Collect observations in your
head. Write them down when you get back. Craft them into a passage that you think could be a good read. 1-2 pages
Wed. January 22: Going for a Walk
Read: Excerpt from A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson
“Going it Alone” – Rahawa Haile
Fri. January 24 – Why seek “Wilderness”?
Read: “Wilderness Letter” by Wallace Stegner, 1969
“Burning the Shelter” – Louis Owens
“The Trouble With Wilderness” -William Cronon
Week 3: Thinking Through Thoreau
Exercise 2 Due Monday: The big challenge: spend 24 hours with No Screens at all. No phone, no computer, no
smart watch or step-tracker. It will probably be quite hard. Reflect on the experience, and describe what you learned
from it. 1-2 pagesMon. January 27: Why Go to the Woods?
Read: Famous passage from Walden – Henry David Thoreau
“Take Two Hours of Pine Forest and Call Me in the Morning” – Florence Williams
In class: Writing like Thoreau exercise
Due Wed: Email me by midnight with a topic or question you’re interested in exploring over the course of the
semester. (This would be a great time to see me in office hours!)
Wed. January 29: Living with Texts
Read: “Down The River with Henry David Thoreau” – Edward Abbey (long!)
Fri. January 31: Loving & Hating Henry
Read: Transcendence: A Schematic” – Alyssa Quinn
“Pond Scum” – Kathryn Schulz
In-Class: Note-Passing; Outlining practice
Week 4: Arctic and Antarctic
Rough Draft Essay 1 Due Monday: In a crystal-clear, un-fluffy, journalistic voice, report on a complex issue of your
choosing relating to land, place, or environment. Begin with a very brief personal anecdote, then lay out the issue as
clearly as possible. 2-3 pages
Mon. February 3 : The South Pole
Watch: Encounters at the End of the World (2007) – Directed by Werner Herzog (on Netflix)
Wed. February 5: The North Pole
Read: From Arctic Dreams – Barry Lopez
“We’ll Fight to Protect the Caribou” three Gwich’in activists
Fri. February 7: Workshop
Read: “Shitty First Drafts” – Anne Lamott (back of course pack)
PAIR WORKSHOP: Rough Draft Essay 1
Week 5: Jungles
Mon. February 10: Exploring the Jungle
Read: Canandé – Juan Suarez
Wed. February 12: Obscenity and Fornication!
Read: “That Time Werner Herzog Went to the Jungle…” (we’ll watch videos in class)- Sarah Emerson
“Fecundity” – Annie DillardFinal Draft Essay 1 Due Friday: (In a clear, un-fluffy, journalistic voice, report on a complex issue of your choosing
relating to land, place, or environment. Begin with a brief personal anecdote, then lay out the issue as clearly as
possible.)
Fri. February 14 (Valentine’s Day) Guided Writing
Read: “On Writing by Hand” – Ross Gay (back of course pack)
In Class Writing: 20 minute guided writing, hopefully a walk
Week 6: Canyon Country
Exercise 3 Due Monday: Choose one of the writers we have read so far in the semester (including Week
6…Werner Herzog is also an option) and emulate their writing voice. In that voice, explore one of your strongest
memories about being in nature. Don’t be afraid to ham it up! 1-2 p.
Mon. February 17: Communing with the Desert
Read: “Desert Quartet” – Terry Tempest Williams
Excerpts from Secrets from the Center of the World – Joy Harjo
In Class: Guessing Game: who’s voice is this?
Wed. February 19: Canyon Country Politics
Read: Excerpts from Desert Solitaire – Edward Abbey
“The Damnation of Glen Canyon Dam” – Edward Abbey
“Glen Canyon Submerses” – Wallace Stegner
Due Friday: Outline for Essay 2. Print two copies. (Argumentative. Explain a controversy relating to your essay 1
issue and then argue for a particular side, marshalling substantial evidence to make your case.)
Fri. February 21: Workshop
Read: Excerpts from The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. (back of pack)
GROUP WORKSHOP: Outlines for Essay 2
Week 7: Islands
Mon. February 24: Islands of Thought
Read: “Islands” – Khaddafina Mbabazi
Wed. February 26: On Tourism
Read: Excerpt from A Small Place – Jamaica Kinkaid
Due Friday: One completed paragraph from your rough draft of essay 2: PRINT THREE COPIES (Argumentative.
Explain a controversy relating to that particular issue and then argue for a particular side, marshalling substantial
evidence to make your case.)
Fri. February 28: Workshop
Read: “Where Do Sentences Come From?” - Verlyn Klinkenborg (back of pack)
WORKSHOP one paragraph: “Speed Dating” model.Week 8: Oceans
Mon. March 2: Ocean Acidification
Read: “Invitation” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
“Dropping Acid” from The Sixth Extinction– Elizabeth Kolbert
Wed. March 4 (SUBSTITUTE): Miraculous, Endangered Oceans
Watch Episode of Blue Planet II – David Attenborough
Read: “Whale Fall” – Rebecca Giggs
! (CLASS CANCELLED FRIDAY BEFORE SPRING BREAK)
Week 9: Skies
Due Monday: Final Draft Essay 2: (Argumentative. Explain a controversy relating to that particular issue and
then argue for a side, marshalling substantial evidence to make your case.)
Mon. March 16: Flying Insects
Read: Excerpt from Pilgrim at Tinker Creek on Monarchs – Annie Dillard, 1974
“The Insect Apocalypse is Here” – Brooke Jarvis, 2019
Wed. March 18: Birdwatching
Read: Excerpt from Crow Country – Mark Cocker
“Silent Skies” – Jim Daley
Fri. March 20: Flying; Writing; Art
Read: “The Stunt Pilot” from The Writing Life – Annie Dillard
Week 10: Animal Ethics
Exercise 4 Due Monday: Casually interview at least two peers about their perspectives on the environmental future,
recording your conversations. Do they feel nihilistic? Hopeful? Are they involved in activism? Do they think it’s a
waste of time? Using direct quotes from the interviews, write about your generation’s attitudes on the future.
Mon. March 23: Emotional vs. Rational Appeals
Read: “Equality for Animals” – Peter Singer
Watch the Movie: Okja (available on Netflix)
Wed. March 25: Fashion on Campus
Read: “Are Canada Goose Jackets Inhumane?” – Eve Watling
In Class: Debate on Canada Goose JacketsFri. March 27 ( Substitute Taught) – Guided Writing
30 Minute Guided Writing Exercise on Animal Ethics
Week 11: Apocalyptic Thinking
Exercise 5 Due Monday: Turn your guided writing pages on animal ethics into a focused argument for or against
purchasing Canada Goose jackets, eating animals or animal products, testing on animals, or a related issue. 1-2p.
And: make sure to do your interview for essay 3 this week, if you haven’t done it yet!
Mon. March 30 : Past Apocalypse
Read: “The Day the Dinosaurs Died” – Douglas Preston
Wed. April 1: Future Apocalypse?
Read: Poems from Wilder – Claire Wahmanholm
“The Uninhabitable Earth” – David Wallace-Wells
Fri. April 3: Workshop
Read: “Apocalypse Got You Down?” – Cara Buckley
Small-group brainstorming/workshop: Essay 3
Week 12: Environmental Racism
Mon. April 6: Living with Pollution
Read: “Dark Waters” – Yusef Komunyakaa
“Environmental Racism is Real” – Vann R. Newkirk II
Rough Draft Essay 3 Due Wednesday: Print a copy to give to your workshop partner.
Wed. April 8: Ravaging Native Lands
Read: “Kill Every Buffalo You Can” - J. Weston Phippen
“A Pipeline Runs Through It” – Winona LaDuke
Fri. April 10: Workshop
Read: “Notes for Young Writers” – Annie Dillard (back of pack)
PAIR WORKSHOP Essay 3
Week 13: Taking Action
Hopefully we will have a guest speaker or two this week!
Mon. April 13: Civil Disobedience
Watch in Class: Extinction Rebellion Action Plans: https://rebellion.earth/act-now/
Greta Thurnburg’s Address to the UN Climate SummitFinal Project Should be mostly complete and in revision stages!
Wed. April 15: Hope for the Future
Read: “The Thing With Feathers” – Elizabeth Kolbert
“Wild Geese” – Mary Oliver
Fri. April 17: Acting Workshop
No Reading. Practice Final Presentations in Pairs.
Week 14: Celebrating Your Work
Mon. April 20 – Guided Writing: Full Class
45 minutes of guided writing
Wed. April 22 - Presentations
Final Presentations: describe final project and share one paragraph to get feedback on.
Fri. April 24 - Presentations
Final Presentations: describe final project and share one paragraph to get feedback on.
Week 15: Welcoming the Summer!
Mon. April 27 : Last Day of Class!
No Homework. Course Evals, Snacks, sitting outside if weather permits, &…more writing!
Final Projects (which must incorporate much of all three essays, but also form a coherent whole) due in my
mailbox or inbox on MAY 6th at 5pm.You can also read
