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Class Schedule
Course Catalog
Programs of Study
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View schedules forAIS 490
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| CRN | Type | Section | Time | Days | Location | Instructor |
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| 45686 | lecture- discussion | GD | 09:00 AM - 11:50 AM | W | room 1022 Foreign Languages Bldg | Treat, J |
| 4 hours Nature Writing and Empire This interdisciplinary seminar explores the relationship between human experience and the natural environment through a focused study of nature writing. The course is organized around important but overlooked books and essays by American Indian writers, offering fresh perspectives on key themes in the popular and scholarly literature. Together we survey the history of nature writing in America, evaluate the uses of literary nonfiction in American Indian contexts, consider the emerging discourse of ecocriticism, and experiment with the techniques of nature writing in our own lives. Class discussions are supplemented by guest speakers, audiovisual materials, campus events, and optional field trips. Students have the opportunity to gain a basic understanding of nature writing and of American Indian perspectives on this venerable genre; to reflect on the significance of "nature" and "writing" in contemporary life; and to develop their critical skills and creative abilities for use in academic, professional, and personal settings. |
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| 45685 | lecture- discussion | UD | 09:00 AM - 11:50 AM | W | room 1022 Foreign Languages Bldg | Treat, J |
| 3 hours Nature Writing and Empire Meets with ENGL 460 Lit of American Minorities. This seminar offers an interdisciplinary survey of what might also be called tribalist autoinscriptions: nonfiction prose by native authors documenting their own communities. Commonly identified as examples of historiography, ethnography, or autobiography, these texts often transcend conventional genre distinctions in ways that are both intellectually interesting and culturally significant. Assigned readings feature representative tribal autographs from the 19th and 20th centuries; selected critical essays by scholars working in a variety of humanistic and social scientific disciplines introduce useful theoretical perspectives and analytical methodologies. Class discussions are supplemented by audiovisual materials, including documentary films by native filmmakers portraying their own communities. Students have the opportunity to learn more about the native experience by examining it through the lenses of six distinctive tribal autographs; to conduct focused research into the historical, cultural, and literary traditions of an existing tribal community; to explore the problem of textual representation through relevant scholarship in history, anthropology, literary studies, and other fields; and to develop their critical skills for use in academic, professional, and personal settings. Additional course information is available at http://www.nah.uiuc.edu/faculty/treaty/TA.html |
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