Pelicans Making Noise

Once again I thought Jack Turner fell victim to the plague that most writers face, there's just too much description going on. First of all this piece never actually caught my attention because pelicans aren't of interest to me, but loading the work with descriptions that went on and on didn't help the cause. He was very passionate in this passage, and I could tell he really has a liking for these birds. I was also impressed that he could write as much as he did about pelicans making sounds, which he made seem to be a controversial subject in the world of biology. Overall I felt he fit the mold with this book because all of the writers seem to be doing the same thing.

End-of-Semester Schedule

4/13 – FOOD SCIENCE CLASSROOM
Song: Benjamin Juhnke
from A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold, pp. 281-294 *.
(Jessamy Dahlberg)

4/15 – HOOVER 1227
STOP PHOTOS HERE
Guest: Linda Hasselstrom
--
4/20 – HELSER 1510
Casey Project Development
Song: Kyle Lichtenberg
“The Song of the White Pelican,” by Jack Turner p. 835 *.
(Yasmine Sepeheri and Nicholas Dudak)

4/22 – HOOVER 1227 – EARTH DAY
“Millions Join Earth Day Observances Across the Nation,” by Josephy
Lelyveld, p. 484 *.
36 photos, one mounted to display
--
4/27 – HOOVER 1227
Casey mapping/research presentations

4/29 –HOOVER 1227
Casey mapping/research presentations

Final – 500-word essay: my favorite reading of the semester, giving reasons and
comparing your favorite with at least two others. Chapbook and/or webpage or eight flash writings, plus a title and cover;
and journal due.


* Readings for journal entries of at least 50 words: one observation about the
writing, and an opinion about the material.

(Your name): When your name appears in parentheses after a reading you should come prepared to lead a discussion of that reading by asking at least two questions and reading a passage from your one-page reader response.

Personal Essay: A Not So Family Vacation

The summer of 2004 my parents, younger brother, and I took a vacation to one of dad’s favorite childhood vacation spots, South Dakota. The plan was to drive the ten hours to Custer, SD and spend two weeks camping at the Beaver Lake Campgrounds. My dad invited his sister, her husband, and their three kids to join us as well. I spent weeks bragging to my friends about my plans to see Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and all the parks we had learned about in our textbooks. In my mind, I was planning an adventure into the wild, or at least as wild as it gets for a fourteen year old. I had my bags packed to the brim and barely had room for all my little disposable cameras. I wasn’t going to miss a single wild moment of this trip. Little did I know but this trip was going to change my life.

Personal Essay Intro Paragraph

It was June tenth of 2008, the day after my birthday; my identical twin, Ethan, had decided to host a party. He was the drum major our senior year and so he thought that to promote “unity in the band”, a phrase which I came to despise, he would have a party to make incoming freshmen more comfortable with the older people in the band. There was a ridiculous amount of Mountain Dew and an abundance of cheap bags of chips. The party was quite a feat, we had paintball, football, and a bonfire planned for later in the evening. Paintball was set up in the grove, about fifty yards west of the shop, where the food and drinks were. Directly across the driveway to the east of the shop was where we had the football field. And just north of the shop was the pump shed where the hose was hooked up to spray random guests. Me, as the antisocial pessimistic twin was under the impression that this party was going to be a complete failure, so I sat inside and watched TV for the first hour. My dad finally had enough of my pessimism and forced me to go outside and socialize. I was furious. To vent my anger I went and played paintball where I got to shoot at all the people that I disliked, which was very soothing for me. After that I moved over towards our makeshift football field and that’s where the entire day went to crap.

A New Approach

The purpose was to capture the opposing team’s flag. This flag was in the form of a brilliant green glow stick. Dressed in all black and camouflage, the teams were split ten on ten. The boundaries were Fall Hall Road and the edges of Robinson Creek circling the camp. It was a drizzly night with only the light of the stars to guide our paths. In the middle of the Northern Wisconsin woods, I became a warrior, army crawling through the unknown territory of the opponent. As the flag guard stood watch, I slyly made my way to his feet without him knowing the difference. Afraid that he had seen me, I laid there silently with my face to the ground until I knew it was safe. As my brain raced with thoughts of tactics to capture the flag, I tried to recall my memory of the land that surrounded me. The land I’ve known so well since I was eight years old was now dark and difficult to maneuver quickly through without getting caught and thrown into the jail cell. It was terrifying, but it was my desire to be the fearless conqueror.

Casey Project

Everett Casey Nature Center and Reserve Project Groups

(see www.ecomfa.engl.iastate.edu)

Habitat Management
Jessamy
Cody
Jarred
Qi

Outdoor-Classroom Plan
Alex
Yao
Nick

Creek Management Plan
Macy
Troy
Mark
Kyle

Prairie-Restoration Plan
Tacie
Ramsay
Crystal
Ben

History
Yasmine
Matt
Wes
James


Project Requirements
• A map
• A four-page-minimum written summary, with at least three outside sources, one of them primary; at least eight concrete steps toward accomplishing the plan; or, in the case the History group, eight specific historical developments
• A visual: a chart, a graph, photographs, etc.
• An ten-minute oral presentation involving all group members.
• The plan should be of professional quality, on a level that could be presented to the university.

Field Trip, Saturday, March 27, 10:00-2:00

Meet at the the Transit Hub in the parking lot to the south of Stephen’s Auditorium and north of the football stadium:
http://www.fpm.iastate.edu/maps


Come prepared to get dirty and wet. You should consider bringing a rain coat..

Bring pen and paper.

Consider bringing:
Field guides
Camera
Lunch

Journal: Smokey the Bear Sutra by Gary Snyder

It seems that Gary Snyder has used Smokey the Bear in order to support his political beliefs such as when he says, “Trampling underfoot wasteful freeways and needless suburbs; smashing the worms of capitalism and totalitarianism;” and also when he says “Wearing the blue overalls symbolic of slaves and laborers, the countless men oppressed by a civilization that claims to save but only destroys.” He uses small gestures from a character and gives them radical meanings. He gives Smokey the Bear a kind, enlightenment in some points like when he says “Smokey the Bear will Illuminate those who would help him,” but then goes on and give the character a violent side directed to people who don’t agree saying “HE WILL PUT THEM OUT.” I think this is an ironic thing to do because he explains that he doesn’t like totalitarianism in the United States but I think in a way he is being as authoritative in his writing as a totalitarian would be over a country.

Journal: Having Faith by Sandra Steingraber

As a woman, I feel that Sandra Steingraber’s piece, Having Faith, is very important. It explains how much harm you can do to your own body as well as your children if you pass on these pesticides from your food to your breast milk. I think Steingraber is right in wanting this information to be explained to people everywhere, especially women because it so intimately affects their lives and the lives of those most important to them. I think it is right to explain to people the harm in pesticides so that women no longer have to be afraid to breast feed, which should really be the healthiest thing for their babies. As long as farmers use chemicals to grow their food, however, we can’t make the steps to living a healthier life, therefore women need to push the importance of organic foods and educate others.

Journal: Silent Spring by By Rachel Carson

I like the way Rachel Carson begins her piece with “A Fable for Tomorrow.” It makes her point of view very clear and shows exactly what she believes is the perfect way to live in the perfect town. She shows that perfect town, with “fields of grain and hillsides of orchards where, in spring, white clouds of bloom drifted above the green fields,” and then explains all the things that could go wrong, such as the day no birds sang and the voices of no animal could be heard all because they had died from pesticides. This clear introduction set up nicely for her to explain how pesticides are killing animals and that although there is no town in America who has seen all the animals die like in the fable, every town has suffered from at least one of the horrible deaths of animals. I think with the mix of the story and the facts and anecdotes, Carson was able to change the way people think about pesticides and how they affect the environment.

Journal: My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir

In the piece My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir, I love the quote “Wonderful that these sublime mountains are so loudly cheered and brightened by a creature so queer.” Muir is talking about a small grasshopper in the Yosemite Mountains. I feel that this line really gives a sense of scale to the world, this small grasshopper is living in the mountains, an immense, gigantic body of heavy stone, and yet, Muir feels that the grasshopper gives the mountains cheeriness. He sees the bounce of the grasshopper as a happy jump and therefore characterizes the mountains as a place of happiness. I think this shows that no matter how big a creature truly is in the world, their spirit can change the way others look at something. I believe this can be applied to humans as well, our character can really influence everything around us.

Journal: A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf by John Muir

When John Muir writes “The world, we are told, was made especially for man—a presumption not supported by all the facts,” I agree with him questioning how the world was created solely for humans while every part of nature has a role in the life circle which is necessary. I think it is greedy for us to believe that everything in the world is made to help us when there are so many other living creatures on earth. I think that Muir is a bit radical in saying people believe that anything which doesn’t help a human is satanic but I agree that religion sometimes can make us believe that we are the most superior of all species and that everything around us is there to serve us. I think religion makes us appreciate that everything around us has a certain purpose but it still puts human beings at the center of life.

Journal: Industrial Tourism and the National Parks by Edward Abbey

Edward Abbey makes a good point as he criticizes the “modernized” national parks. He writes about how for years it was understood that the parks would be “preserved in a primitive way so as to screen out those tourists unwilling to drive over dirt road,” but that was no longer the case. Roads had been built to allow for more visitations and the “old magic” was destroyed. I agree with Edward Abbey in saying the magic of nature is destroyed by placing roads within the parks. I believe the only reason parks need to increase their visitation is for money and no other reason. It is greedy of people to take profit in the environment while ruining its true qualities. To truly preserve the parks is to leave them in their original conditions, in their natural state. Putting roads in the park is like an oxymoron; modernization of nature’s beauty can’t be done without disrupting the nature itself and therefore should not be done.

Ninemile Wolves

I chose Ninemile wolves because I like the wildness of the piece. I like it much more than the other pieces we have read because it deals less with pollution and more with just the fight between humans and wolves. I also liked how Rick Bass wrote and expressed hope that the wolves would someday return.

Blood dazzler

I chose to use blood dazzler for my rhetorical analysis. I love the way that she writes and I love New Orleans so I thought it would be interesting to dissect her poems a little more.

Nick dudak

A First American Views His Lands - N. Scott Momaday

I chose "A First America Views His Lands" by N. Scott Momaday as my topic of interest for my rhetorical essay. I enjoyed reading this piece & found a connection to certain subjects discussed in the piece.

Having Faith

I will be writing about Having Faith, because I liked the style of writing and the messages within it.

A First American Views His Land

My rhetorical analysis will be over "A First American Views His Land" by N. Scott Momaday. I really enjoyed reading his writing. I was interested about what he had to say about Native heritages in early America. Also, I thought his reading was very creative in that he inserted a poem throughout his piece.

Everything Is a Human Being

I will be focusing on Alice Walker's "Everything Is a Human Being." Although I don't neccessarily agree with everything she said, I enjoyed her writing style. She made a lot of very interesting claims that make me look at the world from a new perspective.

A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf

I will be focusing on "A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf". I really enjoyed how Muir used ironic humor to make his point. Most of what he said made me look at the human race and how egocentric we really are. I'm sure I'll enjoy writing more about the subject.

Insudtrial Tourism

I will be focusing on Abbey's Industrial Tourism and the National Parks. I really enjoyed Abbey's writing style and found it very entertaining and easy to read. I also somewhat agreed with some of his views, however extreme they were.

Death of Wildlife

"Silent Spring" is an essay about chemicals killing animals after they have been sprayed on plants. The chemicals the essay mentions is DDT and Aldrin. Aldrin is one that is one hundred times as strong as DDT. According to Rachel Carson, if we don't change our ways and lower the usage of these chemicals, all animals will cease to exist. The beginning of this essay puts many problems that many different cities are having and putting them together as one giant problem. That is what could happen if the chemicals killing the animals are still being used in the future.

Dirty Words

The first part of Patricia Smith’s Blood Dazzler was extremely powerful. Her greatest strengths lie in her oral elements, honest imagery, actual facts, and personification. The prologue was my favorite poem in the first section and it was not something I could just read once. It took me a couple different sittings on a few different days to make any sense of it. And eventually I … came up with nothing. I believe that on the surface this poem is about an affair. There is a lot of evidence of this in the last page when she talks about being addicted and your mind being blind to your wife and children. I think that there is some connection to the Hurricane, but it isn’t one that I can see. It could be that she is meaning to say how the people of New Orleans are addicted and intoxicated by the city itself, kind of personifying it as their lover. Whatever it means, I find that this poem proved you can write something beautiful while using dirty words.

Nature at its best

I also enjoyed this essay from John Muir and I once again am amazed at how easily I can picture what he is talking about. You can tell he is fascinated with nature and by all parts of nature. I was surprised at how he seemed to be equally fascinated with the fly and the grasshopper as he was with the bear. He ends this essay with goodnight friends 3, referring to those animals he met. It is like he had made a connection with them as he met them. John Muir has a special talent to write in a way that can put a picture in someones head with many descriptive details.

Alligator vs. Man

As I read through this portion from A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf I couldn't help but notice the difference in writing style from todays writing to his style. John Muir died in 1914 so I'm guessing he wrote this in the eighteen hundreds. I enjoyed hearing about the alligators rolling around in the mud like hogs and sunning themselves. His writing made it very easy to picture that as well as the fights he mentions later on. John talks about a man who claimed to have wrestled an alligator and even though it was only four feet long it still almost ate him. He had to wrestle it because it had gotten a hold of one of his dogs. The man ended up getting away but the dog was not so lucky. I enjoyed the writing style of this piece because of how easily I can get a picture in my head as I read.

Peer-Review Sheet

1. Does the introduction give the scene context? If not, how could it be improved?




2. What does the writer state as the director’s/film’s claim? Does the claim take into account the larger conflicts contained within the film?



3. Write the sentence(s) that you consider the thesis. Is it arguable? Is it specific? Does it forecast the elements of the scene that the writer plans to analyze? How could the thesis be improved?




4. Focus: How well does the writer stay on track? Where does the writer go off-track, or include information that does not move the paper forward?







5. Does the writer give enough concrete details of the scene? Where could the writer be more specific about visual/auditory elements to deepen his/her analysis?










6. Does the writer break down the visual/auditory elements to specifically analyze what purpose they serve? If not how could they improve? What suggestions do you have?








7. Does the writer connect that analysis back to the thesis? (Please circle/highlight/or note all the places where the writer fails to make these connections)









8. Is the paper well-organized? Does each paragraph contain a clear focus and supporting information? Are there forecasting and transitional sentences to help guide the reader?







9. Are there any parts of the essay that are confusing or that need more details/explanation?






10. What did you like about the draft?







11. What are the weaknesses of the draft? How can the writer improve the weak areas?






What your paper should do:
(Note—these are assignment requirements—if you fulfill the basic requirements of the assignment you will receive a “C” on the paper. Should you not fulfill these requirements you will receive a “D” or lower. “A” and “B”-level papers go beyond the basics, approaching the assignment with in-depth thought, careful consideration, and a more sophisticated writing style—however they still need to contain all the assignments “basic” elements.)


Introduction:

-Places the scene in context
-States the director’s claim
-Has a clear, arguable, forecasting thesis

Body Paragraphs:

-organized around a specific scene element or directorial strategy
-includes very specific visual/auditory evidence to the scene
-connects each example back to the strategy/author’s larger thesis
-includes a transition/summary sentence

Conclusion:

-Summarizes the content of the paper
-Resituates the scene within the larger context/director’s intent
(Note: An A or B conclusion does more that this…)


DO NOT: (think C paper or [most likely] below….)

-summarize the film
-include personal reactions to the film
-copy/paste your thesis statement into your conclusion
-use “You” (/second person)
-overuse “to be” verbs (is , was, were, etc)—USE NO MORE THAN 1 PER PARAGRAPH

DO: (think B papers and above, if done well)

-Use size 12 Times New Roman Font, double-spaced
-Include your rough draft and peer response sheet
-Use as much visual/auditory evidence from the film as is appropriate, your detailed description of your scene will serve as the evidence of your paper
-Use strong verbs, descriptive language
-Remember the content of the course while writing your paper, feel free to (i.e. please do) discuss the depiction of environment in the context of what we’ve read or discussed in class (this may be an appropriate thing to include in your conclusion or introduction)
-Discuss the relationship between character and environment
-Treat the American Landscape as a character or major element of the film

10 Things You Didn't Know About College Grading (from US News)

November 04, 2009 04:43 PM ET | Lynn F. Jacobs, Jeremy S. Hyman | Permanent Link | Print
Given how concerned most students are about grades, it's amazing how little they know about how grading is done. Actually, it's not so amazing. Universities go to great lengths to hide—or at least not disclose—facts about grading that anyone who's taught at a university for more than a year knows. Want a peek? Read on.
1. It's 10 minutes—and then on to the next. You might think that your grader will spend half an hour to an hour grading each student's piece of work. Not so. Unfortunately, given that an instructor might have a stack of 30, 40, or even 70 papers or tests to grade, he or she has only about 10 minutes to devote to each piece of graded work. This is why you should make your claims clearly and forcefully, avoid any irrelevant or unnecessary material, and take the trouble to really explain your points.
2. The grading is often outsourced. In large classes at large colleges, the professor giving the lecture is rarely the one who does the grading. Instead, there is usually a cadre of low-paid grad students who do the grading. You might know the grad student as the TA running your discussion section. But your grader might also be an unseen and unnamed person who has been hired only to grade the written work, with no other duties in the course. Some professors actively manage the grad student or grader, going over sample papers and setting a grading scale. But other professors are happy to delegate the whole job to the underling and never set eyes on student work.
3. It's not as subjective as you think. While it's easy to see how grades are assigned on "objective" tests (like multiple-choice or short-answer tests), it's tempting to think that the grading of essays or papers is just a matter of opinion. But if you were to actually read a set of 50 essays on the same topic, you—and anyone who knew the material—could see right away that there is a wide range of levels of quality in the answers. For professors who have been teaching the material, it's extremely easy to distinguish the essays from students who show an excellent understanding of the issue from those who sort of get the point and those who have no idea what they're talking about—and to assign the grades accordingly. Sure, the professor down the hall might see the same set a bit differently, but it's not likely that this other prof is going to find the D essay any more illuminating than the one who gave a D in the first place.
4. A's are often in short supply. At most colleges, despite what you might have heard about grade inflation, professors give about 10 percent to 25 percent A's in introductory classes and perhaps 30 percent to 50 percent in more advanced courses.
5. Grading usually is not a zero-sum game. In classes where the grading is curved, your grade is in fact determined by your position relative to other students in the class. But curves are not used in all that many classes. Most liberal arts students don't see them that often. So relax—the reason you didn't get an A is not because your friend stole the last available A. It's just that the level of your work didn't merit one.
6. First impressions count. Since your grader is working fast and trying to make a quick decision about what grade to give, nailing the main point in the very first paragraph creates a feeling of satisfaction in the grader. This sets the essay on the path to an A. Keeping the grader in suspense about when—and if—you're ever going to answer the question, or, worse, larding your essay with bull, very quickly inclines the grader to a C.
7. Last impressions count. Your conclusion is the last thing your grader reads before slapping the grade on at the bottom, so whatever you do, don't end with excuses or explanations of why you did such a bad job. This only confirms the grader's judgment that the essay wasn't really all that hot. Just summing up what you've said is OK, but a far better idea is to bring out some new point of even deeper significance or draw an unexpected connection—that's ending with a bang. And you'll likely get a bang-up grade.
8. Effort isn't taken into account (usually). In college, you are generally graded on the product you produce, not on how hard you worked to produce it. Students have a lot of trouble grasping this, which is why professors regularly hear complaints from students unhappy about getting a bad grade on something they worked "really hard" on. Professors have no trouble dismissing such complaints, since they're not in the effort-assessment business (and couldn't be, even if they wanted to).
9. There aren't usually do-overs or extra credit. In most courses, the professor has his or her hands full with the regular work and isn't looking to allow students with bad grades to rewrite their papers for a better grade. They're also not likely to offer the chance to do extra work for extra credit. So try to do it right from the first.
10. There's no real court of appeals. Sure, most colleges have official procedures for disputing a grade, but grades rarely get changed. It usually happens only if there is some serious procedural irregularity (such as incorrectly adding up the points, failing to read a page of the answer, or not following policies on the syllabus or the college rules). Arguments that almost never work include: My friend wrote the same paper but did better than I; another TA grades easier; and the assignment wasn't fair. If you haven't gotten the grade you wanted, it's best just to suck it up, then ask the professor or TA how you can do better next time.
© Copyright 2009 Professors' Guide LLC. All rights reserved.

What an Expository/Analytical/Argumentative Essay Should Do

The old public-speaker’s maxim is a helpful generalization:
1. Tell them what you're going to tell them (introduction).
2. Tell them (body).
3. Tell them what you told them (conclusion).
A good essay wants to feel purposeful without calling attention to its workings. The following are guides, general formulas. Most important is that your essay feel authoritative—supported by particulars—and logical, building is a systematic way. In the end, each essay is its author’s, who will put his or her special stamp on it.

First Paragraph/Introduction:
The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three important questions:
1. What is this?
2. Why am I reading it?
3. What do you want me to do?
You should answer these questions by doing the following:
1. Set the context – provide general information about the main idea, explaining the situation so the reader can make sense of the topic and the claims you make and support
(The context for an ad analysis paper might include details like
-the source of the advertisement [ie the magazine where you found it]
-the magazine’s target audience,
-Background on the product/company
-A basic visual description of the ad)
2. State why the main idea is important – tell the reader why s/he should care and keep reading. Your goal is to create a compelling, clear, and convincing essay people will want to read and act upon
3. State your thesis/claim – compose a sentence or two stating the position you will support

If your paper is long, you may want to forecast how you will support your thesis by outlining the structure of your paper, the sources you will consider, and the opposition to your position. Your forecast could read something like this:
First, I will define key terms for my argument, and then I will provide some background of the situation. Next I will outline the important positions of the argument and explain why I support one of these positions. Lastly, I will consider opposing positions and discuss why these positions are outdated. I will conclude with some ideas for taking action and possible directions for future research.
This is a very general example, but by adding some details on your specific topic, this forecast will effectively outline the structure of your paper so your readers can more easily follow your ideas.


Body Paragraphs
Body Paragraphs: Moving from General to Specific Information
Your paper should be organized in a manner that moves from general to specific information. Every time you begin a new subject, think of an inverted pyramid - the broadest range of information sits at the top, and as the paragraph or paper progresses, the author becomes more and more focused on the argument ending with specific, detailed evidence supporting a claim. Lastly, the author explains how and why the information she has just provided connects to and supports her thesis (a brief wrap up or warrant).

The four elements of a good paragraph (TTEB)
A good paragraph should contain at least the following four elements: Transition, Topic sentence, specific Evidence and analysis, and a Brief wrap-up sentence (also known as a warrant) – TTEB!
1. A Transition sentence leading in from a previous paragraph to assure smooth reading. This acts as a hand off from one idea to the next.
2. A Topic sentence that tells the reader what you will be discussing in the paragraph.
3. Specific Evidence and analysis that supports one of your claims and that provides a deeper level of detail than your topic sentence.
4. A Brief wrap-up sentence that tells the reader how and why this information supports the paper’s thesis. The brief wrap-up is also known as the warrant. The warrant is important to your argument because it connects your reasoning and support to your thesis, and it shows that the information in the paragraph is related to your thesis and helps defend it

Conclusions
Conclusions wrap up what you have been discussing in your paper. After moving from general to specific information in the introduction and body paragraphs, your conclusion should begin pulling back into more general information that restates the main points of your argument. Conclusions may also call for action or overview future possible research. The following outline may help you conclude your paper:
In a general way,
• restate your topic and why it is important,
• restate your thesis/claim,
• address opposing viewpoints and explain why readers should align with your position,
• call for action or overview future research possibilities.
Remember that once you accomplish these tasks, unless otherwise directed by your instructor, you are finished. Done. Complete. Don't try to bring in new points or end with a whiz bang(!) conclusion or try to solve world hunger in the final sentence of your conclusion. Simplicity is best for a clear, convincing message.

With thanks to The University of Purdue OWL website

Speaking-in-Place Syllabus

They paved paradise,
Put up a parking lot
With a pink boutique,
And a swinging hot spot.
“Big Yellow Taxi,” by Joni Mitchell




I wish to speak a word for Nature, for absolute freedom and wildness, as contrasted with a freedom and culture merely civil--to regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of Nature, rather than a member of society. I wish to make an extreme statement, if so I may make an emphatic one, for there are enough champions of civilization: the minister and the school committee and every one of you will take care of that.
“Walking,” by Henry David Thoreau


An argument can be made that environmental writing is America’s sing most distinctive contribution to the world’s literature . . . . Other cultures are older and perhaps therefore more subtle in their observation of the endlessly fascinating dance of human beings. But only on this continent was Culture fully conscious while Economy went about the business of knocking down Nature.
from the “Introduction,” by Bill McKibben, in American Earth


Texts
American Earth, edited by Bill McKibben
Blood Dazzler, by Patricia Smith
Buffalo for the Broken Heart, by Dan O’Brien
Student Guide, ISU Foundation Courses
The Brief Penguin Handbook

Schedule

1/14 - HOOVER 1227
100-word”photo” of one of the photos/paintings in American Earth—between pp.224 and 225 and pp. 736 and 737. Beware of generic adjectives—“beautiful,” “nice,” “wonderful,” “gorgeous,” “pretty,” etc. Use only two adjectives total and no forms of the verb “to be.”
“Everything Is a Human Being,” by Alice Walker, p. 659 * , and
from Leaves of Grass, “This Compost,” by Walt Whitman, pp. 62-63
--
1/19 - HELSER 1510
Songs: Macy Meier, Nicholas Dudak
Home place exercise, in class:
Find an image of your hometown or a place you’ve lived—
in a newspaper, in brochure, on a sweatshirt, on a website, etc.
Post on our blog about:
1-What the image represents?
2-What one thing seems most emblematic of a place you’ve lived?
3. Write a 100-word “photo” of a representative component of that place.
from Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams, pp. 739-752 *.
(Alexander Ruggeberg)

1/21 - CLASSROOM
Songs: Sepehri Yasmine and Wesley Boyer
Hut sheet due, 100-word description of hut.
From Refuge, “Epilogue,” pp. 752-759 *.
(Taci Hoose and Matthew Harvey)
From The Ninemile Wolves, by Rick Bass, pp. 760-769 *
(Troy Luettjohann)
Two questions you would like to ask each author during their visits to
campus.
--
1/26 - HELSER 1510
Songs: Qi Wang and Thomas Baldwin
Blood Dazzler, by Patricia Smith, “Prologue”-p. 34 *.
(Lauren Jessen and James Capello)
“Place,” by WS Merwin, p. 716.
“The Summer Day,” by Mary Oliver, p. 737.
Three 50-word “snaphots” from key experiences, share comments.
JOURNAL SUBMISSION

1/28 - HOOVER 1227
Blood Dazzler, by Patricia Smith, p. 35-end *.
Imitation of a section of at least five lines from one of Smith’s poems.
--
2/2 – Tour of ISU power plant. Meet there.

2/4 – CLASSROOM
Two “snapshots” from Symposium due.
Power-plant stat-sheet due.
--
2/9 – HOOVER 1227
Into the Wild

2/11 – HOOVER 1227
Into the Wild
--
2/16 - HELSER 1510
Songs: Mark Sinclair and Crystal Lovan
From Walden; or, Life in the Woods, by Henry David Thoreau, pp. 9-25 *.
(Hillary Fraley)

2/18 - CLASSROOM
Songs: Ramsay Ah Sam and Tacie Hoose
“A First American Views His Land,” by N. Scott Momaday, p. 570 *.
(Ramsay Ah Sam and Preston Portas)
Rough draft, visual analysis due.


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2/23 – HELSER 1510
Songs: Cody Baurichter and Nor Alias
“Speech at Grand Canyon, Arizona, May 6, 1903,” by Teddy Roosevelt
“Polemic: Industrial Tourism and the National Parks,” by Edward
Abbey, p. 413 *.
(Thomas Baldwin and Kyle Lichtenberg)

2/25 – CLASSROOM
Songs: Courtney Lashier and Troy Luettjohann
From A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf, p. 85 *, and from My First
Summer in the Sierras, p. 98, by John Muir *.
(Jarred Schubert)
Visual analysis due.
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2/23 – HELSER 1510
Songs: Cody Baurichter and Nor Alias
“Speech at Grand Canyon, Arizona, May 6, 1903,” by Teddy Roosevelt
“Polemic: Industrial Tourism and the National Parks,” by Edward
Abbey, p. 413 *.
(Thomas Baldwin and Kyle Lichtenberg)

2/25 – CLASSROOM
Songs: Courtney Lashier and Troy Luettjohann
From A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf, p. 85 *, and from My First
Summer in the Sierras, p. 98, by John Muir *.
(Jarred Schubert)
Visual analysis due.
--
3/2 – HELSER 1510
Songs: Erica Miller and James Capello
from Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, p. 366 *.
(Nor Alias)



3/4 – CLASSROOM
Songs: Alexander Ruggeberg and Jessamy Dahlberg
from Having Faith, by Sandra Steingraber, p. 929 *.
(Cody Baurichter)
JOURNAL SUBMISSION
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3/9 – HELSER 1510
Song: Jarred Schubert
“Smokey the Bear Sutra,” by Gary Snyder, p. 473 *.
(Macy Meier)
Rough Draft Rhetorical Analysis, Peer Review Day

3/11 - CLASSROOM
Song: Lauren Jessen
“Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front,”, p. 505, and “The
Making of a Marginal Farm,” p. 507, by Wendell Berry *.
(Mark Sinclair and Qi Wang)
100-word “snapshot” of American behavior

3/16 and 3/18 SPRING BREAK

3/23 – HELSER 1510
Song: Preston Potas
Buffalo for the Broken Heart,by Dan O’Brien, pp. 3-68 *.
(Wesley Boyer)

3/25 - CLASSROOM
Song: Matthew Harvey
Buffalo for the Broken Heart,by Dan O’Brien, pp. 69-124 *.
(Courtney Lashier)
Rhetorical analysis due.
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3/30 – HELSER 1510
Song: Hillary Fraley
Buffalo for the Broken Heart,by Dan O’Brien, pp. 125-193
(Fu Yao)

4/1 – Field Trip, Casey Land
Buffalo for the Broken Heart,by Dan O’Brien, pp. 193-end *.
(Everyone write a page in their journal)
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4/6 – HELSER 1510
Song: Fu Yao
Casey mapping installment due.
“Fecundity,” by Annie Dillard, p. 531 *.
(Crystal Lovan)

4/8 – HOOVER 1227 - AWP
from A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold, pp. 265-281 *.
Guest: Frank Moe
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4/13 – HELSER 1510
Song: Benjamin Juhnke
from A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold, pp. 281-294 *.
(Jessamy Dahlberg)
JOURNAL SUBMISSION



4/15 – HOOVER 1227
STOP PHOTOS HERE
“Dwellings,” by Linda Hogan, p. 809 *.
Guest: Linda Hasselstrom
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4/20 – HELSER 1510
Research-draft development
Song: Kyle Lichtenberg
“The Song of the White Pelican,” by Jack Turner p. 835 *.
(Yasmine Sepeheri and Nicholas Dudak)

4/22 – HOOVER 1227 – EARTH DAY
“Millions Join Earth Day Observances Across the Nation,” by Josephy
Lelyveld, p. 484 *.
36 photos, one mounted to display
Research papers due.
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4/27 – HOOVER 1227
Casey mapping/research presentations

4/29 –HOOVER 1227
Casey mapping/research presentations
Chapbook and/or webpage or eight flash writings, plus a title and cover;
and journal due.

Final – 500-word essay: my favorite reading of the semester, giving reasons and
comparing your favorite with at least two others.

* Readings for journal entries of at least 50 words: one observation about the
writing, and an opinion about the material.

(Your name): When your name appears in parentheses after a reading you should come prepared to lead a discussion of that reading by asking at least two questions and reading a passage from your one-page reader response.

Note: This schedule could be adjusted during the semester.