| Lec # | Topics | Key dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | |
| 2 | Mairs, Nancy, "On Being a Scientific Booby," and John Muir, "3 Short Pieces." In Writing Nature. Levi, Primo. "Carbon." In The Periodic Table. | Writing: Autobiographical sketch due at start of class |
| 3 | Writing Worth Reading. pp. 66-68 and 193-194. Lopez, Barry. "Gone Back into the Earth." In Crossing Open Ground. Leopold, Aldo. "Thinking Like a Mountain." In Sand County Almanac. Sample Student Narrative Essays | Writing: Exercise 1a due at start of class |
| 4 | Thoreau, Henry David. "Brute Neighbors," Lewis Thomas, "Ponds," and Ursula LeGuin, "A Very Warm Mountain." In Writing Nature. | In class: Return exercise 1a |
| 5 | "Rhetoric: Writing about Personal Experience," David Quammen, "The Face of a Spider," and Alice Walker, "Am I Blue?" In Writing Nature. | Writing: Exercise 1b due at start of class |
| 6 | "Developing the Paragraph." In Writing Nature. | Writing: First version of essay #1 (5 copies) due at start of class |
| 7 | "Case Study: A Student's Personal Essay." In Writing Worth Reading. In class: Essay Workshop | Writing: Written comments (2 copies) due at start of class |
| 8 | In class: "Cadillac Desert." (Video) | Writing: Final version of essay #1 due at start of class |
| 9 | "Arguing." In Writing Nature and Selections from Conflicts of Interest. | Writing: Exercise 2a due (3 days after lecture 9) |
| 10 | Ward, Diane Raines. "Sweet Water." In Water Wars. Stegner, Wallace. "Glen Canyon Submersus." In The Sound of Mountain Water. McPhee, John. Excerpt from Encounter with the Archdruid. In class: "Cadillac Desert." (Video) | |
| 11 | Opposing Points of View on Specific Water Conflict Writing Worth Reading. pp. 428-430. In class: Exercise Workshop | Writing: Exercise 2b (3 copies) due at start of class |
| 12 | Writing Nature. pp. 541-560. "Las Vegas, A Guilty Pleasure." (Sample Student Essay) Writing Worth Reading. pp. 114-131 and 91-98. | In class: Exercise 2b returned |
| 13 | "Making the Argument." In Writing Worth Reading. | Writing: First version of essay #2 (5 copies) due at start of class |
| 14 | In class: Essay Workshop | Writing: Written comments (2 copies) due at start of class |
| 15 | Bring in list of ideas for research essay In class: Library Session | Final version of essay #2 due (1 day after lecture 15) |
| 16 | Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. pp. 1-127. In class: Student-led discussion of chapters in Silent Spring | |
| 17 | Writing Worth Reading. Skim pp. 333-352. Read "Reading and Taking Notes." In Writing Worth Reading. Independent research for your own paper | Writing: Exercise 3a due at start of class Bring in copy of article or chapter (see ex. assignment) |
| 18 | "Documenting your Sources," and "Suggesting Recurrent Themes." In Writing Worth Reading. "Vanishing Frogs." (Sample Student Essay) Research for your own paper In class: Discussion of Plagiarism | Writing: Exercise 3b due at start of class Bring in copy of second article or chapter |
| 19 | Stewart, Meg. "Dredging to Keep New York-New Jersey Harbor Alive." In The Earth Around Us. Research for your own paper In class: Oral Presentations | Writing: Exercise 3c due at start of class |
| 20 | Research for your own paper "Writing a First Draft." In Writing Worth Reading. In class: Oral Presentations | In class: Exercise 3c returned |
| 21 | Research for your own paper Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. pp. 276-297. In class: Oral Presentations | |
| 22 | In class: Oral Presentations | Writing: First version of paper #3 (5 copies) due at start of class |
| 23 | In class: Essay Workshop | Writing: Written comments (2 copies) due at start of class |
| 24 | In class: Introduction Revision Workshop | Writing: Bring revised introduction (at least first full page) for essay #3 (2 copies) Final version of essay #3 due (1 day after lecture 24) |
| 25 | In class: Style Revision Workshop | Writing: Bring in one-page segment of essay #1 or #2 (2 copies) |
| 26 | In class: Reading and Listening to Favorite Works Celebrating the successful completion of 21W.730 | Writing: Optional revision of earlier paper due at start of class |