English 431-001
Topics in Advanced Writing: Writing and the Environment
Instr: Graham Smart
Office: CRT 584, 229-2990
e-mail: gsmart@uwm.edu
Office hours: by appointment.
Course Information: M 5:30-8:10, CRT 127
Course Description
Since the publication in 1962 of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and the first Earth Day, organized by Wisconsin's Gaylord Nelson in 1970, environmental issues such as global warming, toxic waste, wilderness preservation, biodiversity, and environmental justice have become increasingly prominent in public discourse. In this class we'll look at how environmental activists, business corporations, the media, and governments use language and other symbol systems to portray, and make arguments about, the environment. We'll analyze texts produced by these different groups-including news articles, books, magazines, brochures, websites, environmental impact assessments, and political speeches-as attempts to influence public attitudes, government policy, and consumer choices.
Students will write a series of short analytical pieces as well as a longer research report on a topic to be negotiated with the instructor. For all the writing, we'll use a workshop format in which writers will receive feedback on their drafts from other students and the instructor and then use this feedback to revise their work.
