Cooper, James F. The Last of the Mohicans. Oxford World's Classics.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Poetry and Prose. Norton Critical Edition.
Gilpin, William. Three Essays on the Picturesque. ed. Graver. Handout.
Jewett, Sarah Orne. The Country of Pointed
Firs and Other Stories. Norton.
Muir, John. The Mountains of California. Penguin.
Rybczynski, Witold. A Clearing In The Distance: Frederick Law
Olmsted and America in the 19th Century. Scribner.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Norton Critical Edition.
Whittier, John Greenleaf. Selected Poems. ed. Graver. Handout.
Wilton, Andrew and Timothy Barringer. The
American Sublime. Princeton.
Jan 18 Introduction
Jan 23 The British Picturesque. Readings: Gilpin's
Essays; Wilton, 1-21
Jan 25 Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School. Readings: Wilton, pp.
1-54, 67-113; handout
Jan 30 Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School. Readings: Wilton, pp. 1-54,
67-113; handout
Feb 1 Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School. Readings: Wilton, pp. 1-54,
67-113; handout
Feb 6 Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans
Feb 8 Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans
Feb 13 Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans
Feb 15 J. G. Whittier and the Problem of American Picturesque. Readings:
Whittier
Feb 20 J. G. Whittier and the Problem of American Picturesque. Readings:
Whittier
Feb 22 Emerson and Transcendental Nature. Readings: Emerson, pp. 27-55
Feb 27 Emerson and Transcendental Nature. Readings: Emerson, pp. 27-55
Mar 1 Emerson and Transcendental Nature Readings: Emerson, pp. 69-93; 442;
472-78.
PAPER I DUE
SPRING BREAK
Mar 13 Thoreau at Walden Pond. Reading: Walden
Mar 15 Thoreau at Walden Pond. Reading: Walden
Mar 20 Thoreau at Walden Pond.
Reading: Walden
Mar 22 Frederic Church, Niagara, and the American Sublime. Readings: Wilton,
pp. 54-65, 115-180.
Mar 27 Frederic Church, Niagara, and the American Sublime. Readings: Wilton,
pp. 54-65, 115-180.
Mar 29 Elegizing Rural Life: Whittier’s Snow-bound
April 3 Carleton Watkins and the Discovery of Yosemite. Handout
April 10 Bierstadt,
Muir and the Preservation of Yosemite. Readings: The Mountains of California;
Wilton, pp. 228-251. Handout
April 12 John Muir and the Preservation
of Yosemite. Readings: The Mountains of California; Wilton, pp. 228-251.
Handout
April 17 Jewett and Coastal Maine.
Readings: The Country of Pointed Firs; Wilton, 186-215.
April 19 Jewett and Coastal Maine.
Readings: The Country of Pointed Firs; Wilton, 186-215.
April 24 Olmsted and the City Park Readings: Rybczynski, A
Clearing in the Distance..
April 26 Olmsted and the City Park
Readings: Rybczynski, A
Clearing in the Distance.
May 1 Seminar Presentations
May 3 Seminar Presentations
SEMINAR PAPER DUE MAY 10
Assignments in this class will be of several kinds.
1. Weekly 2-page papers in which you write reflections on the week's readings. These should be precise in focus, and exactly three paragraphs in length.
2. Seminar reports on secondary material. These should be three pages in length (no longer!), and will be read aloud to the class. Each of you will do two reports. Reports will substitute for weekly 2-page papers (see #1)
3. Short paper, due March 6, of 5-7 pages; it will be on a subject of your choosing, and approved by me.
4. A long paper of 12-15 pages, due May 5. This paper will also be on a subject of your choosing, subject to my approval. A 15-minute presentation on your seminar project will be delivered to the class on May 1 or 3. Instead of a paper, it is possible to do a substantial creative project, subject to my approval. All creative projects must be accompanied with a 5-7 page account of what you are doing and how it relates to the course material.
1. Attendance is required in this class. Attendance on field trips is optional, as they will occur outside of class time. But it is best to attend these, if at all possible.
2. All college policies regarding academic honesty and plagiarism will be strictly enforced. See the PC Catalogue for these policies.
3. Grading policy. As this is a seminar class, your
participation in seminar discussion is absolutely necessary, and will be
evaluated as 25% of your grade.
Participation includes your seminar reports (#2 above) and your seminar
presentation (described in #4), as well as regular class discussions. Weekly papers will constitute another 25% of
your grade. The short paper will count
15% of your final grade, and the seminar project will count 35%.