ENGL 342 - Environmental Literature

Units: 4 ; Breadth Area: GE-UD-C; Sustainability
Study of divergent and contested literary representations of ecological landscapes and environments, and of how literature that represents ecological harm across race, ethnicity, class and cultural difference influences environmentalism and environmental justice movements.

Strongly Recommended Preparation: Upper division status (greater than 60 earned semester units) and completion of lower division Area C requirements.
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3 and B4 with grade C- (CR) or better.
Possible Instructional Methods: Entirely On-ground, or Entirely Online, or Hybrid.
Grading: A-F or CR/NC (student choice).
Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: GE-UD-C - Upper Division Arts or Humanities, Overlay - Sustainability
Course Typically Offered: Fall ONLY

Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

analyze commonalities as well as differences among the representations in literature of environmental themes, settings, and characters from different ethnic, class, cultural backgrounds;
apply terminology from eco-criticism to analyze literature and its influence;
explain how literary representations of environments and of ecological harm influence environmental justice movements;
demonstrate improved skills for formal thesis-driven writing about literature and an appreciation of the writing process;
engage in collaborative and community-engagement assignments that connect literature with the sustainability of our local and global environments.

UD-C. Upper-division Arts or Humanities Learning Outcomes

demonstrate an understanding of and ability to apply the principles, methodologies, value systems, and thought processes employed in the arts and humanities;
analyze cultural production as an expression of, or reflection upon, what it means to be human; and
demonstrate how the perspectives of the arts and humanities are used by informed, engaged, and reflective citizens to benefit local and global communities.

Sustainability Overlay Learning Outcomes

identify the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability, either in general or in relation to a specific problem;
analyze interactions between human activities and natural systems;
describe key threats to environmental sustainability; and
explain how individual and societal choices affect prospects for sustainability at the local, regional, and/or global levels.

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