Sunday, August 31, 2008

Welcome

Welcome to Eckerd College, to Fall Semester 2008, and to CO 200E: Writing the Environment. This blog functions as an extension of our class--indeed, it should become the site for continuing conversations about the relationship between humans and the natural world, as well as a host of other issues raised by the texts we are reading and viewing this semester. I encourage you to use this blog as a place to explore who you are as a writer, as well as a space to investigate, question, play, and explain.

Each class period we will discuss the reading assigned for that day. You should post a paragraph response to the reading to the class blog by 8:00 pm the night before class (e.g. Monday and Wednesday nights). We will use these responses as a starting point for discussions. Each week you are required to make at least one original posting to the blog. The other posting may be a well-thought out response to another classmate’s post. That means you will post at least 26 times over the course of the semester (save for today and the final day of class). At times during the semester I will give you writing prompts that you should respond to on the blog.

For this Thursday I want you to think about your own understanding of your relationship and response to nature. How do you see yourself in nature? Are you an outdoorsy person? What does that mean? Are you are gardener? Are you a enjoy nature on television person? Do you have many different types of relationship to nature? To help with your response pick a passage from the reading that stands out as significant to you. Be sure to quote the passage and note the page number. How does the passage help, complicate, redefine nature and your place with or in nature? This post should be at least 250 words.