Program Description
The Environmental Writing Track is a sequence of coursework centered around the study and writing of creative nonfiction with an environmental focus. One reason for turning to environmental writing is because it is written from a point of view that takes in a world larger than that of the individual writer.
This genre of writing relies on the insights of geology, biology, ecology, environmental science, philosophy, and economic and historical experiences to understand the relationship between the individual, society, and the natural world.
Students who concentrate in this writing track may choose to go on to graduate work in creative non-fiction and literary eco-criticism; or perhaps they may find work for environmental publications, governmental offices, and non-profit organizations.
Course Requirements for the Environmental Writing Track include all of the standard requirements for the English major, plus the following (courses may double count when appropriate):
- English 209, 210, and 403.
- Environmental Science 110, 270, and one more ES course of student's choosing. Other courses outside English that deepend the student's understanding of the environment or environmental issues may be substituted for one or more of the above courses, with permission of the English department chair.
- A Senior
Project in environmental writing (English 603) in place of English 600.
It is recommended that the student pursuing the environmental writing track take additional courses in writing, such as English 207 and 208, as well as participate in appropriate internships to be identified in consultation with the student's faculty advisor.
Faculty
