2022 Newsletter: Course Spotlight
PORT 177 - "The Amazon: Framing Environmental Issues through Literature and Film."
This first-year seminar explores environmental issues in the Amazon through the lens of literature and film. How do narratives of place shape our understanding of our relationship to the natural world? What role do novels and films play in bridging local realities to a broader global context? Students read news stories and journal articles to establish a framework for present-day environmental challenges in the Amazon. Through course activities, students critically examine how different sources build understanding and serve as catalysts for change. Additionally, students consider how the lessons of the Amazon apply to local and national debates about preservation issues, for example, through investigations of the Baker Wetlands and the Badlands of South Dakota.
"Basically, we use the Amazon as a springboard to help us think about our relationship with the environment. We have made visits to the Baker Wetlands in past years, but this year I decided to add service learning to the class and students really enjoyed it. That takes our theoretical discussions to a more practical, hands-on level."
Students visited the Baker Wetlands three times:
08/30, when they explored the area and attended a lecture by Baker University Professor and Director of the Baker Wetlands Irene Unger.
09/06, when students collected native seeds.
09/13, when students removed woody and invasive species.
Students were guided by Dana Carpenter, a Biologist and Natural Areas Manager at Baker University, Prof. Irene Unger, and Prof. Luciano Tosta.
