Environmental (Hi)stories: History, Narrative, and Writing in Practice

How do historians and others in the environmental humanities tell compelling stories about entanglements of places, people, and non-human worlds? How do these narrative forms shift across time and cultures? Together we will read environmental histories and other forms of nature writing for content, prose, and structure; identify narrative styles unique to the field; and examine how writers showcase individual voice. Assignments include several short-form written pieces culminating in a final essay appropriate for publication in an academic or popular forum. This seminar is for graduate students or advanced undergrads interested in learning how to read for writing and write for readers.