New Summer Course! Anthropology of the Wilderness
ANTH 269: Anthropology of the Wilderness (B-term)
In the US, the concept of the Wilderness is something that is often taken as a natural or a universal idea; however, the Wilderness is in fact full of contradictions, history, culture, and social values. This course is designed to more critically understand the Wilderness as an idea and a place. By examining its history, current practices and policies, and critiques, students will gain a complex social understanding of the Wilderness. The beginning of the course will trace Wilderness history, situating it within US colonial history and the American environmental movement. Further, we will explore more contemporary Wilderness practices and policies, and current issues. The middle of the course is dedicated to exploring different ways community members, scholars, and activists are challenging and/or reshaping the concept of the Wilderness. This portion of the course engages conversations not only directly addressing the Wilderness, but also voices of scholars who provide alternative land epistemologies. In the final portion of the class, students will use course knowledge to analyze different Wilderness institutions, practices, and discourses. This course asks students not only to engage with scholarly text, but also policy, popular media, and personal experience. Students will leave the course with a more complex understanding of the Wilderness, its history, critiques, and current manifestations.
Contact the instructor, Ava Holliday, with any questions at avaholliday@gmail.com
**Just added to the P&E list for PoE majors under Human and Social/Policy and Decision-making!**