Welcome to the site for English 320, Winter 2022 at the University of Michigan!
MW 1-2:30 PM
1359 Mason Hall
Instructor: Emma Soberano
soberano@umich.edu
Office Hours: Wednesday 10am-noon & by appointment
3061 Tisch Hall
How did the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew facilitate the British project of empire? How is Jane Eyre connected to slavery and deforestation? In this class, we will learn about the historical roots of some of today’s most pressing issues, including climate change & systemic racism, in the nineteenth century projects of colonialism and industrialization. We will also show how colonialism and industry were bound up in and enabled by the study and writing of the natural world. This course will cover a variety of genres, connect such disparate locations as England, the Caribbean, and South Africa, and ask that you consider your own relationship to local and global environments. We will engage with historical scientific writings, as well as with travel narratives and slave narratives, with rich ecological poetry, adventure novels, and contemporary academic scholarship.
What is this site for?
You will be granted guest posting privileges for this site’s blog, so that you may complete your Species List assignment. This site also contains the course Syllabus (including Policies and Schedule), and information on other assignments. Personally, I find this an easier medium through which to navigate large quantities of information, but I will also include traditionally-formatted PDF copies of the syllabus and assignments on Canvas.
What will we use Canvas for?
Canvas will have three primary functions:
- You will submit assignments (other than those for the Species List Project) and receive feedback via Canvas.
- You can find PDF copies of all readings (other than texts required for purchase) under Files on Canvas.
- I will use Canvas to send out announcements.
Header: Rousseau, Henri. The Snake Charmer. 1907, Musée d’Orsay, Paris.
Ecological Empire 