Representations of nature and the environment loom large in the American imagination, from the Puritan fear of the wilderness to the continuous historical shifting of the frontier westward, from disputes over land and negotiations of space to dichotomies between a 'rural' and an 'urban' America. These concerns have manifested themselves in various genres and modes of American fiction, such as in binary constructions of nature and technology in dystopian and science fiction as well as in narratives of the unconquered wilderness in the Western genre. Scrutinizing these different narratives of nature, space, and the environment allows us to examine questions of difference, issues of belonging and identity, negotiations of power, and to overall understand the cultural work these texts do.
In this seminar, we will examine narratives, representations, and imaginations of nature and space in American (popular) culture through different conceptual lenses, such as gender, race, sexuality, class, disability, and the body.
The seminar will enable students to deepen their understanding of American film, television, literature, and other texts in US culture as well as to engage with literary and cultural theory in order to analyze a primary text of their choice. The exam for this module is a portfolio exam that will consist of different written components which will showcase what students have learned throughout the semester.
- Trainer/in: Eleonora Ravizza