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2025-2026 Fall Semester Literature and Envrionment I  

Question 1 (23/9/2025)

What was your take on the first class of the semester? Elaborate on the chapter, which we read from Silent Spring and discuss the function of literaary studies in terms of ecological crisis as we discussed in the class.

2017-2018 Fall Semester Syllabus

Ege University, Faculty of Letters
English Language and Literature Department
381 – LITERATURE AND ENVIRONMENT I

2017-2018 Fall Semester

Önder Çetin

Wednesday, 14.30 – 17.00 (D.1203)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course introduces students to the relationship between literature and the physical environment.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
The objective of the course is to provide students with skills to understand and interpret the relationship between literature and the physical environment as a fast emerging literary theory, namely ecocriticism. In the face of global environmental crisis, ecology has become one of the most controversial issues disputed throughout many branches of the academic world, including literature. The aim of this course is to introduce prominent American nature writers and their works starting as early as 19^th century, which helped to create awareness towards environment and conservation policies.

ATTENDANCE INFORMATION & POLICIES
-It is a regulation of Ege University that students should attend at least 70% of the classes each semester.

-Students are expected to attend each class having read the assigned texts and be prepared for class discussions.

-Cell phones must be turned off/ in silent mode and under the desk during the class hours.

-Latecomers may come in without distracting the attention of their classmates.

EXAM INFORMATION & POLICIES
Mid-term and Final exams will be written exams in class.

COURSE GRADING
Students’ overall grades will be evaluated as follows:

-       Mid-term %40

-       Final 60%

(Class participation will be taken into consideration while grading your exam papers)

REQUIRED TEXTS
Abbey, Edward. Desert Solitaire. New York: Simon&Schuster, 1968.

Garrard, Greg. Ecocriticism: The New Critical Idiom. Routledge: London, 2004.

Glotfelty, Cheryll and Harold Fromm, eds. Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. Athens, GA: U of Georgia Press, 1996.

Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac. London: Oxford University Press, 1966.

Lopez, Barry. Arctic Dreams. London: Picador, 1987.

Thoreau, Henry D. Walden. Ed. J. Lyndon Shanly. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004.

Important Notice: The assigned texts for each lesson are subject to change, and it is students’ responsibilty to follow the changes. 

COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1: 27 September 2017

Introduction and course organization.

Week 2: 4 October 2017

What is ecology? What is ecocriticism?

Read: Glotfelty, Cheryll. “Introduction: Literary Studies in an Age of Environmental Crisis.” Glotfelty & Fromm, xv-xxxvii. (in Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology)

+ Glossary of Selected Terms (will be provided)

Week 3: 11 October 2017

Read: Chapter 1 in Ecocriticism: The New Critical Idiom by Greg Garrard

Discussion of short Stories: Read: “Adios Cordera!” (Goodbye Lamb!) by Leopoldo Alas +

“White Heron” Sarah Orne Jewett

Week 4: 18 October 2017

Walden, Henry David Thoreau (Intro.+Economy+Where I lived+Sounds)

Slovic, Scott. “Nature Writing and Environmental Psychology: The Interiority of Outdoor Experience.” (in Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology) 351-370.

Week 5: 25 October 2017

Walden, Henry David Thoreau (Solitude+The Village+The Ponds+Conclusion)

Week 6: 1 November 2017

A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold

Week 7: 8 November 2017

A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold

Week 8: 15 November 2017

A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold

Week 9: 22 November 2017

Midterm

Week 10: 29 November 2017

Desert Solitaire, Edward Abbey

Week 11: 6 December 2017

Desert Solitaire, Edward Abbey

Week 12: 13 December 2017

Lopez, Barry. Arctic Dreams. (Prologue+Arktikos+Banks Island)

Week 13: 20 December 2017

Lopez, Barry. Arctic Dreams. (Ice and Light+The Country of the Mind+Epilogue)

Week 14: 29 December 2017

Wrap-up

2nd Blog topic: Lopez's "Presentation of Whales"

Here is your second blog post topic. How did reading éAPresentation of Whales" ('the experience of the exterior landscape') shape the 'interior landscape of your brains' as Barry Lopez puts it? Feel free to comment on any aspect that strikes you the most.

Why do we study environmental literature?

Hello Dear 382 Lit&EnviroII students,

I'd like you to share your thoughts about Literature and Environement studies you committed to study this semester. As you may guess from the title of this page, I'd like to learn, why do you study environmental literature and what do you expect to get/learn from this topic and how were your environmental values shaped? I'm looking forward to read your comments!!

Cheers,

2016-2017 Spring Semester Syllabus for Literature and Environment II

Ege University, Faculty of Letters
English Language and Literature Department
382 – LITERATURE AND ENVIRONMENT II

2016-2017 Spring Semester

Önder Çetin

Tuesday, 13.00-15:20 (D.1)

Course Blog: http://literatureandenvironment.blogspot.com.tr

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course introduces students to literary works that deal with environmental problems focusing on the issues of local and global, postcolonialism and oceans and whales and finally the relationship between humankind and nature.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
The aim and objective of the course is to introduce students to a variety of ecologically conscious literary works and to enable them to use their knowledge of literature and environment acquired during the first semester. In the face of global environmental crisis, ecology has become one of the most controversial issues disputed throughout many branches of the academic world, including literature.

ATTENDANCE INFORMATION & POLICIES
It is a regulation of Ege University that students should attend at least 70% of the classes each semester. Students are expected to attend each class having read the assigned texts and be prepared for class discussions.

Please keep your cell phones turned off (no silent or buzzing mode!)

EXAM INFORMATION & POLICIES
Mid-term and Final exams will be written exams in class.

Blog Post Project

The course blog will be a place for us to test out ideas, engage in discussion with each other outside of class, and share ideas about the literary works we read on the course syllabus. You will post your comments on the blog

This project will constitute %30 of your Final exam grade.

Course blog site:  http://literatureandenvironment.blogspot.com.tr

COURSE GRADING
Students’ overall grades will be evaluated as follows:

-       Mid-term 40%

-       Final 60% = %30 Blog Project+%70Final Exam

(Class participation will be taken into consideration while grading your exam papers)

REQUIRED TEXTS

Tentative Reading List:

Lopez, Barry. “A Presentation of Whales.” (will be provided)

Ihimaera, Witi. The Whale Rider. (will be provided)

Ghosh, Amitav. The Hungry Tide. (will be provided)

Yamashita, Karen Tei. Through the Arc of  Rainforest. (will be provided)

Faruk Duman. Ve Bir Pars Hüzünle Kaybolur.

RECOMMENDED READING

Garrard, Greg. Ecocriticism: The New Critical Idiom. Routledge: London, 2004.

Glotfelty, Cheryll and Harold Fromm, eds. Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. Athens, GA: U of Georgia Press, 1996.

Important Notice: The assigned texts for each lesson and the overall content of this syllabus are subject to change, and it is your responsibility to follow the changes. Updates will be announced at the course blog (http://literatureandenvironment.blogspot.com.tr/) 

COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1: Feb. 21, 2017

Introduction and course organization.

Week 2: Feb. 28, 2017 “Oceans and Whales”

Reading due:

Lopez, Barry. “A Presentation of Whales.”

Week 3: March 7, 2017

* “The Whale Rider” Movie in class

Week 4: March 14, 2017

Reading due:

            * Ihimaera, Witi. The Whale Rider

* Buell, Lawrence. “Global Commons as Resource and Icon: Imagining Oceans and Whales” Writing for an Endangered World.

Week 5: March 21, 2017

            * Ihimaera, Witi. The Whale Rider.

            * “Monster Culture (Seven Theses)” Jeffrey Jerome Cohen

Week 6: March 28, 2016

            * Ihimaera, Witi. The Whale Rider.

Week 7: April 4, 2017 “Postcolonial Ecocriticism”

*Ghosh, Amitav. The Hungry Tide.

            *Kaur, Rajender. “Home is where the oracella are”

Week 8: April 11, 2017

               *Ghosh, Amitav. The Hungry Tide.

Week 9: April 18, 2017

            Midterm

Week 10: April 25, 2017 “Local and Global”

            Reading due:

            * Yamashita, Karen Tei. Through the Arc of  Rainforest

            * Heise, Ursula K. “Local rock and global plastic”

Week 11: May 2, 2017

            * Yamashita, Karen Tei. Through the Arc of  Rainforest

Week 12: May 9, 2017

            * Yamashita, Karen Tei. Through the Arc of  Rainforest

Week 13: May 16, 2017

Reading due:

* Faruk Duman. Ve Bir Pars Hüzünle Kaybolur.

Week 14: May 23, 2017

            * Faruk Duman. Ve Bir Pars Hüzünle Kaybolur.

Week 15: May 30, 2017

Wrap-up

382 Literature and Environment II Syllabus (2015-2016 Spring Semester)

Ege University, Faculty of Letters
English Language and Literature Department
382 – LITERATURE AND ENVIRONMENT II

2015-2016 Fall Semester

Önder Çetin

Monday, 10:00-12:00 (D.1)

Course Blog: http://literatureandenvironment.blogspot.com.tr

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course introduces students to different branches of ecological literary theories such as climate change fiction (cli-fi), postcolonial ecocriticism, issues of local and global, and oceans and whales.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
The aim and objective of the course is to introduce students to a variety of ecologically conscious literary works and to enable them to use their knowledge of literature and environment acquired during the first semester. In the face of global environmental crisis, ecology has become one of the most controversial issues disputed throughout many branches of the academic world, including literature.

ATTENDANCE INFORMATION & POLICIES
It is a regulation of Ege University that students should attend at least 70% of the classes each semester. Students are expected to attend each class having read the assigned texts and be prepared for class discussions.

Please keep your cell phones turned off (no silent or buzzing mode!)

EXAM INFORMATION & POLICIES

Mid-term and Final exams will be written exams in class.

COURSE GRADING
Students’ overall grades will be evaluated as follows:

-       Mid-term 40%

-       Final 60%

(Class participation will be taken into consideration while grading your exam papers)

REQUIRED TEXTS

Tentative Reading List:

Lopez, Barry. Arctic Dreams. London: Picador, 1987.

Ihimaera, Witi. The Whale Rider. (will be provided)

Ghosh, Amitav. The Hungry Tide. (will be provided)

Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. 2003

Yamashita, Karen Tei. Through the Arc of  Rainforest. (will be provided)

RECOMMENDED READING

Garrard, Greg. Ecocriticism: The New Critical Idiom. Routledge: London, 2004.

Glotfelty, Cheryll and Harold Fromm, eds. Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. Athens, GA: U of Georgia Press, 1996.

Gifford, Terry. Pastoral: The New Critical Idiom. New York, NY: Routledge, 1999.

McKibben, Bill. “What the warming world needs now is art, sweet art.”

http://grist.org/article/mckibben-imagine/

McKibben, Bill . “Four years after my pleading essay, climate art is hot.”

http://grist.org/article/2009-08-05-essay-climate-art-update-bill-mckibben/

Important Notice: The assigned texts for each lesson and the overall content of this syllabus are subject to change, and it is your responsibility to follow the changes. Updates will be announced at the course blog (http://literatureandenvironment.blogspot.com.tr/) 

COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1: Feb. 22, 2016

Introduction and course organization.

Week 2: Feb. 29, 2016

Reading due:

* Lopez, Barry. Arctic Dreams.

Week 3: March 7, 2016 “Oceans and Whales”

Reading due:

*Lopez, Barry. Arctic Dreams.

Week 4: March 14, 2016

Reading due:

            * Ihimaera, Witi. The Whale Rider

Buell, Lawrence. “Global Commons as Resource and Icon: Imagining Oceans and Whales” Writing for an Endangered World.

Week 5: March 21, 2016 “Postcolonial Ecocriticism”

            * Ihimaera, Witi. The Whale Rider.

Week 6: March 28, 2016

*Ghosh, Amitav. The Hungry Tide.

            *Kaur, Rajender. “Home is where the oracella are”

Week 7: April 4, 2016

            *Ghosh, Amitav. The Hungry Tide.

Week 8: April 11, 2016

            *Ghosh, Amitav. The Hungry Tide.

Week 9: April 18, 2015

            Midterm

Week 10: April 25, 2015 “Local and Global”

            * Yamashita, Karen Tei. Through the Arc of  Rainforest

            * Heise, Ursula K. “Local rock and global plastic”

Week 11: May 2, 2016

            * Yamashita, Karen Tei. Through the Arc of  Rainforest

Week 12: May 9, 2016

Reading due:

            * Yamashita, Karen Tei. Through the Arc of  Rainforest

Week 13: May 16, 2016 “Environmentalism and Climate Change”

            * Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. 2003

Week 14: May 23, 2016

            * Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. 2003

Week 15: May 30, 2016

* Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. 2003