WRITING NATURE: 
DISCOURSES OF ECOLOGY

The Progressive (AKA the Leap-of-Faith) Essay

Exercises and Assignment for a Writing Progression Blending Personal and Analytical Writing, Drawing on Visual and Written Texts

 

ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW:

This is an assignment consisting of distinct parts -- a writing progression -- the aim of which is to help lead you toward conception and authorship of a sophisticated and meaningful analytical essay that, while it draws upon various ideas and texts related to our course (including visual images and course readings or outside texts), depends most crucially upon your original thoughts and your own experience for its direction.

 

PROGRESSIVE DUE DATES:

Part #1 is due in class on Thursday, January 9. Part #2 is due in class on Tuesday, January 14. Part #3 is due in class on Thursday, January 16. A draft of the leap-of-faith essay is due in class on Tuesday, January 21. In peer review conferences (which will include you, me, and your peer review partner) on Friday and Monday, January 24 and 27, we will discuss these drafts. The revision of the essay is due on Friday, January 31.

Please type incremental parts, draft, and revision, double-spaced. Title the draft and the revised essay and number the pages. Print on recycled paper or on both sides of the page to save paper. The revised essay should run around 5-6 pages, double-spaced.

 

PART #1

Select a powerful and provocative visual image that represents to you

1) a critical environmental threat or

2) a fundamental aspect (positive or negative) of human relationships to nature.

Selecting this image should not be only an intellectual or analytical choice; it is crucial that this image impact you on a personal and emotional level as well.

Please bring this image to class &endash; in hard copy and in digitalized form &endash; on Thursday, January 9.

 

Finished? On to Part 2...