Culture and Environment

Credits Offered: 2
G/S Classification: GI
Office of Instructor A423
Professor Shoko Itoh

Aims of the Course
Confronted with the ecological crisis, we can no longer remain indifferent to the present conditions of the forests, marshes and oceans over the world, which are called the earth’s treasury of life. This course will deal with the relation between a new literary genre created by environmentalism, that is, Nature writing, and city environment or postmodernism, through the examination of the history and the present situations of the global movement of environmental protection and discussion over the points of contact between environment and culture. From the various fields of the humanities disciplines and natural sciences, Japanese and Anglo-American instructors will enlighten students on the global consciousness of “culture and environment.”

Introduction (Shoko Itoh: American Literature)

Two Views on Nature and Environment (Kaoru Narisada: History of Science)

The Activities of Green Peace and the Accident at Monje (Peter Goldsbury: Greek Philosophy)

The Movement of Environmental Protection in the U.S.(Shigeyuki Okajima: Environmental journalist for the Yomiure Journal)

Forests in the World (Kunihito Nehira: Botanical Genealogy)

Shakespeare’s Tempest and American Naturalism (Thomas Dobbs: English Novels)

Literature and Environmental Climate (Yoshitaka Fukuoka: Atmospheric Environmentology)

Co-evolution of Ground Plants and Germs (Takao Horikoshi: Microbiology)

City Environment of England in the Nineteenth Century (Keiji Kanada: English Novels)

City Environment and American Postmodern Novels (Christopher Shreiner: Anglo-American Literary Criticism)

Global Environment and Human Culture (Koji Hayase: Global Science)

Views on Nature of English Romantics (Shigeyuki Oyama: English Romanticism)

The World of American Nature Writing (Shoko Itoh)

Review (Shoko Itoh) and Submission of Term Paper

(1) Reading “Nature” in American Literature , ed. Scott Slovic and Ken-ichi Noda.(Minerva Publishing Co.)
(2) Makoto Numada, Thought of Environmental Protection, (Iwanami Publishing Co.)
(3) Shigeyuki Okajima, Environmental Protection Movement in the U.S.A .,(Iwanamisinsho)
(4) R.F. Nash, Rights of Nature–History of Environmental Ethics , (TBS Britanica Co.)

Evaluation of Grade: Based on term paper

Notices and Requirements for the Course:
Students are expected to read the books referred above or other reference books which each instructor will recommend in class. have basic knowledge about the topics. and have much interest in the theme of culture and environment.

Other Notices
1) Excellent attendance will be important in this course.
2) Reference books and the method to get them will be explained in each class.
3) It is desirable that students get the texts and references which will be used in every class as much as possible.
4) Questions are to be directly asked of each instructor.