Anthropology 317 - LANDSCAPE: SPACE, PLACE, NATUR

Landscapes have long figured as a backdrop for anthropological studies, but recently the landscape has emerged as an object of deeper interest. From abandoned city blocks in Detroit, the shores of Walden Pond, the savannas of Eastern Africa, or the Chernobyl exclusion zone, landscapes are potent social and material phenomena. In this course, we explore theories of landscape from different disciplinary perspectives, and then use them to think through the ways that landscapes present themselves to anthropologists and their subjects. Topics include post-industry, colonial gardens, the US “West,” invasive species, environmental racism, time, capitalism, cartography and counter-mapping, and environmental conservation. Enrollment limit 12.

Instructor Permission. Not open to first-years, sophomores