Middlebury

FYSE1278A-F09

Picturing Nature: Env Images

From Ansel Adams's landscapes to photographs of oily shorebirds in the wake of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, images of nature have influenced Americans' understanding of the physical environment over time. In this seminar we will investigate how photographs and other visual materials have both shaped and reflected American ideas about, and transformations of, nature. With thousands of historical photographs now accessible in digital archives, we will use the web carefully and critically, along with other scholarly sources, to identify and research images, formulate historical questions, and craft analytical essays, research projects, and web exhibits. Our discussions will include widely-published photographs as well as little-seen images that reveal less obvious and more complicated human connections to the natural world. Research collections will include the Farm Security Administration Archive from the 1930s and 1940s and the American Memory Collection at the Library of Congress. 3 hrs. sem.
Course Reference Number (CRN):
92746
Subject Code:
FYSE
Course Number:
1278
Section Identifier:
A

Course

FYSE 1278

All Sections in Fall 2009

Fall 2009

FYSE1278A-F09 Seminar (Morse)