In this course students will interrogate environmental writing that spans the early nineteenth century to the present day. We will consider the environment through the lens of travel, philosophy, science, conservation, and preservation, and notice when, where, and how these differing perspectives on the natural world influence humans' understanding of, and appreciation for, the world in which they lived, as well as the ways in which these writings contributed to a larger environmental consciousness. We will think about these works through an historical lens and consider the contributions they had on environmental awareness, as well as their varying roles as precursors to contemporary environmental movements. Readings may include: William Wordsworth, poetry; Percy Bysshe Shelley, poetry; Ralph Waldo Emerson, essays; Henry David Thoreau, essays; Chief Seattle, 1884 speech and its responses; John Muir, essays; Rachel Carson, Silent Spring; Roger Deakin, Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees; Gary Snyder, poetry; Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire; Charlotte McConaghy, Migrations; Andrew Krivak, The Bear; J. A. Baker, The Peregrine; Stanley Donwood, Bad Island.