PITC 324 Back to Nature: Eco-Awareness In American Arts and Culture, 1960-80

Division of Liberal Arts

3 credits 45.0 hours
300 level undergraduate course

This course investigates the rise of environmental awareness in America throughout the 1960’s that led to Earth Day and subsequent activism in the 1970’s. Why did environmental awareness grow at this time and what part did creative work play? In response to postwar urbanization, growth of suburbs, and intensified consumerism, a new consciousness of human impact on nature grew, and a ‘back-to-the land’ movement arose; a considerable number of artists and writers shifted focus to nature and a ‘systems aesthetic,’ moving projects and themes from urban & suburban areas to the great outdoors, to celebrate increased appreciation of the natural world and discover new ways of co-existing with natural systems. The course explores environmentally-aware creative works from a range of disciplines to help us in developing ecocritical analytical skills and, ultimately, to see how this development affords us a perspective on reinvigorated environmental awareness in our time.

Prerequisites Completion of HUMS course.

This course is not repeatable for credit.