RHE 309K: The Rhetoric of Nature

In this era of melting polar icecaps, green architecture, solar panels, mega-hurricanes, hybrid cars, and natural products, what exactly do we mean when we talk about nature? Where do our assumptions about and understandings of nature come from? In order to answer these questions we will look at three areas of culture that have great influence over our attitudes towards nature: literature, science, and popular culture.