Students are required to complete two types of writing assignments during the term: six reading response papers and three formal papers. See the syllabus for more details.
Reading Response Papers
Guidelines (PDF)
Sample (PDF)
Response Paper Topics
- Week 2 - Cronon, Changes in the Land
- Week 3 - Basso, Wisdom Sits in Places
- Week 5 - Thoreau, Walden
- Week 7 - Cronon, Nature’s Metropolis
- Week 8 - Solnit, River of Shadows
- Week 10 - Worster, Dust Bowl
Formal Papers
Paper 1: Mapping your daily life (PDF)
Paper 2: Comparative analytical essay (PDF)
Sample analytical paragraph (PDF)
Final paper: Original historical research (PDF)
Exemplary final paper: “Effects of Pollution in the Hudson River on Commerce” by John Hawkinson (PDF) (Courtesy of John Hawkison. Used with permission.)
