Landscape Studies: The Hudson
River Valley |
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Course Number: HUM 234 |
CRN Number: 90605 |
Class cap: 22 |
Credits: 4 |
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Professor: |
Jana Mader |
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Schedule/Location: |
Tue
Thurs 1:30 PM – 2:50 PM Henderson
Computer Center 101A |
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Distributional Area: |
HA Historical Analysis |
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Crosslists: Architecture;
Environmental and Urban Studies; Literature |
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For centuries, the land on which the
Bard Arboretum now sits has been inhabited and used by diverse societies and
cultures. In this course, students learn to critically engage with the existing
landscape and vegetation to unfold “the story”
of the land now owned by Bard College. By confronting the narratives that
shaped these lands from an interdisciplinary perspective, students can build
skills to become informed and impactful agents of change. Particular areas of
inquiry include the Hudson River Valley in art, literature, music, and film; the
history of Native Americans, colonialism, and slavery in the region;
horticulture, bio-diversity, and native plants of the Hudson River Valley
(living collection). We will explore the past, present, and possible future of
the Hudson River Valley through a series of primary and secondary sources
including fiction and nonfiction works of literature, visual art, film, etc.
Meetings will be held in the classroom, and outdoors at the Bard Arboretum,
Montgomery Place, and Blithewood; we will observe and
study the actual river, our native plants, and learn more about how our current
home and what we see in it have changed over time.