intro to place studies fall 07 syllabus

This course will introduce you to the concept of “place” from environmental (natural and built), social, and cultural perspectives. The course is divided into three parts: theories of place, the cultural practice of place, and Iowa as place (applying theories and ideas about cultural practices to our location).

“Place studies” is an emerging interdisciplinary area, recognizing the centrality of natural, built, social, and cultural environments in the formation of individual, group, and communal identity, as well as the ways in which human beings interact with the world and the responsibilities incumbent upon them in terms of place. Although “place” is grounded in local geography, it is also the ground from which humans connect with virtually everything else. Lawrence Buell in Writing for an Endangered World: Literature, Culture, and Environment in the U.S. and Beyond (2001) describes “tenticular radiations,” that is, relationships that radiate out from specific places in time, space, and imagination—geographical, economic, historical, fictive and virtual, migratory, and so forth. Understanding one’s place, then, involves understanding global ecosystems and economics just as much as the local landscape and community history. The excitement and innovation of place studies flow from the interactions and interconnections between these seemingly disparate elements, as well as the new elicited understandings about humanity and the environments in which it exists.

Boy Life on the Prairie, Hamlin Garland (selections) (Bison Books, University of

Denison, Iowa: Searching for the Soul of America Through the Secrets of a Midwest

My presumption is that you are here to learn, and learning requires, especially in a discussion-oriented course, consistent class attendance, adequate preparation of course readings and other materials, active and constructive participation, and completion of writing assignments on deadline. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences course guidelines state that for each semester hour credit in the course, students should expect to spend at least two hours per week preparing for class sessions; for this course, then, we presume an average of six hours of outside preparation on average per week.

Since it is essential to the quality of class discussion that everyone be present, prepared, and focused, there may be graded, in-class writing checks on assigned materials (i.e., pop quizzes).

4 short (2-3 page) essays that integrate course materials (45% total; 10% each, though

2 short (4-page) writing assignments that apply course materials and concepts to

Participation (attendance, class preparedness, participation in discussion), 15%

I set high standards for you, and I presume you do so for yourself. Letter grades mean the following: A for exceptional work, B for very good, C for acceptable, D for unacceptable but passing, F for failing.

I grade students individually (not on a curve) based on historical performance of students in my experience. For your information, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recommends the following grade distributions (in percentages) for this level course:

E-mail and computer access: For purposes of class communication and fulfillment of assignments, you'll need an e-mail account and regular access to a computer.

Attendance: I presume you will be here at every class meeting. There are no “excused” or “unexcused” absences for this course. I consider more than three missed class periods as serious absenteeism (remember, two absences is one whole week of the course). If your attendance becomes problematic for a legitimate reason (illness, family emergency, etc.), please let me know as soon as possible so that we can make appropriate arrangements for any makeup work.

Class decorum: I work to create a positive, affirming, comfortable, challenging, and open atmosphere in the classroom. I appreciate your efforts to do the same. The best learning comes about from disagreement and debate; at the same time, class discussion must remain civil and respectful. I highly discourage late arrival and early departure from class, as they are disruptive. Please turn off cell phones before class starts. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences classroom environment policies are available online at http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/ix.shtml.

Deadlines: Deadlines are deadlines. If you anticipate a serious problem, please alert me before an assignment is due, or as soon as possible after an emergency.

Unethical conduct: Plagiarism (i.e., expropriating the words and ideas of others and passing them off as one's own) and cheating of any sort are grounds for a failing grade in the course. Under University guidelines, plagiarism may lead to expulsion. More details are outlined in College of Liberal Arts and Sciences policies at http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/ix.shtml.

Special accommodations: Special academic arrangements for students with disabilities may be facilitated by Student Disability Services, lower level of Burge Hall, tel. 335-1462, sds-information@uiowa.edu. If you feel you need special accommodations for any aspects of the course, please speak with me as early in the semester as possible.

Concerns: Please contact me by e-mail, by phone, or in person with any questions or concerns. University protocol calls for any concerns to be addressed to the instructors first before any higher authorities are consulted. Formal College of Liberal Arts and Sciences procedures for student complaints are available online at http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/ix.shtml. The Leisure Studies Academic Coordinator (DEO) is Professor Ken Mobily, 408 Jefferson Building, 335-0172. The DEO of the Literature, Science, and the Arts Program and Director of the Division of Interdisciplinary Programs is Lauren Rabinovitz, 210 Jefferson Building, 335-3630.

Please note: The course calendar will be modified as necessary as the semester progresses. It is your responsibility to keep abreast of calendar changes via class announcements and online changes. If you are absent on a day a reading handout is provided for a future class session, you are still responsible for acquiring the handout and preparing the reading on time.

Wed, Aug 29 – Lawrence Buell, “The Place of Place,” from Writing for an Endangered World, coursepack

Wed, Sep 5 – Tim Creswell, Place: A Short Introduction, Chapters 1-2, pp. 1-51

Integration Paper #1 Assignment

Creswell says that place, beyond merely being a “thing,” is “a way of seeing, knowing and understanding the world.” Using the ideas of Buell, Sack, and various thinkers that Creswell discusses in his book, explore how this is true. In the course of your essay, include appropriate discussion of the “place/space” spectrum.

The goal of this paper is for you to integrate the material of the course so far--to connect the ideas into a coherent whole, as well as to explore the differences in thought. You are not required to come up with an independent, original thesis about the topic. (You can if you would like, though.) Do keep your argument cohesive, coherent, and focused, however. The goal is to integrate ideas, not merely to list them.

Length: 2-3 double spaced pages (if you really want to go longer, you can)

Due Date: Monday, September 24. You can hand in a hard copy to me or send a Word document to me via email at thomas-k-dean@uiowa.edu. I must receive all email submissions by midnight.

Mon, Sep 17 – Robert David Sack, “Relational Framework,” from Homo Geographicus, coursepack

Robert Putnam, “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital ” online at

Cornelia Butler Flora and Jan L. Flora, “Creating Social Capital,” coursepack

Application Paper #1 Assignment

Think about your relationship with place, and choose something significant about it in your life, past or present. The significant “something” could be positive or negative. It could be your relationship with a particular location/locale/community/place, or some more general issue in your experience as it relates to place.

After you’ve chosen something specific in your own life to write about and explore, think about the material of the course so far through the Beatley book. Which of the ideas we’ve discussed will help illuminate your understanding about this relationship with place that you’ve chosen? Write an essay that explores how two or three of these ideas particularly help you understand this relationship with place. At least one of the ideas must be from the first theoretical unit of our semester (Buell, Creswell, Sack).

Length: Approximately four double-spaced pages (approximately 1000 words)

Due Date: Wednesday, October 10

Monday, Oct. 8, 7:00 p.m. – “Good Placemaking in Iowa City, panel discussion, Iowa City Public Library

Tuesday, Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m. – Public lecture, “Native to Nowhere," 1505 Seamans Center (Engineering Building)

Wendell Berry, “The Work of Local Culture,” from What Are People For?, coursepack

Leslie Marmon Silko, “Landscape, History, and the Pueblo Imagination,” coursepack

Integration Paper #2 Assignment

Timothy Beatley concludes his book Native to Nowhere: Sustaining Home and Community in a Global Age by calling for what he calls “expanded citizenship.” Discuss what Beatley means by this concept, applying it to his various ways throughout the book of describing how we should sustain home and community, and also putting his idea of “expanded citizenship” in the context of the other materials from the second unit of our course (“The Cultural Practice of Place”). Include discussion of at least one of the writers in the “Civic Engagement” section of the unit (Sullivan, Selznick, Putnam, Etzioni, Flora) and at least one of the writers from the “Place and Story” section (Berry, Silko). Regarding Berry and Silko, you do not have to focus on the story aspect of these readings, but you certainly may. Also include (even if only briefly) some thoughts and materials from Beatley from whichever event you attended.

Length: 2-3 double spaced pages (if you really want to go longer, you can)

Due Date: Wednesday, October 24. Papers must be handed in—in person—at the beginning of the class period unless prior arrangements are made with me. I will not be accepting papers via email.

Mon, Oct 15 – America’s Lost Landscape: The Tallgrass Prairie (film viewing in class)

Class visit by Connie Mutel, Author and Historian, IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering

Robert L. Thayer, Jr., from LifePlace: Bioregional Thought andPractice, coursepack

Wendell Berry, “The Work of Local Culture,” from What Are People For?, coursepack

Leslie Marmon Silko, “Landscape, History, and the Pueblo Imagination,” coursepack

Integration Paper #3 Assignment

As we begin our focus on Iowa and place, we have been talking about changes in the land. Regardless of whether one thinks it’s a good thing or a bad thing, there is no argument that Iowa’s native prairie landscape—indeed its ecosystem—has been fundamentally altered by agriculture in the past 150-plus years. We have also examined how these changes in the land affect us environmentally and culturally in our present, the implications for the future, and the possibilities for future change. Write a paper that explores how the changes in Iowa’s land have made an impact on Iowa as “place.” Explore how Iowa’s land has changed specifically, what the results have been (positive and/or negative), and what the future may hold (again, in positive and/or negative lights). Although you may if you wish, you do not need to take an argumentative position on any of this—as an “integration paper,” I am asking you merely to integrate the material of the course.

I will require that you include some discussion of Hamlin Garland’s Boy Life on the Prairie, some of the materials of your choice from our October 15-22 class periods (see syllabus), and some material from the prior part of the semester as you define what “place” means in terms of your discussion.

Length: 2-3 double-spaced pages

Due Date: Wednesday, November 7. Hard copy due directly from you at the beginning of the class period, unless prior arrangements are made. Sorry, I will not be accepting e-mail submissions.

Mon, Oct 29 -- Hamlin Garland, Boy Life on the Prairie, selections (Book is also on reserve at Main Library)

Chapters 1-3, pp. 1-33; Chapters 5-6, pp. 48-71; Chapter 9, pp. 93-103; Chapters 11-12, pp. 135-177;

Application Paper #2 – Iowa City Place Connection Project

Write a paper that applies some of the ideas about place that we have studied this semester to our local Iowa City-area community. Although most of you are not intending to stay in Iowa City after graduation, much place-based thinking would emphasize that, at this moment, this is indeed “your place,” and it is important that we connect to our places as deeply and as responsibly as we can no matter how long or short our residence may be. The essay could be reflective or analytical based on our reading this semester, or it could be based on an activity of your choosing.

If you choose to engage in some activity to write about, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination, but here are some suggestions:

Spend an hour or two in a public facility or outdoor area—the Iowa City Recreation Center, the Public Library, City Hall, the Pedestrian Mall (City Plaza), City Park, Hickory Hill Park, etc.. Learn what’s there, take part in what’s available there, observe how people use it, talk to people about their experience and relationship with it, etc.
Attend a local arts event—theatre, music, art installation, literary reading, etc. Find out what you can about the organization sponsoring the event, observe the patrons as much as the event itself, talk with people about their experience, etc.
Interview a person who makes some kind of impact on the community—someone from a nonprofit organization, a City Councilor, a businessperson, a school board member, etc. Find out what s/he does, how s/he sees his/her role in building community and place, what impact s/he has on the community, etc.
Spend an hour or two riding the city bus (not Cambus). Think about how public transportation is important to place and community. Observe the community that exists on the bus, as well as what you learn about the community outside the bus’s windows.
Do some research in local history. Resources are available at the State Historical Society of Iowa (Iowa Avenue and Gilbert St.), the Iowa City Public Library, Special Collections of the University Main Library, the Johnson County Historical Society (on 5^th St. in Coralville).
Take part in a volunteer activity. Think about how what you’re doing is helping to build place and community. Talk to the others involved and why they’re doing what they’re doing. Learn about the organization sponsoring the event.

If you choose to write about a specific activity, the paper itself should (not necessarily written in this order or organized in lockstep fashion) describe your experience, analyze how you see it as relating to the creation of place, and put it in the context of some of the ideas we have studied this semester (in other words, do include some reference to the course materials).

We will be discussing our papers in class on December 12. I am not asking that you prepare a formal presentation, but I will ask that all students share, at some length, what their papers are about.

Length: About four pages (approximately 1000 words)

Due Date: Absolute deadline is beginning of the class, Wednesday, December 12. I will accept papers only handed in in-person; I will not be accepting e-mail submissions.

Chapter 20, pp. 296-314; Chapter 22, pp. 330-351; Chapter 24 (partial), pp. 378-385; Chapters 25-26, pp. 389-

Jonathan G. Andelson, “The Community of True Inspiration from Germany to the Amana Colonies,” coursepack

Mon, Nov 12 – Dale Maharidge and Michael Williamson , Denison, Iowa: Searching for the Soul of America Through the Secrets of

Integration Paper #4 Assignment

Discuss challenges that Iowa communities face today in terms of “creating place.” There are many, many issues possible within several large categories: economic, cultural, social, and environmental. Given the shortness of the paper assignment, you can focus on one issue or a related few, but do keep in mind that I realize that you cannot possibly cover everything in two or three pages.

Focus your essay particularly on material from the books Denison, Iowa by Dale Maharidge and Living with Topsoil. If you wish to include material from Hamlin Garland’s Boy Life on the Prairie and material about the Amanas and/or Abundance Ecovillage/Fairfield, you may, though that is not required. As with our other integration papers, you will also need to draw on material from throughout the semester to define what “creating place” means.

Length: 2-3 double-spaced pages

Due Date: Monday, December 3. Hard copy due directly from you at the beginning of the class period, unless prior arrangements are made. Sorry, I will not be accepting e-mail submissions.