Life on the Land, Spring 2012
Seminar Preparation Paper #1
Due: Thursday, April (Must be keyboarded in 12 pt. standard font)
Because this is essential preparation for seminar, late assignments will not be accepted.
Read: Bringing it to the Table; Introduction by Michael Pollan (ix-xvi) and “Nature as Measure”
by Wendell Berry (3-10).
Read Actively: As you read the first time underline or highlight passages that strike you as
important, interesting, confusing, or those you want to share with others in the seminar.
Note passages that seem to give you a good sense about what this book will be about or what the
author’s purpose is. Make notes in the margins, or use a separate notebook. Your notes will help
you write papers and participate in seminars.
Underline or circle words, terms, or names that are unfamiliar. In particular, try to identify
major concepts that the author uses and how he labels or defines them. For example, what
does Berry mean by the phrase “our present economic assumptions”? How does he define that
term?
If there are words you don’t know, list those that were important enough to look up in a
dictionary. Write down what you find to share with your colleagues in seminar.
When you begin a new book, investigate all of it, including the title and subtitle,
acknowledgements, table of contents, chapter titles, notes, and even the back cover. What clues
about the text do you find? Your objective is more than just getting through these pages, more
than a passive read to generally familiarize yourself with the topic. Rather, your purpose is to
explore this work fully to see what you can discover. To do this you need to first understand
what is the author saying? What does he mean? Why did he write this What are the major
questions or problems he wants to address?
Write:
 Take a close look at the book, focusing on those sections you highlighted as important or
interesting. Look up words – especially those that are critical to understanding those key
passages. Note the definitions (up to 10).
 Choose one passage from the Introduction, and 2 passages from the first Berry essay, that
you want to discuss in seminar. A “passage” is a small section of the text, about one to
three sentences long. You might choose a passage that seems significant, one that is
confusing, or one that strikes you as beautiful or surprising.
 For each passage, introducing the quotation with a brief phrase such as Pollan writes or
Berry argues, copy the quotation exactly as written. Include quotation marks and page
numbers directly after each one using the MLA format to properly cite the quotation.
Name the correct author. Follow this example:
Berry writes, “The use of nature as measure proposes an atonement between ourselves
and our world, between economy and ecology, between the domestic and the wild” (7).
 Be ready to share these passages with your classmates. You might have questions about
the passage, or ideas about how they relate to the work as a whole.
 Finally, write down 2 or 3 questions that come to you as you read, and/or a quick
response to the text. What do you notice? What strikes you as interesting, confusing, or
surprising? What do you want to discuss in seminar?
 Follow the format guidelines from the syllabus (12-point font, double spacing, etc.)
Your seminar paper will include the following:
 List of words you looked up, with their relevant definitions (up to 10 important ones).
 Quotation #1.
 Quotation #2.
 Quotation #3.
 2 or 3 questions you have about the text, or ideas you want to talk about.
TIPS:
Words for introducing a quotation: writes, says, argues, questions, suggests, implies, asks,
proposes, describes, insists, reflects, considers, remembers, recounts.
If your quote includes quoted words, note that the double quotes in the author’s original (“) will
be turned into single quotes in your quoted version (‘).
Be sure to name the correct author: Michael Pollan wrote the Introduction, while Wendell Berry
wrote the rest of the book.