Jacqueline Stuhmiller
e-mail: stuhmill@uwm.edu
Office: Honors House 150
Office hours: by appointment only (please see D2L to sign up)
Honors 200
The Shaping of the Modern Mind: Encounters with the Wilderness
Spring 2016
required texts
A course reader, available at Clark Graphics (2915 N. Oakland Ave.)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Norton) ISBN: 978-0393334159
The Norton Book of Nature Writing, ed. John Elder and Robert Finch (Norton) ISBN: 9780393978162
Henry David Thoreau, Walden (Dover) ISBN: 978-0486284958
William Faulkner, Go Down, Moses (Vintage) ISBN: 978-0679732174
Marian Engel, Bear (Nonpareil) ISBN: 978-0879236670
required films
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man
These films are on reserve at the Media Library, in the basement of the UWM Golda Meir Library.
course description
Many of our firmly held conceptions about the natural world – for example, that landscapes
unmodified by human activity are attractive, that it is important to preserve biodiversity, or that
“going back to nature” (whatever that may mean) is desirable – did not achieve common currency
in Western culture until very recently.
In this course, we will read a wide variety of texts written over the span of more than a
thousand years. All of these texts comment, often unconsciously, on the relationship between
humans and the non-human world, and particularly on the relationship between humans and
wilderness: that is, spaces undisturbed by human activity and not particularly hospitable to human
life. During the course of the semester, we will consider the following questions: how did earlier
cultures experience and understand the natural world and its human and non-human occupants?
how do culture and technology influence the ways that individuals comprehend and seek to make
use of the natural world? finally, what does the natural world mean to us (denizens of an
industrialized society at the beginning of the 21st century), and how should (or shouldn’t) we
interact with it?
By the end of this course, I hope that you will recognize that the study of literature (like the
study of the humanities in general) is a means, not an end. It is important to be culturally literate
and to know how to read and write competently. However, it is far more important to know how to
think. By the end of the semester, you will have learned to question your own assumptions, think
critically about the world in which we live, and state your thoughts in a coherent and persuasive
fashion. I promise you that you can apply the skills you’ll learn in this class to all other aspects of
your lives, for the rest of your lives.
This is a small, lower-division, writing-intensive Honors seminar. That means:
1) that most of you are early on in your college careers. I do not expect you to have any
specialized knowledge of the subject at hand. Nor do I expect you to write like professional
scholars. I do, however, expect you to write like Honors College students. That means that I expect
you to be able to write thoughtful, incisive critical essays with perfect (or near-perfect) grammar,
spelling, and punctuation. If you don’t know how to do this already, I expect you to learn quickly.
Most students are surprised by how quickly they learn to do this kind of writing.
2) that you will be expected to do a lot of writing. You will be expected to write in
preparation for (and sometimes during) every class period. You’ll find that the more writing (of all
kinds) that you do, the more quickly you’ll improve.
3) that this class will be based on discussion, not lecture. I will provide background
information where appropriate and will always be happy to answer your questions to the best of my
ability, but I am primarily interested in hearing what you think. Class participation comprises a
large percentage of the final grade. However, I run a very relaxed class and I hope that everyone
will find that participating in discussion is natural and enjoyable, rather than a chore.
my plagiarism policy
Plagiarism isn’t just disrespectful and inherently counterproductive: it also happens to be
illegal, and I take it very seriously.
Each student in this course is expected to be honest in academic performance. Any
work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be 100% the student's own,
unless I provide written instructions stating otherwise.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, “borrowing” information from secondary sources
(including the introductions and notes to the assigned texts for this class) without providing proper
citations; copying or buying papers or parts of papers off of the Web, a fraternity or sorority paper
file, your roommate, etc.; and/or having a friend, acquaintance, or total stranger either write
something for you or heavily edit something you’ve written. Even if you rewrite a Sparknotes
summary in your own words, it is still plagiarism unless you cite your source (and, at that point, you
have already failed to do the assignment correctly). I suspect that plagiarism is more often
accidental than deliberate, but I can’t judge your intentions, only your actions.
If I can prove that you have plagiarized anything, even a small assignment, you will
automatically receive a zero on the assignment. Depending on the severity of the offense, you may
also receive an “F” in the class and/or be recommended for expulsion from the university.
A note: Plagiarism is usually quite easy for me to detect. It may be a little harder for me to
find the source, but this is usually not very difficult, either. If you’re not sure what constitutes
plagiarism, please consult the UWM Student Handbook or come talk to me. If you don’t know how
to properly incorporate secondary sources into a critical essay, please consult a style handbook or
come talk to me.
course requirements
Office hours. You must come to my office hours at least twice during the semester. One of
these visits must be within the first five weeks of the semester. Failure to meet with me twice will
automatically lower your final grade in the class by 1/3 of a grade, e. g. from a B+ to a B.
Since we’ll be working together at close quarters for a semester at least, it’s important that
we get to know each other and that you feel comfortable approaching me with questions or
concerns. Also, remember: a professor who knows you well can write a much stronger letter of
recommendation than one who doesn’t.
You are not obligated to talk about writing, reading, papers, or schoolwork in my office
hours; we can talk about anything you want. Most of my students, even the reluctant ones, have not
found office hours terribly painful. Some have even enjoyed it. You may, too.
Formal writing, a.k.a. Papers. You will write three long (~3-5 pp.) formal papers, and up to
two revisions, during the semester. The third paper cannot be revised.
Semi-formal writing, a.k.a. Homework. Semi-formal writing assignments will be regularly
assigned. Please check the schedule for more details.
Informal writing, a.k.a. Daily Discussion Questions. You will post topics for discussion
once or twice a week.
Writing under pressure, a.k.a. Quizzes. I may occasionally give quizzes (also known as
“warm-up exercises”) without warning. Quizzes force you to think quickly and creatively, and to
write your thoughts concisely. Don’t bother studying for them; you can’t. Quizzes can only help
you, grade-wise: as long as you’re putting forth your best effort, bad quiz grades won’t hurt your
final grade; good quiz grades, however, will help your final grade. (If your quiz grades show that
you haven’t been reading, however, your final grade will likely suffer as a consequence.)
grading
A breakdown of my grading system follows. Note that these percentages may change. I
will notify you ahead of time regarding any changes in the calculation of final grades.
40% of your final grade will be determined by the quality of your papers (10% for Paper
#1, 10% for Paper #2, and 20% for Paper #3).
You will write up to five formal papers: three first drafts (paper #3 cannot be rewritten) and
up to two revised drafts.
The grades for each paper, whether first draft or revision, are considered separately, so a
good revision will mitigate, but won’t cancel out, a poor first attempt. I assign a number value to
each paper grade
A
A-/A
AB+/AB+
B/B+
B
B-/B
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
100
96
92
90.5
89
87.5
86
84
x 1/3 (first draft of papers #1-2)
BC+/BC+
C/C+
C
C-/C
CNG
missing paper
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
82
80.5
79
77.5
76
74
72
66
0
x 2/3 (final draft of papers #1-2)
x 1 (paper #3)
and then average the numbers. When calculating the paper grades for the revisable long papers, I
give the final draft twice as much weight as the first draft: that is, I multiply the grade for the first
draft by 1/3 and the grade for the final draft by 2/3, then add the numbers together. If you decide
not to revise a paper, your first grade will be your final grade.
 An “NG” is a “no grade,” or non-passing grade. It means that your paper, for whatever
reason, does not come up to minimum standards. NGs are very common at the beginning of the
semester. Don’t panic if you receive one, but do take it seriously: it’s a sign that you’re doing
something wrong and that you should come see me for help.
 I do not give “A+” grades.
 Plagiarized papers will receive an automatic “missing paper” (zero) grade, since they
were never really written in the first place. Such papers cannot be rewritten. Regardless of
any other grades you may receive throughout the semester, you cannot pass the class if you
plagiarize a paper.
Essay format:
1) All papers should be typed on one side of 8 1/2” x 11” white paper, double-spaced, in Times
or Times New Roman 12-point font, with standard 1” margins.
2) Do not print on the back of scratch paper.
3) No title pages, plastic covers, or any other extraneous hardware.
4) I may set up a D2L dropbox for papers. Unless I explicitly say it’s okay, do not send papers
to me as attachments via e-mail.
5) Write your name at the top right-hand or left-hand corner of the first page. You can also put
the date and my name or the name of the class up there, but please don’t waste too much
space with a heading. Headings must be single-spaced.
6) Number the pages in the bottom right-hand corner.
7) Staple the pages together.
Please note: If you have special circumstances that make it impossible for you to turn in a
paper on time, talk to me in advance so that we can make the necessary arrangements.
If you turn in a paper late without getting my prior approval, your paper will lose 1/3 of a
grade for each 24 hours that it is late, including weekend days. I don’t come to campus every
day, so a paper turned in late may sit around for a few days before I have a chance to pick it up.
I will never refuse to accept papers, but I am under no obligation to return them in a timely
manner if you give them to me after the due date. I reserve the right to give late papers a straight
grade – that is, a grade without accompanying comments or explanations.
20% of your final grade will be determined by the quality of your homework. In general, I
will ask you to write analytically about some aspect of what you’ve read or watched, without
imposing any constraints on the content or length of your writing. I grade your homework
according to the following scale:
++
(incredible)
+
(outstanding)
+/+ (very good)
+
(good)
/+ (okay)

(acceptable)
-/ (unacceptable)
(unacceptable)
(unacceptable)
missing
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
107
100
93
86
81
76
71
66
59
0
Homework format: Type it. Your homework should look as clean and professional as your
papers. See “Essay format,” above.
Work turned in late will be graded at my leisure. If your assignments are turned in late on a
regular basis, your final grade will suffer. I will not accept late homework on any given
topic/text after the first draft of the related paper is due.
20% of your final grade will be determined by the quality of your DDQs (Daily Discussion
Questions). DDQs may be either short (a few sentences) or long (up to 300 words). They are
graded on the following scale:
Incredible (remarkably insightful, demonstrates an unusually careful
reading of the text and attention to detail, an outstanding model for
discussion)
Excellent (thoughtful, creative, clever, demonstrates careful reading of the
text, an invaluable aid to discussion)
Good (contributes to discussion but is less creative, thoughtful, and useful
than DDQs in the previous category)
Adequate (generally fulfills the terms of the assignment but does not add
to discussion and/or repeats the content of previous comments)
Poor (unacceptably short, incomprehensible, does not demonstrate that the
author has done the reading, or otherwise seriously defective)
Missing
=
107
=
100
=
75
=
50
=
25
=
0
DDQs must be turned in by a predetermined time (1½ hours before the starting time of that day’s
class). If they are turned in after the deadline but before class, the grade will be dropped by one
level (e. g. from 100 to 75). If they are turned in during or after class, the grade will be dropped by
two levels (e. g. from 100 to 50). DDQs that are not turned in within 24 hours of the start of the
class that they were due are considered “missing” and will receive a zero.
If you take the time to respond thoughtfully to your classmates’ comments, I will raise your
DDQ grade by one level (e. g. from 100 to 125).
20% of your final grade will be determined by what I call “presence.” There are many
factors to presence: attendance (including lateness), performance on quizzes, class participation
(quantity, quality, and consistency), and other signs that you’re awake and engaged. In other words,
I will be grading you on how present you are in my class, both physically and intellectually.
The baseline grade for “presence” is a “B.” If you come to class regularly and are usually
on time, are generally attentive in discussion, and do your best on quizzes, you will receive a “B”
for this component of your grade. A “B” means “good”: in other words, you’re doing nothing
wrong and a lot of things right.
If you are highly engaged in class discussions, consistently offering salient and thoughtful
comments and listening carefully to your classmates’ contributions, and/or you do very well on
quizzes, your grade will be raised accordingly.
If you don’t participate in discussion, are often late or absent, don’t do the reading,
sleep/text/study/goof off in class, and/or do poorly on quizzes, your grade will be lowered
accordingly.
Please note:
 You can miss class twice without any ill effect to your grade (three times under unusual
circumstances: you must contact me first). After that, your “presence” grade will be lowered
by 1/3 of a grade for each absence.
 Tardiness (> 10 minutes late), unless you notify me beforehand, will be considered as ½
of an absence. Severe tardiness (> 30 minutes late) will be considered as an absence.
 You can miss two discussion questions without any ill effect to your grade (but missing
any questions won’t help your grade, either). After that, each missed question will count as
½ of an absence.
When calculating the final grade, I will also take into account the following two factors:
 Your effort in the course: how much effort you’ve put into your assignments (I can tell);
whether or not you’ve talked with me (via e-mail or in person), especially if you’re having
trouble; how many times you’ve come to my office hours (the minimum number is two);
whether or not you’ve chosen to do revisions; whether or not you’ve commented on your
classmates’ DDQs on D2L; how many assignments you’ve turned in late; and so on. Sloppy
writing is a strong indicator that you’re not putting in enough effort.
 Your improvement in the course. When determining this portion of your grade, I will
consider whether or not you’ve been able to incorporate my suggestions into your writing;
whether or not you’ve improved consistently throughout the semester; whether or not your
thinking and writing have evolved and/or become more sophisticated; and so on.
Improvement is not always directly correlated with effort: some people try very hard and don’t
improve much; some people with natural talent don’t try very hard but still improve a great deal.
As with all things, the more advanced your skills already are, the harder it is to move to the next
level.
A final note, and some words of encouragement. Being a “good writer,” whatever that
may mean, is not a prerequisite for this class. I appreciate and reward eloquent and clear writing,
but I recognize that not everyone is capable of it, at least at first.
Generally speaking, the best grades will go to those students who work hard, read
enthusiastically, think creatively, quickly absorb new ideas, willingly question their own belief
systems, examine complicated things very closely, and are excited about learning. Extra points go
to those who can think on their feet, speak coherently and convincingly, actively engage in debates,
and come up with really cool (but still plausible and defendable) insights.
Lower grades are usually earned by those students who do not put in the time and effort
necessary for an Honors course. You should plan on budgeting approximately six solid hours per
week on assignments for this class. This is, of course, just an estimate: some people work faster
than others, and some weeks will be more demanding than others.
You can think of this course as a kind of intellectual marathon. If you keep running toward
the finish line, no matter how slowly, you’ll be fine.
a tentative schedule for the semester
THE PREMODERN AND
EARLY MODERN
WILDERNESS
THE AMERICAN
WILDERNESS
NEW CULTURES, NEW
WILDERNESSES
Weeks 1-2
Biblical Themes of the
Wilderness
Genesis, Exodus, The Song
of Songs
Week 3
Medieval Themes of the
Wilderness
The Medieval Bestiary,
Fairy Tales
Week 4
The Medieval Romance
Wilderness
Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight
Week 5
The Wilderness of the New
World
Writings by colonists and
Native Americans
Weeks 6-7
Romanticism and
Transcendentalism
Henry David Thoreau,
Walden
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Weeks 8-12
Hunters and their Prey
William Faulkner, Go
Down, Moses
David Quammen, “Walking
Out”
Week 13
An Encounter with the
Wilderness
Marian Engel, Bear
Weeks 14-15
New Metaphors, New
Concerns
Bill McKibben, The End of
Nature