Environmental Studies gallery
Jon Isham, Director
Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest 214
802.443.3238
jisham@middlebury.edu
Renée Brown, Coordinator
Axinn Center at Starr Library 243
802.443.5124
rbrown@middlebury.edu
John Elder
College Professor Emeritus
Email: elder@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.5281
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John Elder joined the Middlebury College faculty in 1973. His original appointment was in English, followed by a split-appointment in English and American Literatures and in Environmental Studies. Since 2007 he was appointed as a non-departmental College Professor. Starting in 1981, he has also taught most summers at the Bread Loaf School of English, including at the Alaska, New Mexico, and North Carolina campuses as well as at the Mother Loaf.
John's special areas of interest as a teacher are in American nature writing, English Romantic Poetry, modern American poetry of nature, and Japan's haiku tradition. In recent years, he has also enjoyed exploring the possibilities for service-learning and community-based education, through courses related to residents' sense of place in the nearby town of Starksboro and to the challenges and hopes of eleven Addison County farmers. His three most recent books -- Reading the Mountains of Home, The Frog Run, and Pilgrimage to Vallombrosa -- have each combined discussion of literature, description of Vermont's landscape and natural history, and personal memoir.
With his wife Rita, a retired special educator, John lives in the village of Bristol. They operate a sugarbush in Starksboro with their three grown children and two grandchildren and are active in state and local environmental efforts.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
ENGL 7312 - Ballads
ENGL 7330 - The Pastoral Tradition
ENGL 7635 - The Poetry of Robert Frost ▹
AMST 0315 - Fast Food/Slow Food
Fast Food/Slow Food
In this class we will explore recent writing and films about food. Among the main topics to be considered will be the rise of industrial food and fast-food franchises; reactions to that phenomenon including the local food movement and the international network called Slow Food; and the notion of "terroir" as a way of tracing flavor and cuisine specifically to the certain landscapes and cultures. In addition to our readings and viewings, we will meet with local farmers and chefs and look for occasions to cook (and eat). In the latter part of the semester, our class will be augmented by a conference on terroir co-sponsored by Middlebury and the University of Vermont. 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2008
ENAM 0104 / ENVS 0104 - Nature Writing
Nature Writing
In this course we will both study American nature writing in the tradition of Henry David Thoreau and pursue our own journal-based writing practice. Nature writing is a genre centered on personal, narrative essays-informed by an appreciative awareness of science and at the same time open to the spiritual, emotional, and aesthetic significance of the natural world. Among the authors to be read will by Edward Abbey, Annie Dillard, Barry Lopez, and Terry Tempest Williams. Field trips will allow us to explore the environment around Middlebury.
Spring 2010
ENAM 0315 - Visions of Nature:
Visions of Nature: Farm Stories
In this course we will explore the literature of farming, including Virgil’s Georgics, the poems of John Clare, novels by George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, and Wendell Berry, and recent works of nonfiction by Michael Pollan and Barbara Kingsolver. In the latter part of the semester we will focus on the current state of farming in Vermont. Writing for the course will include both critical and narrative projects. Discussion sections will take place at the College's Organic Garden. 3 hrs. lect/disc.
Fall 2009
ENAM 0352 / ENVS 0352 - Wordsworth & Basho
Wordsworth and Basho
In this seminar we will compare the writing of William Wordsworth, a founder of English Romantic poetry and the most revered poet of nature in the English tradition, with that of Basho, who brought a new depth to the haiku form and shaped Japanese attitudes toward the natural world. Beyond reading widely in the the works of both authors, we will investigate their sharply contrasting religious, aesthetic, and political contexts. Despite the historical and cultural gaps between them, though, these poets also show surprising similarities. Wordsworth and Basho were both prodigious walkers, whose poems resulted from moments of inspiration along the path. They both far preferred country life and its simple pleasures to the world of wealth and luxury, and found in their modest lives images that conveyed transcendent realities. In acknowledgment of the poets' own affinities, we will look for opportunities to complement our discussions by walking, writing, and drawing together out of doors.
Spring 2010
ENAM 0500 - Special Project: Lit
Special Project: Literature
Approval Requiredrequired; please apply online at http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/enam/resources/forms or at the Department office
Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010
ENAM 0560 - Special Project: Writing
Special Project: Creative Writing
(Approval Required)
Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010
ENAM 0700 - Senior Essay: Critical Writing
Senior Essay: Critical Writing
Individual guidance and seminar (discussions, workshops, tutorials) for those undertaking one-term projects in literary criticism or analysis. All critical essay writers also take the essay workshop (ENAM 700Z) in either Fall or Spring Term.
Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Spring 2010
ENAM 0701 - Senior Essay: Creative Writing
Senior Essay: Creative Writing
Discussions, workshops, tutorials for those undertaking one-term projects in the writing of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction.
Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Spring 2010
ENAM 0710 - Senior Thesis: Critical Writ.
Senior Thesis: Critical Writing
Individual guidance and seminar (discussions, workshops, tutorials) for those undertaking two-term projects in literary criticism or analysis. All critical thesis writers also take the thesis workshop (ENAM 710z) in both Fall and Spring terms.
Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010
ENAM 0711 - Senior Thesis: Creative Writ.
Senior Thesis: Creative Writing
Discussions, workshops, tutorials for those undertaking two-term projects in the writing of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction.
Fall 2008, Fall 2009
ENVS 0350 - Portrait of a Vermont Town
Portrait of a Vermont Town
In this course we will record, reflect upon, and present the stories of one Addison County town. Students will talk with a diverse range of local residents about their memories, choices, hopes, and anxieties related to the place in which they live. We will offer an intensive experience of interviewing, writing, and videography, and will also count both as an intermediate-level writing workshop in nonfiction and as a cognate for the Environmental Studies major. This workshop will be enriched by a close affiliation with current programs of the Orton Family Foundation and the Vermont Land Trust that are dedicated to celebrating the stories of community. These two outstanding organizations will work with us in indentifying the town on which to focus, in helping students gain significant access to its residents and institutions, and in planning a final series of public presentations. The exact nature of presentations and publications coming out of the course will be determined in the course of the semester.
Fall 2008
ENVS 0377 / DANC 0377 - Nature and Creativity
Nature and Creativity
In this course we will explore the relationship between the creative process and natural processes and phenomena. Among our activities will be: weekly outdoor sessions of observation, journal writing, and sketching; reading of essays by contemporary nature writers and scientists; and movement practices including the discipline of Authentic Movement focusing on the connection between the human body and the environment. Background in Environmental Studies plus previous experience in one of the arts is recommended. 3 hrs. lect./disc. 1 hr. lab
Fall 2009
ENVS 0500 - Independent Study
Independent Study
A one- or two-semester research project on a topic that relates to the relationship between humans and the environment. The project, carried out under the supervision of a faculty member with related expertise, must involve a significant amount of independent research and analysis. Students may enroll in ENVS 0500 no more than twice for a given project. (Approval only)
Fall 2008, Winter 2009, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012
ENVS 0700 - ES Senior Honors Work
Senior Honors Work
The final semester of a multi-semester research project on a topic pertinent to the relationship between humans and the environment. Students may enroll in ENVS 0700 only once. (Previous work would have been conducted as one or two semesters of an ENVS 0500 Independent Study project.) The project, carried out under the supervision of a faculty member, will result in a substantial piece of writing, and will be presented to other ENVS faculty and students in a public forum. (Senior standing; ENVS 0112, ENVS 0211, ENVS 0215, GEOG 0120, and ENVS 0500; Approval only)
Fall 2008, Winter 2009, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012
SOAN 0500 - Advanced Individual Study
Prior to registering for SOAN 0500, a student must enlist the support of a faculty advisor from the Department of Sociology/Anthropology. (Open to Majors only) (Approval Required)
Fall 2008
STLD 1004 - Food Justice in Vermont
Food Justice in Vermont
Vermont has recently been celebrated in the national media for making great strides in sustainability and food justice. From Hardwick to Rutland, citizens are organizing to build local food systems that are fair to farmers and consumers of all economic strata. After investigating the flaws of our country’s agri-business economy, we will explore successful community initiatives to build a thriving food system that benefits the land and people. While digging deep into the history and politics of food, we will work towards envisioning how Addison County can join other towns in ensuring a just and equitable local foods economy. (Approval Required; Credit/No Credit)
Winter 2010