NES 1923

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  • Course Catalog - February 7, 2022 7:14PM EST

NES 1923
FWS: Trees in Ancient Religion and Contemporary Thought

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2021-2022.

Judaism, Christianity, Islam feature vibrant trees in their mythopoetics; without trees, these religions would look different. With the recent renaissance in tree studies, which shows that trees think and have agency, it is time to reexamine the histories of trees and their role in shaping human conceptions of regeneration, life/death, good/evil. In order to appreciate trees in both ancient and modern thought, students will study scriptural texts from antiquity and beyond, art, and contemporary writing on vegetal life from botanists, philosophers, and novelists. Students will write five essays, which will build upon each other; the essays both summarize our work but also forge new questions about the cumulative histories of mythic trees. We will also utilize Cornell's arboretum for a dynamic classroom experience.

When Offered Fall.

Course Attribute (CU-ITL)
Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 19628 NES 1923   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR Sibley Hall 142
    • Aug 26 - Dec 7, 2021

    • Westermayer, M

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.