uiu drafts
TRANSCRIPT
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So…Youareprobablywonderingwhatthis20–somepagedocumentisdoingonmyblog.Well,I’vebeendoingsomesoulsearching,andIhavedecidedtoapplytoaPhDprogram.Crazy!Right?Well,yes!And,inordertogetintotheprogram,IneededtowriteaStatementofPurpose.HerearetherequirementsfortheSoP:
UnionInstitute&UniversityStatementofPurpose
Inyourstatementofpurpose:
1-pleaseexplainyouracademicandprofessionalinterestinthe
CohortPhDprogram,includinghowyourinterestintersectswithourareasofconcentrationandprogramthemes,andhowyour
intellectualandprofessionalorsocialconcern
arerelatedtointerdisciplinarystudy.
2-Whatstrengthsdoyoubringtoyourproposedareaofstudy?Whatdoyouhopeaninterdisciplinaryapproachwillcontribute
toyourintellectualconcernsandresearchgoals?
3-Finally,ifyouareinterestedinourCreativeDissertation
option,pleasebrieflydiscusssomeofyourbackgroundand
currentcreativeworkandhowyouforeseetheseshapingyour
CreativeDissertation.
IfiguredthatIwouldslingoutaSoPinnotime.However,IfoundthatIwasnotbeingclear,andIdidnotreallyknowwhatmypurposeinseekingPhDwas.Thus,
this20-pagedocument,whichincludesfourdraftsandmyfinal,submitted,statementofpurpose,wasborn.I’mpostingitonmblogbecauseIwantpeople,mostlymystudentswhofindmyblog,toknowthat,YES!,Itoomakeuseofthedraft-revisionprocess.Ifyouaresharp,you’llnoticethatDraft1andDraft2aretwoseparateideasandDraft3ismyattempttomashthemtogether(whichfailed).Then,Draft4isthesuccessfulrevisionofDraft3(usingcolortohelpwithorganization).Mylovelyandsupersmartwifereadallofthesedraftsandpushedmythinking.Thankyou,Jessica!Well,enjoytheevolutionofmySoP(ornot)andwishmeluck!
-AaronM.Wilson
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Draft1
UnionInstitute&UniversityStatementofPurpose
TheThermodynamicsofCreativity
“Thefuturewillbelongtothenature-smart—thoseindividuals,families,businesses,andpoliticalleaderswhodevelopadeeperunderstandingofthetransformativepowerofthenaturalworldandwhobalancethevirtualwiththereal.Themorehigh-techwebecome,themorenatureweneed.”–RichardLouv1
RichardLouvcoinedtheterm“nature-deficitdisorder,”inhisbookLastChildin
theWoods 2todescribeanobservedconditionthatisremedyonlybygettingoutside
andencounteringwilderness.Ifadisorderistheproductoftoolittleexposuretothe
naturalworld,humanity’sshifttoanevermorevirtual–humancreated–worldis
unsettling,becauseasweselecttospendincreasingamountsoftimeinthese
fabricatedenvironments,wild-spacesarebeingdeveloped,mined,fished,and
convertedintovirtual-hinterlands.Soon,theremedyforanemergingdisorderwill
bebeyondourreach.WeareinthemiddleofRichardLeakey’ssixthextinction3in
whichwe–thehumanspecies–isthedrivingforceforbehindanextinctionrateis
thatisone–thousandtimeswhatscientistsconsidernormal.Aswilderness
continuestodwindlesurelycasesofnature-deficitdisorderwillincrease,creatinga
demandforandthecommodificationoftheremainingnaturalworld–theremedy.
1Louv,Richard.“RichardLouv.”richardlouv.com.2012.Web.21June20122Louv,Richard.LastChildintheWoods:SavingourChildrenfromNatureDeficit
Disorder .NewYork:AlgonquinBooks,2008.Print.3Leakey,Richard&RogerLewin.TheSixthExtinction:PatternsofLifeandtheFutureofHumankind.NewYork:AnchorBooks,1995.Print.
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Thus,aninequityofaccesstothewilderness-remedywill(andis)dividealong
socioeconomiclines,anditismybelief(myresearchareaofsocialconcern)that
therecanbenomeaningfulcreativeoutputwithoutlargeinputsof(accessto)the
elegant,diverse,andhealthywilderness.
Myproposedareaofstudyistheintersectionofthecreativeprocesswithfairand
justaccesstohealthyareasofwilderness.Usingthermodynamicsastheoperative
andguidingmetaphorformyresearch,Iwillsetouttodiscovertheimpactoftoo
littlenatureoncreativity.Asthefirstandsecondlawofthermodynamicsstates4
(andIsummarize),1)nothingcanbecreatedordestroyed,orputanotherway,
outputcanneverexceedinputandmustbalance2)whenenergyischanged,it
degradesinquality,orinputisalwayslargerthanoutput.Thus,theapplicationof
thermodynamicstocreativityandwildernessisthatinordertotrulyhave
productivecreativityrequirestheinputofwilderness,whereastheamountof
wildernessconsumed(enjoyed)isgreaterthanthecreativeoutput.Therefore,as
accesstoenjoywildernessislimitedtothosewhocanafford(bothtimeandmoney)
toengageinthenaturalword,sotoiscreativitylimited,creatingacreativitygap
alongclasslines.
Tothisproject,Iwouldbringmyinterdisciplinaryandcreativebackgroundin
Rhetoric&Discourse,CreativeWriting,andEnvironmentalStudies.Forthepast
threeyears,Ihavehadtheopportunitytoteachcomposition,literature,and
environmentalscience.Inordertoengagestudentsincoursecontent,Ihave
4Spoolman,Scott&G.TylerMiller,Jr.“EnergyChangesAreGovernedbyTwoScientificLaws.”EnvironmentalScience:Problems,Concepts,andSolutions.12thEd.Canada:Thompson,2008.Print.pp.34-35
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continuedtoexpandmyknowledgeofenvironmentalissues,literarytheory,and
writingmethodologiestoimprovethelearningexperienceforstudents.Thecohort
Ph.D.inInterdisciplinaryStudieswillallowmetofurthercombinemyacademic,
social,andpersonalinterestinhowengagementinthenaturalworldfostersthe
creativeprocess,specificallyforwriterswishingtocreatelastingandmeaningful
literature.Myfirstbook,TheManyLivesofInezWick ,5acollectionofshortstories,
attemptstocombinethosetwopassions,asdoesmostofmyfiction.
ItismyplantomakeuseoftheCreativeDissertationoptiontofurthermy
personalgoalofproducingbothafictionmanuscriptthatexposestheinjusticeof
wildernessaccessalongsociologicalandeconomiclines,justasUptonSinclair’sThe
JungleandEdwardAbbey’sTheMonkeyWrenchGangdidfortheworkingcondition
inthemeatpackingindustryandtheoverdevelopmentofwildnessareas,
respectively;andIwouldusethescholarlyapproachtotheinterdisciplinary
engagementofdifferenceandcreativitytoproduceaguideforlevelingthefield
betweenthosewithaccesstothewildernessandthosewhodonot.
Itismysincerebeliefthateveryone,regardlessofdifference–class,race,religion,
gender,generation,etc.–hastherighttoaccessandenjoywilderness.Itistooeasy
toallowpessimismanddefeatismovertakeusconcerningissuesonenvironmental
scales,asRobertMichaelPylewrites,"ButIdoubtverymuchthattheculturewe
knowwilllongpersist,absenttrulyradicalchangesinthewayitworks.Wearethe
5Wilson,Aaron.TheManyLivesofInezWick .Minneapolis:EverythingFeedsProcessPress,2011.Print.
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maladaptiveapeattwilight.Evolutionwillmockourtardyrage."6Instead,ifwe
begintoaccessandinputlargequantitiesofwildernessbackintoourlives,
remedyingourdeficit,wewillseeanoutputofhopeandcreativityreadytoface
futurechallengesinamoralandjustway.
6Pyle,RobertMichael."EveningFallsontheMaladaptiveApe."MoralGround .KathleenDeanMoore&MichaelP.Nelson.Ed.SanAntonio,Texas:TrinityUniversityPress,2010.p.128.Print.
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Draft 2
UnionInstitute&UniversityStatementofPurpose
Severalyearsago,Iwasperusingboththeliteraturecriticismandthe
environmentalscienceshelvesofmyfavoriteusedbookstore.Inbothsections,a
slimvolume,nomorethanafourth-inchwideandsixtall,honey-yellowincolor,
caughtmyattention.Alwaysonthelookoutfortextsthatcombinemypassionsfor
fiction,wilderness,andphilosophy,Ipaidthe$2.50andtookhomeGeorge
Myerson’sEcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity .Afterreadingthefirsteightpages,I
knewthatI’dhappeneduponthebookthatwouldchangethewaythatI
intellectuallyapproachliterature.Previously,Ihadtaughtliteratureand
environmentalscienceasdisconnectedculturalmodes.However,Ifecology,as
culturalforce,“…isnotpostindustrial,buttheheraldofanewindustrialfuture…”
(Myerson7)wheretheindustryiscontrollingnature(becausewehavedegraded
environmentalsystemsbeyondself-perpetuation)thenoneoftheclassicalliterary
themes,Manvs.Nature,surelythenissotoodegradedtoManvs.Anthropogenic
Nature,ormoresimply,Manvs.Man.
TheUnionInstitute&University’sCohortPhD,withaconcentrationin
Humanities&Culture(andwithsecondarycourseworkinPublicPolicy&Social
Change),willallowforguidedinquiryintothecrosssectionofecologyand
literature,whereenvironmentalscience(specifically,ecology)isthenew
modernizingculturalforce.ThisnewmodernityaccordingtoMyerson,“…expresses
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itselfdifferently:itisdiffused,hasnocentralworkorauthor,andspeaksfrommany
places”(7-8),justastheenvironmentalmovementhasnooneMartinLutherKing,
Jr.,noGandhi.Instead,theguidingphilosophy,rules,ethicsforlivinginthisnew
modernworldarehandeddownfromarespected,peer-reviewed,scientific
community,notsounlikehowreligiousscholarschosewhichteachingstocanonize
andwhichtodiscardasheretical.Furthermore,ifscience,ratherthanreligion,in
thisnewmodernity,isresponsiblefortheocracy,becauseitpossessesultimate
access(understanding)ofhowweshouldlivehumorouslywithnature(andwithin
ecosystems),wethusreturntoarelianceonaselectfewfortheinterpretationof
nature.However,myintellectualinquirywillnot(butcould)produceanecological
canonoftextstoguidefuturecritics.Rather,Iwishtofocusmorespecificallyon
howecologicalmodernismisrhetoricallypresentedinfictionaltexts,bytracing
historicalnarrativetransitioninthemefromManvs.NaturetoManvs.
AnthropogenicNature.
Tothisproject,Iwouldbringmyinterdisciplinaryandcreativebackground
inRhetoric&Discourse,CreativeWriting,andEnvironmentalStudies.Forthepast
threeyears,Ihavehadtheopportunitytoteachcomposition,literature,and
environmentalscience.Inordertoengagestudentsincoursecontent,Ihave
continuedtoexpandmyknowledgeofenvironmentalissues,literarytheory,and
writingmethodologies.TheCohortPh.D.inInterdisciplinaryStudieswillallowme
todeepenmyacademicknowledgeinordertodevelopengagingandthought
provokingcourses,continuingtodemonstratetomystudentsthatknowledge-silos
areartificialandunnecessary.
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Itismyplanto,inpart,makeuseoftheCreativeDissertationoptiontofulfill
mypersonalgoalofpublishinganoveloradramaticscript,whichexemplifies
ecologicalmodernitythroughsetting,characterdevelopment,thematicconflict,and
plot.Thusfar,myshortstorypublicationshave,insetting,character,andplot
engagedincontinuingthepostmodernideathatManvs.Nature,awildand
uncontrolledNature,stillexistsorcanbefoughtforandpreserved.However,the
scholarlycomponents–tracingthenarrativeshiftfromManvs.NaturetoManvs.
AnthropogenicNature,unifyingmodernizingecologicaltexts,andconceptualizing
scientistsasmoderntheologians–willbethemajorfocusofmyresearch.
Itismysincerebeliefthatfiction,andtheothermajorgenresofliterature,
possestheabilitytorecordculture,thebeliefsandattitudesofaspecificgeneration,
inawaythatnewsandmediacannot.Thesubtleshiftinnarrativethemeovertime,
throughtheuseofsetting,character,andplothelptorecord,inameaningfuland
empatheticway,whatitiswasliketobehumanatthatmomentintime.Ifthese
shiftsareunderstood,theycanbeusedasahistoricalrecordtoteachand
remember.Myproposedfieldofstudywillexpandupon(perhapsevenprovide)yet
anotherliterarytheory(ecologicalmodernism)withwhichtoanalyze,extract,and
createmeaningfromliteraryconsumptionandproduction.
WorkCited
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Myerson,George.EcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity.PostmodernEncounters.
Duxford, Cambridge: Totem Books, 2001. Print.
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Draft 3
UnionInstitute&UniversityStatementofPurpose
Severalyearsago,Iwasperusingboththeliteraturecriticismandthe
environmentalscienceshelvesofmyfavoriteusedbookstore.Inbothsections,a
slimvolume,nomorethanafourth-inchwideandsixtall,honey-yellowincolor,
caughtmyattention.Alwaysonthelookoutfortextsthatcombinemypassionsfor
fiction,wilderness,andphilosophy,Ipaidthe$2.50andtookhomeGeorge
Myerson’sEcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity .Afterreadingthefirsteightpages,I
knewthatI’dhappeneduponthebookthatwouldchangethewaythatI
intellectuallyapproachliterature.Previously,Ihadtaughtliteratureand
environmentalscienceasdisconnectedculturalmodes.However,Ifecology,as
culturalforce,“…isnotpostindustrial,buttheheraldofanewindustrialfuture…”
(Myerson7)wheretheindustryiscontrollingnature(becausewehavedegraded
environmentalsystemsbeyondself-perpetuation)thenoneoftheclassicalliterary
themes,Manvs.Nature,surelythenissotoodegradedtoManvs.Anthropogenic
Nature,ormoresimply,Manvs.Man.AndasmuchasIamintriguedbythepossible
degradationofaliterarytheme,Iammuchmoreconcernedaboutwhatareturnto
modernismmightmeanfordiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativityinlightof
theemergenceofnature-deficitdisorder.
RichardLouvcoinedtheterm“nature-deficitdisorder,”inhisbookLastChild
intheWoodstodescribeanobservedconditionthatisremedyonlybygetting
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outsideandencounteringwilderness.Ifadisorderistheproductoftoolittle
exposuretothenaturalworld,humanity’sshifttoanevermorevirtual–human
created–worldisunsettling,becauseasweselecttospendincreasingamountsof
timeinthesefabricatedenvironments,wild-spacesarebeingdeveloped,mined,
fished,andconvertedintovirtual-hinterlands.Soon,theremedywillbebeyond
reachourreach.WeareinthemiddleofRichardLeakey’ssixthextinctioninwhich
wearethedrivingforcebehindanextinctionrateisthatisonethousandtimeswhat
scientistsconsidernormal.Aswildernesscontinuestodwindlesurelycasesof
nature-deficitdisorderwillincrease,creatingademandforandthe
commodificationoftheremainingnaturalworld.Thus,aninequityofaccesstothe
wilderness-remedywillbe(andis)dividedalongsocioeconomiclines;andeven
moretroubling,itismybeliefthattherecanbenomeaningfulcreativeoutput
withoutaccesstoelegant,diverse,andhealthywilderness.
Itismyplanto,inpart,makeuseoftheCreativeDissertationoptiontofulfill
mypersonalpublishinggoals,developingapoetrymanuscript,anovel,ora
dramaticscript,whichexemplifiesthestruggleofindividualswithecological
modernity.Myresearchwillfocusonthisnewmodernity,whichaccordingto
Myerson,“…expressesitselfdifferently:itisdiffused,hasnocentralworkorauthor,
andspeaksfrommanyplaces”(7-8).Theenvironmentalmovementhasnoonetext
orprophet.Instead,theguidingknowledgeforlivinginthisnewmodernworldare
handeddownfromarespected,peer-reviewed,scientificcommunity,notsounlike
how,inthepreviousperiodtobeconsideredmodern,religiousscholarschose
whichteachingstocanonizeandwhichtodiscardasheretical,limitingtheology.
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Furthermore,ifscience,ratherthanreligion,isresponsibleforanewtheocracy,
becauseitpossessestheultimateknowledgeofhowweshouldliveharmoniously
withnature,wethusreturntoarelianceonaselectfewfortheinterpretationof
nature.Thus,diversity,culturaldifference,andcreativityarethreatenedinthename
ofpreservingwildernessforfuturegenerations(andperhaps,rightlyso;asitis
difficulttopredicttheneedsoffuturecultures).Moreover,becauseasaccessto
enjoywildernessislimitedtothosewhocanaffordthetime,themoney,the
transportation,thegeartoengageinthenaturalword,sotooisdiversity,cultural
difference,andcreativitylimited.
Tothisproject,Iwouldbringmyinterdisciplinaryandcreativebackground
inRhetoric&Discourse,CreativeWriting,andEnvironmentalStudies,mypassion
forteachingandengagingfirstgenerationandnon-traditionalstudents,andadesire
toconserveandopenareasofwildnessforalltoaccess.Iwouldalsobringmylove
forlearningandforthecreativeprocess.
TheUnionInstitute&University’sCohortPhDinInterdisciplinaryStudies,
withaconcentrationinHumanities&Culture(andwithsecondarycourseworkin
PublicPolicy&SocialChange),willallowforguidedinquiryintothecrosssectionof
environmentalscienceandliterature,whereenvironmentalscienceisthenew
modernizingculturalforce.APh.D.willallowmetobothdeepenmyacademic
knowledgeinordertodevelopengagingandthoughtprovokingcourses,continuing
todemonstratetomystudentsthatknowledge-silosareartificialandunnecessary,
perusepersonalpublishinggoals,andtoengageinpoliticalandsocialactivism,
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helpingtoimproveaccesstowildernessandtospurcreativityinunderserved
communities.
WorkCited
Leakey,Richard&RogerLewin.TheSixthExtinction:PatternsofLifeandtheFuture
ofHumankind .NewYork:AnchorBooks,1995.Print.
Louv,Richard.LastChildintheWoods:SavingourChildrenfromNatureDeficit
Disorder .NewYork:AlgonquinBooks,2008.Print.
Myerson,George.EcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity.PostmodernEncounters.
Duxford,Cambridge:TotemBooks,2001.Print.
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Draft 4
UnionInstitute&UniversityStatementofPurpose
1.Introduction
Severalyearsago,Iwasperusingboththeliteraturecriticismandthe
environmentalscienceshelvesofmyfavoriteusedbookstore.Inbothsections,a
slimvolume,nomorethanafourth-inchwideandsixtall,honey-yellowincolor,
caughtmyattention.Alwaysonthelookoutfortextsthatcombinemypassionsfor
fiction,wilderness,andphilosophy,Ipaidthe$2.50andtookhomeGeorge
Myerson’sEcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity .Afterreadingthefirsteightpages,I
knewthatI’dhappeneduponthebookthatwouldchangethewaythatI
intellectuallyapproachliterature.Previously,Ihadtaughtliteratureand
environmentalscienceasdisconnectedculturalmodes.However,Ifecology,as
culturalforce,“…isnotpostindustrial,buttheheraldofanewindustrialfuture…”
(Myerson7)wheretheindustryiscontrollingnature(becausewehavedegraded
environmentalsystemsbeyondself-perpetuation)thenoneoftheclassicalliterary
themes,Manvs.Nature,surelythenissotoodegradedtoManvs.Anthropogenic
Nature,ormoresimply,Manvs.Man.AsmuchasIamintriguedbythepossible
degradationofaliterarytheme,Iammuchmoreconcernedaboutwhatareturnto
modernismmightmeanfordiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativityinlightof
theemergenceofnature-deficitdisorder.
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2.NDExists(andisincreasing)
RichardLouvcoinedtheterm“nature-deficitdisorder,”inhisbookLastChild
intheWoodstodescribeanobservedconditionthatisremediedonlybygetting
outsideandencounteringwilderness.Ifadisorderistheproductoftoolittle
exposuretothenaturalworld,humanity’sshifttoanevermorevirtual,human
createdworldisunsettling.Whenweselecttospendincreasingamountsoftimein
thesefabricatedenvironments,weunknowinglycontributetothedepletionofwild-
spaces,whicharebeingconvertedintosupportsystemsforourcontinuedshift
awayfromnature.Aswildernesscontinuestodwindle,casesofnature-deficit
disorderwillincreaseandaninequityofaccesstothewilderness-remedywillbe
dividedalongsocioeconomiclines.
3.NDisincreasingalongSocioeconomicLines
Soon,thewilderness-remedywillbebeyondthereachofeventheupper
middleclass,justasitisoutofreachoftheurbanpoornow.Wemustwork
diligentlytorestorewilderness(foritsownsakeandasremedy)forthehear-and-
nowandforthevoicelessgenerationstocome.Whenaccesstowildernessislimited
tothosewhocanaffordthetime,themoney,thetransportation,thegeartoengage
inthenaturalword,sotooisdiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativitylimited.
4.WhatistheimpactofNDontheCreativeProcess?
Thedilemmaisthentoweightheimportanceofaccesstothewilderness-
remedyfornaturedeficitdisorderagainstthenewmodernizingforceofecology.
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Withoutaccesstowildernessdiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativityislimited.
However,inordertorestoreareasofwilderness,wemustacceptthemodernizing
forceofecology,whichalsolimitsdiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativity
(throughknowledgehandeddownfromthescientificcommunity,notsounlike
how,inthepreviousperiodtobeconsideredmodern,religiousscholarschose
whichteachingstocanonizeandwhichtodiscardasheretical,limitingtheology).
Thispostmodernclashwithanewmodernismisthefocusareaformyresearch.
5.Conclusion=CreativeDissertationOption,WhatIbringtotheproject,&
WhataPhDwilldoforme
Itismyplanto,inpart,makeuseoftheCreativeDissertationoptiontofulfill
mypersonalpublishinggoals,developingamanuscriptthatexemplifiesthestruggle
ofindividualscaughtbetweenpostmodernnature-deficitdisorderandthe
modernizingforceofecologytorespectandtoengageindiversity,cultural
difference,andcreativity.Tothisproject,Iwouldbringmyinterdisciplinaryand
creativebackgroundinRhetoric&Discourse,CreativeWriting,andEnvironmental
Studies,mypassionforteachingandengagingfirstgenerationandnon-traditional
students,andadesiretoconserveandopenareasofwildnessforalltoaccess.I
wouldalsobringmyloveforlearningandforthecreativeprocess.TheUnion
Institute&University’sCohortPhDinInterdisciplinaryStudies,witha
concentrationinHumanities&Culture(andwithsecondarycourseworkinPublic
Policy&SocialChange)willallowmetobothdeepenmyacademicknowledgeand
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toengageinpoliticalandsocialactivism,helpingtoimproveaccesstowilderness
andtospurcreativityinunderservedcommunities.
WorkCited
Louv,Richard.LastChildintheWoods:SavingourChildrenfromNatureDeficit
Disorder .NewYork:AlgonquinBooks,2008.Print.
Myerson,George.EcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity.PostmodernEncounters.
Duxford,Cambridge:TotemBooks,2001.Print.
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Final Draft
UnionInstitute&UniversityStatementofPurpose
Severalyearsago,Iwasperusingboththeliteraturecriticismandthe
environmentalscienceshelvesofmyfavoriteusedbookstore.Inbothsections,a
slimvolume,nomorethanafourth-inchwideandsixtall,honey-yellowincolor,
caughtmyattention.Alwaysonthelookoutfortextsthatcombinemypassionsfor
fiction,wilderness,andphilosophy,Ipaidthe$2.50andtookhomeGeorge
Myerson’sEcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity .Afterreadingthefirsteightpages,I
knewthatI’dhappeneduponthebookthatwouldchangethewaythatI
intellectuallyapproachliterature.Previously,Ihadtaughtliteratureand
environmentalscienceasdisconnectedculturalmodes.However,Ifecology,as
culturalforce,“…isnotpostindustrial,buttheheraldofanewindustrialfuture…”
(Myerson7)wheretheindustryiscontrollingnature(becausewehavedegraded
environmentalsystemsbeyondself-perpetuation)thenoneoftheclassicalliterary
themes,Manvs.Nature,surelythenissotoodegradedtoManvs.Anthropogenic
Nature,ormoresimply,Manvs.Man.AsmuchasIamintriguedbythepossible
degradationofaliterarytheme,Iammuchmoreconcernedaboutwhatareturnto
modernismmightmeanfordiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativityinlightof
theemergenceofnature-deficitdisorder.
RichardLouvcoinedtheterm“nature-deficitdisorder,”inhisbookLastChild
intheWoodstodescribeanobservedconditionthatisremediedonlybygetting
7/31/2019 UIU Drafts
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19
outsideandencounteringwilderness.Ifadisorderistheproductoftoolittle
exposuretothenaturalworld,humanity’sshifttoanevermorevirtual,human
createdworldisunsettling.Whenweselecttospendincreasingamountsoftimein
thesefabricatedenvironments,weunknowinglycontributetothedepletionofwild-
spaces,whicharebeingconvertedintosupportsystemsforourcontinuedshift
awayfromnature.Aswildernesscontinuestodwindle,casesofnature-deficit
disorderwillincreaseandaninequityofaccesstothewilderness-remedywillbe
dividedalongsocioeconomiclines.
Soon,thewilderness-remedywillbebeyondthereachofeventheupper
middleclass,justasitisoutofreachoftheurbanpoornow,becauseweareinthe
middleofRichardLeakey’ssixthextinctioninwhichtheextinctionrateisone
thousandtimeswhatscientistsconsidernormal.Thus,wemustworkdiligentlyto
restorewilderness(foritsownsakeandasremedy)forthehere-and-nowandfor
thevoicelessgenerationstocome.Whenaccesstowildernessislimitedtothose
whocanaffordthetime,money,transportation,andequipmenttoengageinthe
naturalword,sotooisdiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativitylimited.
Thedilemmaisthentoweightheimportanceofaccesstothewilderness-
remedyfornaturedeficitdisorderagainstthenewmodernizingforceofecology.
Withoutaccesstowildernessdiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativityare
limited,because“It’snotuntilwe’re…,unabletocheckoure-mail,thatwe’refinally
abletohearthequietvoicesinthebacksofourheadstellingusabouttheinsight.
Theanswershavebeenthereallalong–wejustweren’tlistening”(Lehrer31-2).
However,inordertorestoreareasofwilderness,wemustacceptthemodernizing
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forceofecology,whichalsolimitsdiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativity.
Throughecologicalstudy,knowledgeishandeddownfromthescientific
community,notsounlikehow,inthepreviousmodernperiod,religiousscholars
chosewhichteachingstocanonizeandwhichtodiscardasheretical,limiting
theology.Thispostmodernclashwithanewmodernismisthefocusareaformy
research.
Itismyplan,inpart,tomakeuseoftheCreativeDissertationoptiontofulfill
mypersonalpublishinggoals,developingamanuscriptthatexemplifiesthestruggle
ofindividualscaughtbetweenpostmodernnature-deficitdisorderandthe
modernizingforceofecologytorespectandtoengageindiversity,cultural
difference,andcreativity.Tothisproject,Iwouldbringmyinterdisciplinaryand
creativebackgroundinRhetoric&Discourse,CreativeWriting,andEnvironmental
Studies,mypassionforteachingandengagingfirstgenerationandnon-traditional
students,andadesiretoconserveandopenareasofwildnessforalltoaccess.I
wouldalsobringmyloveforlearningandforthecreativeprocess.TheUnion
Institute&University’sCohortPhDinInterdisciplinaryStudies,witha
concentrationinHumanities&Culture(andwithsecondarycourseworkinPublic
Policy&SocialChange)willallowmetobothdeepenmyacademicknowledgeand
toengageinpoliticalandsocialactivism,helpingtoimproveaccesstowilderness
andtospurcreativityinunderservedcommunities.
WorkCited
7/31/2019 UIU Drafts
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/uiu-drafts 21/21
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Lehrer,Jonah.Imagine:HowCreativityWorks.NewYork:HoughtonMifflinHarcourt,
2012.Print.
Louv,Richard.LastChildintheWoods:SavingourChildrenfromNatureDeficit
Disorder .NewYork:AlgonquinBooks,2008.Print.
Myerson,George.EcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity.PostmodernEncounters.
Duxford,Cambridge:TotemBooks,2001.Print.