LoP List o' Pot Luck Dishes

Potato dish and assorted vegetable side dishes   --Sarah
Green Chile Cornbread    --Sherri
Chicken Enchiladas   --Clara
Blue Bell ice cream --Ana
Apple butter  ---Kaitlin
Buttermilk pie  ---Randi Leigh
Something pie-ish  --Briony
Venison sausage  --Will
Hoppin' John --Jeffrey
Green chile cheese grits  --Dr T

LoP 11/30

Finish reading Like Water for Chocolate and the essay on pies by Sue Hubbell. We will discuss these at the pot luck next Tuesday.

The pot luck will be held at my house, starting at 2:30. I'l send you all an email with my address, so look for it.

Everyone needs to bring a place-related dish, and know from where each of the ingredients come. Be prepared to tell us how the dish relates to place. I'll start a list of dishes that people are bringing on this blog so that we won't duplicate dishes.

MEC 11/30

Tutorial will continue this week, and also take place next Monday and Wednesday. Only the Thursday group will be exempt from tutorials.

The prompt that is due this week is the oral interview/story with an elder. Next week we will discuss the drafts handed in this week. The Thursday group will not workshop these drafts, so they only need to bring one draft, for me. I will edit these and return them to the Thursday group.

The final papers that are due next week are the drafts we edit this week, the prompt on a challene you have faced and overcome.

LoP 11/21

Hi everyone--no tutorials this week, but we will be meeting to discuss the chapters from Seeing in the Dark.

Let's meet in the classroom this week. If it is pretty, we can always go outside.

MEC 11/21

Hi everyone! Remember that there will be no tutorials this week, but that will will be having class on Tuesday and discussing our reading assignment (through "Spring" in the book).

Also, don't forget that the first long paper is due at the start of class.

LoP 11/8

It looks like everything is going to work out for the vans on Friday. We will plan to leave at 8AM, and hope to return around 7 or 8 PM. Please bring snacks for the vans.

MEC 11/8

Read the foreword and the first three chapters of A Country Year, by Sue Hubbell.

Prompt: Do an oral interview with an elder about his or her childhood. You get to decide how to structure it into an essay.

Long paper/midterm: Choose one of your earlier works and expand on it.  Due the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break.

MEC 10/31

Prompt from last week (due this week): What did Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings mean when she said the Corss Creek and the landscape were part of her? How was that different, and why, from her relationship to New York?

LoP 10/24

Hi everyone--

There is another cold front moving in on Wednesday, so it will be windy tomorrow (people who have taken the intro fieldcraft course will know why...). So we'll meet in the classroom tomorrow. We will be discussing Sarah Vowell's essay and plans for the star party.

MEC 10/24

I am getting behind in my blog updates, for which I apologize!

Remember that we are meeting to finish the movie tomorrow. The prompt draft that is due this week is a comparison of your home landscape to the of the movie, "Cross Creek." (the Monday tutorial group is, as always, one week behind).

The finished draft due this week will be your backstory to the short story.
The edited draft will be the short story.

Cheers!

LoP

Please read the next five chapters of Goodbye to a River. 


Anyone have suggestions for where to meet? I have an idea for an experiment. Let's meet again at the Ranching Heritage Center. Bring something comfortable for sitting on the grass, and any water you might need. I will be leaving from the Honors College at 2:05 if anyone wants to ride bikes over there with me.

MEC 10/2

Prompt: Dream up a short story and provide a short, one paragraph synopsis, then create a backstory for the main character. The backstory is the main focus of this prompt.

Reading: "For Bo," and "A Blizzard Under Blue Sky," in Cowboys Are My Weakness.

MEC 9/26

Questions to ponder for this week's reading:

"How to Talk to a Hunter"

• How did Houston choose to "narrate" the story, and why did she choose to do it this way? What effect does it have?
• How does Houston develop other characters (besides the narrator)? How does she develop the narrator's character? What do you know about the narrator? About the hunter? How do you know these things?
• What is the conflict in this narrative? The plot?
• Why does the narrator do the things she does?
• What is this short story about?
• How did Houston end the story? What do you think has happened or will happen? What has been resolved?

"Selway"

• What do we know abotu the narrator and Jack? What kind of people are they? What do they like? Dislike?How do we know these things?
• Does the narrator love Jack? Does he love her?
• What do they learn about themselves and each other while going down the Sleway?
• How does the Rier play a part in the story? Is it a "character" as well? If so, is it a major or minor one?
• How did Houston end the story and what effect did it have on you?
• What has been resolved?

"Highwater"

• In the two previous stories, there were primarily two main characters, a man and a woman. In this story, there are two main female characters, and two minor characters. How are the minor characters important to the story?
• What do we know about each of the characters and how does Houston tell us these things?
• What is the conflict in this story?
• Why did Houston choose to tell the story of this conflict through the story of the two female characters? Why not a male and female?
• What is or is not resolved in this story?

These questions are simply starting points for discussion of the stories. As you read, think of your own questions. Use them to make note of Houston's technique for telling a story.

LoP 9/26

Some questions to ponder for the reading:

Chapter One:

• What is the difference, if any, between "landscape" and "geography?"
• Why is Graves motivated to canoe the Brazos? Have you ever been motivated in the same way to do something similar?
• What does Graves mean when he says that you can comphrehend a piece of a river? What are some elements of that piece that you can comprehend?
• How many ways does Graves know this river? What does that tell us about the many ways we know a landscape (i.e., how many ways can you know a landscape)?

Chapter Two:

• How is the year/time in which Graves traveling similar/not similar to this year?
• What is Graves's mood as he is starting out? Is he excited? Mournful? Complacent?
• How old is Graves, and how do you know this? That is, what things gives you a sense of his age?
• What does Graves say about "aloneness?" Do you agree?

Chapter Three:

• The Brazos River's full Spanish name is "El Rio de los Brazos de Dios." Who named it, what does this mean, and why do you suppose it got that name?
• According to Graves, what changed the Commanche and gave them power?
• What cultures collide along the Brazos, how, and why?
• How does Graves weave the history of the Brazos into his own story?

Chapter Four:

• River people talk about "river time." Based on what Graves says about impatience and cities, what do you think this might be?
• Graves spends a lot of time describin the people who used and settled the river throughout its history. Do you see influences of these in the cultures and attitudes of contemporary Texans?
• How does Graves describe the river?
• What details does he give us to set the mood of this chapter, and what is that mood?
• Who is the "passenger," and why is he along on this trip? What role does he play in Graves's telling of the story. Does he "stand in" for Graves in some way?
• How does Graves's war experience color his experience on the river?
•  

Chapter Five:

• What does Graves mean, and to what was he referring when he wote "you do not, for instance, conquer and Aztec empire with 400 men and a set of developed humanistic impulses"?
• What Graves have to say about hunting?

Use these questions as a guide to your reading. Think aobut them and the story as you go along, and come up with questions and musing of your own to discuss when we get together.

MEC 9/21

lease read the frist three short stories in Pam Houston's Cowboys Are My Weakness.

Writing assignment: Wrtie a poem about transformation imitating Mary Oliver's poem, "In Blackwater Woods" Five stanzas.

LoP 9/21

Read Chapters 1-7 in Goodby to A River for class next week.

Remember that class will be meeting at The Ranching Heritage Center next week. If you want to ride over with me, meet me in front of the Honors College. Be sure to let me know you are coming, so that we can wait on you if you are going to be a little bit late.

MEC 9/13

Today's writing prompt: Develop an extended metaphor, using nture, and tell us any story about your life.

Literature of Place (LoP) 9/6

Please read Chapters 1 and 3 in A Field Guide to Getting Lost and prepare to discuss them in class. As you read (particularly the first chapter), consider how it relates to our dual task of field research and writing about place. Also keep in mind the essay I read in class today and how it relates to the new chapters.

Also, Dr. Fritz has approved paying the majority of the cost for the canoe trip we are taking in association with Goodbye to a River. If there is additional cost to you, it will be on the order of $20-$25 dollars. I'll keep you posted on that. The cost of the field trip is paid for with grant money.

MEC 9/6

Please read the next three chapters in the novel (7-9).

Here is the prompt from the end of class; Find something about which you do not already know and "go there" to describe it. Try to create a scene with verisimillitude. The first draft of this prompt will be due at the start of next week's tutorial.

MEC 8/31

Sorry, y'all, but I forgot to give you your next reading assignment: Please read the next three chapters in the novel.

Also, please note that the tutorial groups/times have been posted, along with the first writing assignment and when it is due. Hand in the assignments at the start of each tutorial.

Mother Earth Chronicles (MEC) 8/25

Greetings all, and welcome to class. We have a new room: ENGL 150. It is much better for our purposes.

I have run into a hitch on the Tuesday tutorial group (Zachary, Travis, and Amanda) and so will need the students in that group to move to a different time/day. The server is currently down, but as soon as it comes back up, I'll send an email out and give you options for different groups. As soon as it all gets worked out, I'll post the tutorials group days and times on the sidebar.

Intro Fieldcraft 5/2

Hi everyone--

The final project is due before 4:30 PM on Monday, May 9th.

Cheers,

Dr T

Comm Sust 4.26

Remember, we meet at Roscoe Wilson Elementary school today to start our reports on the semester projects.

Fieldcraft 4/18

Meet at LLL on Wednesday. Please bring your wildflower field guide by Zoe Kirkpatrick and your sketch book.

Fieldcraft 4/13

Get ready for the trip to the Lesser Prairie Chicken Festival!

Bring:
Sunscreen
headlamp/flashlight
work gloves
closed toed shoes or boots
long pants for Saturday
long underwear
warm socks/shoes
insulated jacket
gloves
hat to cover your ears
sweater
binoculars
field journal/art kit
toiletries
meds
snacks for the van
water bottle
pillow

You may also plan to wear shorts on Friday, as well as Saturday after the service project.

Homework: download some photos of male prairie chickens from the internet and practice making thumbnail sketches of them and their behavior. Create at least two pages of these in your journal.

Print off 2-3 pictures of the chickens and bring them with you for a class exercise on Friday.

Be at the OPC at 1:30 (unless you have class until 2). We will try to leave as close to 2 PM as possible. There really won't be any place to park a car, so have someone drop you off with your gear.

We will return sometime before 5 PM on Saturday.

If you missed class on wednesday, you need to go to the OPC tomorrow or Friday morning and fill out a trip sheet.

Fieldcraft 4/12

Hi everyone—

I’m having another very busy week, so I’m behind in grading the journals and have only finished about half of them. I’ll finish them up this evening and bring them to class tomorrow, so don’t worry about picking them up.

Fieldcraft 4/4

Remember to bring gloves and work clothes for the service project on Wednesday. It probably won't take us too long (and you will be happy to know there will be no manure-spreading), so bring your binoculars, field guide, notebook, and art kit. We'll go for a walk down the trail following the weed clean up.

Comm Sust 4/4

Hi all--

Remember that we are meeting at the Windmill Museum tomorrow at 2:30. Here is a map to where it is:

The access from 19th street is completely shut off owing to construction, so you will have to come in through the Broadway access. Go east on Broadway to just past the south entrance to MacKenzie State Park. You should be able to see the Windmill Museum on your right.

I will be riding there on my bike. I'll leave from the Honors College at 1:55, if any one wants to join me. Let me know if you do and I'll be sure to wait for you.

We will be riding about 10 miles round trip to the Windmill Museum, and there will be some hills. Also, the wind will be blowing fairly stiffly on the ride back. So you might think about bringing a bottle of water or something along with you. 

I just thought I should let you know, since this is farther than we usually ride in class. If you decide it might be beyond your capabilities and would prefer to catch a ride withs someone, just let me know.

Also, the entry fee for the museum is $5.

I am working on finishing the grading for your papers, so should have them for you then. We will also be talking about what your ideas for the next paper, as well as what/how you plan to do a presentation on your blog project.

Remember, we will be finishing the discussion of the Kingsolver book in class next week, so read to the end of the book.

Cheers,

Dr T

NHH is now Environment and the Humanities

We've recently changed our name from Natural History and the Humanities. We're hoping that the new name helps to make it more obvious what we're about. There will be a few hiccups in things like class registration until the computer gets everything changed over. The "NHH" course prefix will now be "EVHM."

In the meantime, you can find Environment andHumanities  on Facebook, so be sure to look for us there!

Comm and Sust 3/28

Hi all--

I finally heard back from the Windmill Museum and they are having a school on wind energy this week and so are unable to accommodate us for a tour. However, they have set one up for next Tuesday at 2:30.

So let's meet tomorrow in the classroom and I will give you a background lecture on energy and sustainability.

Fieldcraft 3/27

Don't forget that we're meeting at LLL on Wednesday. We will continue our mapping. After viewing your notebooks this week, I think we need some more time drawing. So come prepared: bring your art kits and something that will help you sit on the ground comfortably.

NHH majors and minors: you all get a free Crazy Creek chair for being in the program. If you want one for Wednesday, be sure to come by and get it tomorrow or Wednesday between 11 AM and 1 PM.

If you are a major or minor and have purchased one in the past, you get a free one as well.

Comm and Sust 3/27

Hi all--

I'm still working on trying to get a tour of the windmill museum. If I don't hear something tomorrow, I'll let you know what we'll do.

fieldcraft 3/21

Hi everyone--

Don't forget that you need to send me your blog links this week. Also, you should have turned in your journal today; if you did not, please go ahead and try to turn it in tomorrow. I'll have it graded by noon Wednesady.

Meet at LLL on Wednesday. We will begin the mapping portion of the course.

Comm sust 3/21

Hi all,

It's supposed to be very windy tomorrow. We'll go ahead and meet at Tech Terrace park as planned. If it is very windy and dusty, we'll come up with an alternative plan for a place for discussion (I actually have a pretty cool idea...)

Read the lawn essays and come prepared to discuss.

Cheers.

Fieldcraft 3/7

We are meeting at the cemetery on Wednesday to continue our bird identification skill-building. Here is a link to Eastlawn Memorial Gardens. I think that there is some construction going on on 19th St, so it might be easier to go down 50th to MLK, then turn north. We will meet at the mausoleum, on the east side of the park.

Weather looks pretty good, but it will be in the 60's so bring a jacket or heavy sweater. You might also bring something comfortable to sit on. If the birds are not cooperating, we'll work on learning to draw trees.

Comm Sust 3/7

An interesting article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/8359076/US-farmers-fear-the-return-of-the-Dust-Bowl.html

BTW--I have to drive up to Friona and back tomorrow to host a teacher workshop; if all goes well, I should be back in LBB around 1. If I am not there by the start of class, though, wait around for me--I should be there shortly.

I am scrambling to get your drafts edited. If I don't finish them all by tomorrow, I'll definitely have them finished my Thursday. You can then pick them up at your convenience.

Intro Fieldcraft 2/28

We will meet at the Honors College on Wednesday. Please bring your binoculars, field notebook, pencil, and bird identification guide.

Community and sustainability 2/28

Greetings everyone--we will meet tomorrow in the classroom. I'll be talking about water issues on the Southern High Plains.

First drafts of your paper are due tomorrow. They should be double spaced, 5-7 pages long, with citations.

Fieldcraft 2/22

Greetings everyone--

I am still under the weather with the flu, so I'm canceling class for tomorrow. We'll make it up on the fieldtrip in April.

Stay well!

Dr T

Community and sustainability 2/21

Hi everyone--

I am still very much under the weather with this flu, so I'm going to go ahead and cancel class for tomorrow. Continue working on your blogs and papers--I can read the former from here at home, and can also answer any questions you might have about the latter via email.

I'm working on lining up a field trip to Nazareth, Texas to talk to Darrel Birkenfeld and Julie Hodges about the things they are doing up there with the Ogallala Commons, as well as look at how Darrell has turned his own home into a showcase for homeowner sustainability. That date is tentatively April 2nd, so go ahead and mark your calendars.

Community and Sustainability 2/20

Greetings everyone. I am still sick with the flu, so I may have to cancel class on Tuesday. Be sure to check this blog for an update.

Intro Fieldcraft

Greetings everyone. I am still sick with the flu, so I won't be able to grade journals this week. I may have to cancel class on Wednesday, too, so be sure to check this blog for an update.

Community and Sustainability 2/18

Greetings, all. I am still not well enough to be going in to the office, so I won't be able to make copies of the articles I wanted you to read about lawns. So I'm going to shift the schdule slightly and give you a lecture on water issues on Tuesday. Meet in the classroom at the usual time.

Community and Sustainability 2/14

Hi all--

I've been ill with a very bad cold, but I think I'll be well enough to come to class tomorrow. Nevertheless, be sure to check for an update tomorrow, should it become clear that I shouldn't come to class.

Please read chapter 4 and 5 of AVM for a discussion tomorrow. We will also be talking briefly about how to get a victory garden started. Following discussion, we will go on a practice group ride, so please bring your bikes and helmets.

UPDATE: I am feeling much better today, and so expect to be in class. See you there!

PS, we are meeting in ENGL 304.

Fieldcraft 2/14

Greetings everyone--I have been ill with a very bad cold and will stay home from the office today. So journals will NOT be due this week, since I won't have a chance to grade them before noon tomorrow.

We will meet at Urbanovski Park on Wednesday to draw trees.

Community and Sustainability 2/8

Here is the link to the interview with Terry Tempest Williams: The Vitality of the Struggle

Here are the prompts. You may choose only one, or you may choose to combine some:

1) From where do our tensions and fears arise (both personal and national)?
2) How do these tensions and fears relate to living in the ecotone?
3) (I'm adding another) Is the tension and fear a necessary part of the mosaic?
4) Tell me who you are.
5) TTW says at one point in the interview, "Hope seems beside the point." Do you think that's true?
6)When did you change?
7) How would you redefine "activist"?

Read Chapters 4 and 5 in AVM.

FIeldcraft 2/7

Greetings all. It looks like the weather will turn ugly on us again on Wednesday. We will meet at LLL and have class inside. See you there!

Community and Sustainability 2/7

Greetings everyone. I'm sorry for this delay in posting the plans for tomorrow; I was waiting to see what the forecast would bring.

We will meet in class and listen to a podcast of an interview with Terry Tempest Williams on the issues of community. Following discussion, there will be a short writing response to this.

If time and weather then allow it, we will go on a short group ride to practice some skills in riding safely as a class, so bring your bikes and helmets.

Fieldcraft 2/2

Hi everyone,

Fieldcraft will NOT meet today, owing to the extreme weather. This will be your "free" day in exchange for the weekend field trip in APril.

Cheers,

Dr T

CS 2/1

Hey everyone, it's cold out there. I'll be in class, and if you think you can stay warm on the walk/ride in, then you should come, too. But if you do not have the proper clothing (including gloves), or if you start walking in and get too chilled, DON"T come to class. Stay home and be safe. We'll pick it up again next week.

If you do make it, I'll have fresh bread and olive oil for a snack while we discuss the book.

Fieldcraft 2/1

Greetings everyone! Tomorrow we are supposed to have dangerously cold temperatures, so we will certainly NOT be going outside to draw trees. I was planning to give you one class day off this semester in exchange for the weekend field trip, so I have decided that tomorrow will be that day.

NO CLASS ON 2/2. Stay safe and warm!

Dr T

Fieldcraft 1/31

Hi everyone--

Forecasts call for dangerously cold weather on Wednesday, so we will probably NOT be drawing trees outside. I had planned to give you one free class day in exchange for the weekend field trip, so this may be the one. Stay tuned for further updates.

Community and Sustainability 1/31

Hi everyone--tomorrow's weather predictions are for dangerously cold temperatures, so we will NOT be riding our bikes after the book discussion. I had planned to show you some community issues for further discussion, but we'll postpone this until a later date.

Instead, I'm hoping I can set up a podcast for us to listen to generate some discussion on community.

See you in the classroom. Stay warm.

Community and Sustainability 1/28

Here's a thought for a project: create a pocket-sized bike route map of Lubbock that you can carry on a bike.

Fieldcraft 1/26

Find 5 birds that would be here in LBB this time of year (use your field guides). Find photos of each and draw them.

Meet next week at the top of the hill at Urbanovsky Park. Bring your art kit. We will be drawing trees.

Community and Sustainability 1/26

Meet next week in the classroom (304 ENGL). We will discuss the first three chapters of the AVM by Kingsolver. We will also discuss your project.

Bring your bikes and get ready to ride. Dress for the weather.

fieldcraft 1/26

Greetings everyone. Today we'll be learning to draw birds, so dress for cold in case we decide to tough it out in the real, outside world.

Bring your binoculars and art kits.

Community and Sustainability

Don't forget that we are meeting at the Outdoor Pursuits Center at the Student Rec for class tomorrow. Bring your bikes if you have them. We may practice on yours.

I'd also like to reserve a few minutes at the end of class to talk about your projects, so have them in mind.

Finally, tomorrow I will be giving the first reading assignment, so if you don't already have the book, get on that task, toot sweet.

Fieldcraft: 1/20

Record your thoughts about the days we spent in the field. What were your impressions? What did you learn that was new? How does it compare to what you thought you knew aobut this place?

Also: add the metric and inches scales and Beaufort scale to your journal. I'll be sending you an email attachment with the Beuafort scale.

Community and Sustainability (CS) 1/20

Here's is the udpated schedule of due dates:

Experiment/online journal proposal due: January 25
Experiment/online journal begins: February 1

Proposal, paper one due: February 8
Draft one, paper one due: March 1
Final draft paper one due: March 22

Proposal, paper two due: March 29
Draft one, paper two due: April 19
Final draft, paper two due: May 3

Fieldcraft 1/18

We will meet tomorrow at LLL. It will be in the 60's but windy, so expect to be cooler than you'd expect for those temperatures.

Bring your art kits, binoculars and field guide to the birds.

Homework due: 3 drawings of birds you do not know and identify them. The collecting of field notebooks will start next Tuesday (1/23).

I may ride my bike out to LLL tomorrow; because of the wind, I'll probably leave around 1:30. If you'd like to join up and form a group, email me and let me know so that I'll wait for you. I'll leave from the front of the Honors College.

Fieldcraft 1/11

We are confirmed for LLL tomorrow. Go inside to the front desk and wait there for everyone.

Fieldcraft 1/10

Greetings everyone! Normally, NHH 1302 (Introductory Fieldcraft) will meet at Lubbock Lake Landmark, at 2:15 (to give everyone time to get there from campus). However, it looks like Wednesday will be very, very cold, so I want to check with the Landmark people to make sure there will be a classroom open for us so that we can stay inside for most of the class period. There will be a short period when we will be outside working with our binoculars, so please DRESS WARMLY.


A map to the Landmark can be found here: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/lll/location.html
I will send out an email tomorrow and post more info on the teaching blog letting everyone know where we will be meeting.
Cheers! And bundle up!