Courses of Study 2018-2019 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
Courses of Study 2018-2019 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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AIIS 3100 - [Haudenosaunee Ecology in the Story of Earth’s Creation]


(CU-SBY)     
Summer. 1 credit. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: AIIS 1100  or AIIS 1110 .

A. M. Adams.

What can a story thousands of years old teach us about ecological loss, survival, and renewal in 21st century Ithaca? Cornell’s campus stands in the heart of Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) homeland, and the Haudenosaunee story of Earth’s creation offers unique insight into the emergence of the local biome. In this course, we will examine Chief Skanyatarí:yo John Arthur Gibson’s Myth of the Earthgrasper, a richly detailed version of the Creation story recorded in 1899. Together, we will trace the intersections of species, seral stage, and narrative event that show us ancient ways of understanding and responding to the profound ecological changes we face now. We will supplement Gibson’s narrative with readings from other primary sources, the perspectives of Haudenosaunee herbalists, hunters, and researchers working today, and with field surveys of species at local sites. This is a three-week summer session course.

Outcome 1: Students will learn to read a major narrative of non-Western culture, identify themes and content relevant to a specific theoretical perspective, and apply these findings to the local resolution of a current global problem.



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