The CER Lunchtime Lectures 2018

By Dr. Kevin M. Anderson, AW Center for Environmental Research

Nature and the American Mind

 

In 1967, the historian Roderick Nash published a foundational book about the American idea of wilderness entitled Wilderness and the American Mind. However, the American Mind contains more concepts of nature than just wilderness, and so, in 2018, we will explore the many aspects of Nature and the American Mind. This is a complex story that threads through our history and shapes beliefs, policies, science, and management practices today. We will begin the year by exploring four main Concepts of American Nature – wild nature, pastoral nature, urban nature, and the newly emerging concept of resilient nature. Through the summer, we will look at Science and American Nature – how the development of American natural history, biology, ecology, and environmental science has been shaped by these concepts of nature and the unique context of the New World. We will finish 2018 by exploring the history of the Management of American Nature - the early battle between preservationists and conservationists, the past and future of American agriculture, new ecological ideas about cities and urban design, and the future of nature…or its demise.

 

Concepts of American Nature
January                Wild Nature: The New World and Wilderness
February              Pastoral Nature: Agrarianism and Rural America
March                   Urban Nature: Perspectives on Nature and the City
April                       Resilient Nature: Discordant Harmony and New Ecology
 
Science and American Nature
May                       American Natural History: Thoreau and New World Nature
June                      American Biology: Natives, Immigrants, and Humboldt’s Children
July                        American Ecology: Stability, Integrity, and Leopold’s Legacy
August                  American Environmental Science: Carson and the Politics of Nature
 
Management of American Nature          
September         Saving American Nature: Preservation, Conservation, and the Wild
October               Farming with Nature: Sustainable Agriculture and the American Family Farm
November          The Ecological City: Sustainability, Ecology, and Urban Metabolism
December           The End of Nature: Prospective Ecology, Environmental Ethics, and the Anthropocene

Time: Noon to 1pm 

Free and Open to the Public – bring a lunch and learn

Locations and Day of the Month –

Every 2^nd Wednesday – Senior Activity Center-Lamar (SAC-Lamar) at 2874 Shoal Crest Ave, South Room

Every 3^rd Tuesday - Austin Water Center for Environmental Research (CER) at Hornsby Bend

Every 4^th Wednesday- University of Texas Norman Hackerman Building (NHB). 100 E 24th St

Various Thursdays - One Texas Center (OTC) at 505 Barton Springs Road and South First Street, Room 325

Full Schedule online at Austin Water CER website