Journeys to the Edge: Mountain Exploration and Adventure

In this course, we will examine the history and culture of mountain exploration and adventure through literature, nonfiction narrative, film, and guest presentations. Students will trace changing cultural attitudes toward risk, adventure, masculinity, and wildness. Although we will examine different aspects of exploration, we will focus primarily on Euro-American/western romantic approaches to mountains. Readings will include MacFarlane, Mountains of the Mind; Bernstein, Ascent; and excerpts from work by Jon Krakauer, Jack Kerouac, Roderick Nash, Joe Simpson, and others. This course counts as a cognate for ENVS majors with foci in the natural sciences. (Not open to students who have taken ENVS/ENAM 1015)