Logan Steffens                                                                                about 200 words

lts6@geneseo.edu

Cronon believes that wilderness was made to fit human design and desires. He would say that humans had put the rock outside Suffolk hall there and its purpose is to fit the needs of those same people. In its own way the campus that we are on is wild. He states “we too easily imagine that what we behold is Nature when in fact we see the reflection of our own unexamined longings and desires”(Cronon, 84). He states here that nature is not really natural at all. We created it by our own design and use it as an escape from everyday life. For instance, for people that live in an urban environment going out to the country may be their way of experiencing nature. However, somebody that lives there may see the man made farms and think there is nothing about the country that is natural. That person would have to go to a much more secluded place to believe that they are truly in the wilderness. The rock outside of Suffolk hall is much more than just a rock it is a part of the connection that exists between humans and the environment that we live in.

Juniper Tremper
Scientific Writing 105-19
Geneseo, NY
~180 words

Efforts to Make Amends Are No Substitute for the Original
Juniper Tremper

Donna Haraway would not appreciate the tree stumps outside the townhouses. Her paper describes the complexity of a world that does not struggle with the boundaries created by humans and  refers to the labels we designate for genders, but the tree stumps are their own imposed boundaries. Like the distinction between genders, the tree stumps only exist because we put them there, and they serve no practical purpose. The argument Haraway writes about applies to the conceptual construction of something (gender boundaries), but even her points about the inability to return to a unity as perfect as the original can be applied directly to the physical construction of the trees in the townhouse dirt plots. As she would have noticed, the development of the paved strip between the buildings created a boundary between nature and ourselves, and our attempt to reintroduce nature in the form of a selective planting of trees has ultimately made no improvement, because “no construction is whole” and while the boundary exists between us and the beauty of nature, there’s no way to just overlook our distance apart.

Robert Romano

9/21/16

Cronon and The Wilderness

“Without our quite realizing it, wilderness tends to privilege some parts of nature at the expense of others.” If Cronon for some odd reason was to be on the Geneseo campus and pass by The Greek Tree I think that he could have wrote another piece just on this experience. Cronon would first appreciate the tree because it resembles the college’s observance of nature and the use of nature to socially connect with everyone on campus. Cronon would also criticize the tree because one of his main arguments is that humans should worship all of the ordinary nature around us and not just the unique, picturesque views that nature is perceived to be. Cronon makes it clear in his work, “Trouble with the Wilderness” that humans make the mistake of only looking for mighty canyons than humble marshes because we look for the divinity in wilderness and feel that the everyday wilderness has no divinity to it. Cronon would tell me that I should have admired all of the trees that I passed by on my way to admire The Greek Tree.

Paul Weissfellner

Prof. Fenn

INTD 105-19: Science Writing

September 21, 2016

Wild Outside the Wilderness:

Cronon and the Rock Outside Onondaga Hall

In The Trouble With Wilderness, William Cronon describes the history of “wilderness,” and the process that it underwent from being perceived as godforsaken land to representing nature itself and national renewal. He denounces the negligence towards nature that the idea of some far off idealized “true nature” promotes. He implores the reader to recognize the beauty and value of nature wherever it can be found.

In light of this, Cronon would wholeheartedly support the presence of the rock outside Onondaga hall. When Cronon states that “there is nothing natural about the concept of wilderness,” (95) he is protesting against a paradigm of thinking about nature. The rock supports Cronon’s subversion of cultural and philosophical norms by blending the natural and the unnatural, but in a significantly different way than wilderness does. The rock, whether placed intentionally or not, has blurred boundaries; it is both wild, as an object created by natural processes, and constructed, as a part of the larger campus as a whole. Cronon implores us to appreciate nature wherever it can be found, not just in the wilderness (103). The rock’s presence on campus, in such a prominent location, brings each passerby into a world where the human and nonhuman, the natural and the constructed, can exist side by side.

Simon Lee                                                                     Approximately  150 Words

Shl5@geneseo.edu

Scientific Writing 105-19

Haraway on The Greek Tree

By Simon Lee

In ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’, Dona Haraway states that the boundary between man and nature has been thoroughly breached.  Haraway asserts “… many people no longer feel the need for separation [of Humans and Nature]”(Haraway 293). Haraway is trying to say that as time goes on the boundary that separated man from nature is slowly disappearing and that this is not a bad thing. Haraway would feel that The Greek Tree is a perfect representation of this unity between man and nature. She would say that because the students have painted the tree and made it a landmark of Geneseo, they have protected it from any future harm that may come to it. Haraway would believe that the distinction between man and nature is hard to see and that this is one step closer for us to realize that we are cyborgs in this world.

Matt Klein                                                                   approximately 350 words

mgk6@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19: Science Writing

William Cronon and the Geneseo Arboretum

By Matt Klein

In The Trouble with Wilderness, William Cronon refutes the modern concept of environmentalism and illustrates the true (but overlooked) interconnection between humanity and nature. If Cronon were to explain the Geneseo Arboretum in terms of his argument, he would describe the separation of the Arboretum from the rest of the campus. The Arboretum is celebrated as a natural sanctuary, a quiet place to go to retreat from college life. In the language of Cronon, the Arboretum is a frontier, a place to “escape the confining strictures of civilized life”. Cronon, however, would not believe the Arboretum to be necessary in this regard. Since the Geneseo campus is covered in nature, one should not have to go to the Arboretum to find it. Furthermore, Cronon would rebut the idea that the Arboretum shows the wild in its natural state. He would be sure to point out the many ways the Geneseo community has influenced the park. In this line of argument, Cronon is not incorrect; it is true that nature can be found everywhere and that the Arboretum is far from a pristine wilderness. However, speaking from the perspective of a Geneseo student, I do not believe these factors matter when it comes to how myself and others perceive the Arboretum.

Though the frontier of the nineteenth century has passed, the qualities of the frontier live in the parts of nature we attempt to preserve. It is true that in “preserving” nature we influence it and make it unnatural, but that does not mean that it cannot offer an escape from the even more unnatural world we leave behind when we enter. The ivy-covered buildings and beloved trees of the Geneseo campus, though also part of nature, are unable to offer this relief due to their proximity with the daily hive of human activity. Thus it is the separation of the Arboretum that provides the peaceful and calming experience that visitors are searching for. It is not that the nature at the heart of Geneseo lacks the autonomy and Otherness Cronon describes; it is simply easier to observe the autonomy an Otherness when distanced from familiar life.

Hunter Cowles                                                                                               250 words

INTD: Science Writing

In William Cronan’s article, “The Trouble with Wilderness,” Cronan constantly criticized the fact that a vast majority of our protected land (places such as national parks and wildlife reserves) are  actually stolen land from the Native Americans. Cronan said “The movements to set aside national parks and wilderness areas followed hard on the heels of the final Indian Wars, in which the prior human inhabitants were rounded up and moved onto a reservation”.Cronan felt it is unfair that we get to decide what happens with this land  since it wasn’t even ours to begin with.  Cronan would most likely have a very similar opinion towards our own campus since it was Native American  territory. Although our campus wouldn’t be categorized as the “complete wilderness”  that Cronan refers to several times in his article, a lot of the concepts are transferrable. The idea that the ivy on the Sturges Hall walls is constantly manicured and maintained , ties into Cronan’s beliefs that there is nothing natural about modern society’s perception of wilderness. Much like the national parks mentioned in Cronan’s article, our campus is also built on land stolen from the natives. Most people fail to realize what a significant impact Native American culture has on Geneseo.Cronan would most likely conclude that people are as destructive to the planet as we are to one another. Personally, I agree with Cronan since we have destroyed Native American culture by stealing their land and way of life.

Will Gerber                                                                                      About 160 Words

10 MacVittie Circle

Geneseo, New York 14454

(315) 250-9687

wrg1@geneseo.edu

Bruno Latour on The Greek Tree

By Will Gerber

If Bruno Latour were to pass by Geneseo’s Greek Tree, he would presumably take silent note of it and continue on his way. However, if he were asked to speculate on it, he would most likely talk about a boundary-defying product of hard science, power struggles, and human discourse.

Trees are a natural showcase of biology. What makes this particular tree unique, however, is its function as a medium for fraternal organizations. With limited space on the tree, campus associations must compete to make their letters the most noticeable if they want the most recruits. This dual purpose blends the human and natural sciences to the point that the tree would not fit into either category.  

Alexis Baer                                                                                       about 200 words
anb8@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD: Writing Science

Cronon and the gazebo
by Alexis Baer

Wilderness is classified into two different categories, “sublimes” and physical landscapes. Combining these two created a new interpretation for nature, one with sacredness and valuable meaning. At the end of a passage Cronon states, “The middle ground is where we actually live. It is where we – all of us, in our different places and ways – make our homes” (Cronon, 103). Cronon would agree that the gazebo is similar to “home” because it’s resembles unity that is frequently visited by a variety students on campus coming together; this structure relates to protection, admiration of nature, and is inviting. Additionally; Cronon connects this quote to forests and backyard nature because even though they come from different environments, they all are alike and should be equally preserved from destruction. Cronon also claims, “Feelings like these argue for the importance of self-awareness and self-criticism as we exercise our own ability to transform the world around us…” (Cronon, 105). I would agree with Cronon’s relationship between humans and emotions, the gazebo represents a place of self thought to escape the chaotic world. These decisions can impact not only individuals themselves, but likewise the nature around us.

Jason Gerbsch                                                             Approximately 200 words

jg33@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing

Latour states in his essay that the term “modern” is designated by two sets of practices, translation and purification.  Having read their definitions, I can label Latour a translationist.  This is supported by the fact that he mentions creating networks, “either the networks my colleagues in science studies and I have traced…”.  Knowing the fact that Latour is most likely a translationist makes it easier to consider what he’d argue about my object.

The object in question is Sturges Hall and its ivy.  Latour would point out various connections between the building and the ivy, as well as combinations of the two with humans existing around it.  For example, biology students can study the ivy as part of research or class work, or the connection between a grounds keeper tending to the vine because he’s required to by superiors who gave the order to have the ivy planted around the hall.  After reading his essay, I’d agree with many of Latour’s connections, but I believe he would miss connections that don’t seem as connected as a grounds keeper and the vines.  My example being students indirectly interacting and connecting with the vine when they simply observe the plant when passing by.