What are mountains, and what do they mean to people? In this interdisciplinary seminar we will explore the creation of mountains in the United States including their cultural, artistic, and literary meanings. From the Appalachians to the Sierra Nevada, we’ll study how mountains are geologically formed through tectonic forces as well as their social significance reflected in landscape painting, poetry, and literature. Mountains are physical landforms but also symbolic places. We’ll examine how mountains have shaped American ideas of nature, nationalism, and identity, and how different communities have interacted with mountain landscapes. Through readings, visual analysis, and discussion, we will explore mountains as both natural features and cultural constructs.
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First-Year Odyssey: American Mountains
