This final essay will require a little more creativity and a little more research—but a little less writing. Is there something you wish we would have studied, but did not? Perhaps a favorite landscape and/or genre of music that did not make it on to the syllabus? Or maybe there is a topic we did discuss, but that you feel could have warranted further time and attention?
Construct a hypothetical day of class on the topic of your choosing, making sure that the topic fits within the “Landscapes of the American West” framing of the course. “Assign” at least one listening selection (music) and one reading and provide full details on where/how to access these. Then, in 400–600 words, describe why you think these assignments would form the basis of an interesting class discussion of your chosen topic. Be as detailed as possible in your description, outlining the themes and questions that you think would come up, and how they relate to the assigned reading and listening.
topics covered in class: grand canyon, the frontier, the wilderness, the desert
we would listen to songs about these landscapes, for instance, Billy the Kid for the frontier.
