Friday, May 4, 2012

Final Blog

Overall I have enjoyed this class. Nature has always been a big part of my life whether it be camping, hiking, or whatever. This class gave me new views to judge and appreciate nature so that it's beauty can be fully absorbed. There was only one negative for me. I just wish we could have done a little more hands on kind of stuff like go outside more and actually engage with nature. Other than that the class has taught me well and I will pass on my new environmental knowledge to others.

Overall thoughts.

This is the first environmental aesthetics class I have taken, also the first philosophy labeled class as well. I can honestly say this class was not what I expected it to be upon signing up. However, I ended up enjoying the class.
I think that the class discussions opened our eyes to how not only to things we may have missed in the reading, but Also to the varying interpretations of the same thing by our peers.
I also think that the movies added a nice touch to the class.

In the end, I Thoreau-ly enjoyed this class and look forward to taking philosophy classes in the future.

(You see what I did there?)


Hope everyone has a aesthetically pleasing break!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

In favor of the Anthology

In our last class, most offered praise of Bugbee's work becuase it had a more personal feel and thus they found it more enjoyable to read. However, I have to disagree. When rading Bugbee, I felt that an important question was left unanswered in any given day's entry: what does this have to do with class. While some days were easier than others, in general I ended the section feeling confusion whether it was caused by an unknown reference or seemingly randomness of some entries. Of course, I say this with the most respect for Henry Bugbee. I understand that his is a totally different style and structure of writing.

But my preference in writing goes to the anthology. I felt that the articles in the anthology were easier to read as each (usually) had an introduction, a well developed philosophy, and a conclusion. The structure of these articles helped me to identify the thesis of their philosophy and relate it to the class. Secondly, the anathology is essentially self-contained. Most references with in the anathology were references back to previous articles so confusion sometimes found in Bugbee was not found in the anathology.

This, of course, is simply an argument of personal preference. I enjoyed the structured and organized works of the anthology while otheres prefer the personal thoughtfullness of Henry Bugbee. The two books compliment each other in offering a comprehensive look at two different styles of philosophy. I recommend the continued use of this anathology or one of similar structure in future classes.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

lastly

I'm not sure what I expected when this class first began, but I don't think I could have been happier with any other result. I learned to look at many things in different ways, and think about the world a little differently. I really enjoyed the films we watched, I think it taught a lot about aesthetics. The only difference that could have made the class better, to me would of been finishing some of the films we only watched part of or skipped around in. The trips we took outside made it much easier for me to write about everything, it helped clear my mind.