How people think and talk about the environment matters; it reveals what they value and shapes what they do. We will look at how competing discourses define man¿s relationship to the natural world, frame environmental problems, and argue for public action. As we compare the environmental rhetoric of naturalists, scientists, policy makers, and activists, we will trace an American history that has managed to combine mystical celebration with militant critique, and scientific research with public debate. Equally important, this course will prepare you to act as a rhetorical consultant, by studying how writers communicate the three major "Rs" of environmental rhetoric: man¿s Relationship with nature, the looming presence of Risk, and the need for a Response.