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So…Youareprobably wonderingwhatthis 20–somepagedocumentisdoin gonmy blog.Well,I’vebeen doingsomesoulsearching,an dIhavedecidedtoapplytoaPhD program.Crazy!Right?Well,yes!And,inordertoget intotheprogram,In eededto writeaStatementofPurpose.HerearetherequirementsfortheSoP: UnionInstitute&University StatementofPurpose Inyourstatementofpurpose: 1-pleaseexp lainyouracad emicandprofe ssionalinterest inthe CohortPhDprogram, includingho wyourinterest intersectswit h ourareasofconcentrationandprogramthemes,andhowyour intellectual andprofessiona lorsocialcon cern arerelatedt ointerdisciplina rystudy.  2-Whatstreng thsdoyoubring toyourproposed areaofstud y? Whatdoyouho peaninterdis ciplinaryapproac hwillcontribut e toyourintelle ctualconc ernsandresea rchgoals? 3-Finally,ify ouareinterest edinourCrea tiveDissertation option,please brieflydiscusss omeofyourbackg roundand currentcreat iveworkandhowyouforeseeth eseshapingyou r CreativeDissertation. IfiguredthatIwou ldslingoutaSoPinn otime.However,Ifound thatIwasnot beingclear,andIdi dnotreallyknowwhat mypurposeinseeking PhDwas.Thus, this20-pagedocument,whi chincludesfourdraftsandmyfinal,submitted, statementofpurpose,wasborn. I’mpostingiton mblogbecauseIwant people,mostlymystudentswhof indmy blog,toknowthat,Y ES!,Itoomakeuseofthedr aft-revisionprocess.Ifyou are sharp,you’llnoticethatDr aft1andDraft2aretwo separateideasandDraft3ismy attempttomashthemtogether(whichfailed).Then,Draft4isthesuccessful revisionofDraft 3(usingcolortohelpwith organization).My lovelyandsuper smartwifereadallofthese draftsandpushedmythinki ng.Thankyou,Jessica! Well,enjoytheevolution ofmySoP(ornot) andwishmeluck! -AaronM.Wilson
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So…Youareprobablywonderingwhatthis20–somepagedocumentisdoingonmyblog.Well,I’vebeendoingsomesoulsearching,andIhavedecidedtoapplytoaPhDprogram.Crazy!Right?Well,yes!And,inordertogetintotheprogram,IneededtowriteaStatementofPurpose.HerearetherequirementsfortheSoP:

UnionInstitute&UniversityStatementofPurpose

Inyourstatementofpurpose:

1-pleaseexplainyouracademicandprofessionalinterestinthe

CohortPhDprogram,includinghowyourinterestintersectswithourareasofconcentrationandprogramthemes,andhowyour

intellectualandprofessionalorsocialconcern

arerelatedtointerdisciplinarystudy.

 2-Whatstrengthsdoyoubringtoyourproposedareaofstudy?Whatdoyouhopeaninterdisciplinaryapproachwillcontribute

toyourintellectualconcernsandresearchgoals?

3-Finally,ifyouareinterestedinourCreativeDissertation

option,pleasebrieflydiscusssomeofyourbackgroundand

currentcreativeworkandhowyouforeseetheseshapingyour

CreativeDissertation.

IfiguredthatIwouldslingoutaSoPinnotime.However,IfoundthatIwasnotbeingclear,andIdidnotreallyknowwhatmypurposeinseekingPhDwas.Thus,

this20-pagedocument,whichincludesfourdraftsandmyfinal,submitted,statementofpurpose,wasborn.I’mpostingitonmblogbecauseIwantpeople,mostlymystudentswhofindmyblog,toknowthat,YES!,Itoomakeuseofthedraft-revisionprocess.Ifyouaresharp,you’llnoticethatDraft1andDraft2aretwoseparateideasandDraft3ismyattempttomashthemtogether(whichfailed).Then,Draft4isthesuccessfulrevisionofDraft3(usingcolortohelpwithorganization).Mylovelyandsupersmartwifereadallofthesedraftsandpushedmythinking.Thankyou,Jessica!Well,enjoytheevolutionofmySoP(ornot)andwishmeluck!

-AaronM.Wilson

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Draft1

UnionInstitute&UniversityStatementofPurpose

TheThermodynamicsofCreativity

“Thefuturewillbelongtothenature-smart—thoseindividuals,families,businesses,andpoliticalleaderswhodevelopadeeperunderstandingofthetransformativepowerofthenaturalworldandwhobalancethevirtualwiththereal.Themorehigh-techwebecome,themorenatureweneed.”–RichardLouv1

RichardLouvcoinedtheterm“nature-deficitdisorder,”inhisbookLastChildin

theWoods 2todescribeanobservedconditionthatisremedyonlybygettingoutside

andencounteringwilderness.Ifadisorderistheproductoftoolittleexposuretothe

naturalworld,humanity’sshifttoanevermorevirtual–humancreated–worldis

unsettling,becauseasweselecttospendincreasingamountsoftimeinthese

fabricatedenvironments,wild-spacesarebeingdeveloped,mined,fished,and

convertedintovirtual-hinterlands.Soon,theremedyforanemergingdisorderwill

bebeyondourreach.WeareinthemiddleofRichardLeakey’ssixthextinction3in

whichwe–thehumanspecies–isthedrivingforceforbehindanextinctionrateis

thatisone–thousandtimeswhatscientistsconsidernormal.Aswilderness

continuestodwindlesurelycasesofnature-deficitdisorderwillincrease,creatinga

demandforandthecommodificationoftheremainingnaturalworld–theremedy.

1Louv,Richard.“RichardLouv.”richardlouv.com.2012.Web.21June20122Louv,Richard.LastChildintheWoods:SavingourChildrenfromNatureDeficit

Disorder .NewYork:AlgonquinBooks,2008.Print.3Leakey,Richard&RogerLewin.TheSixthExtinction:PatternsofLifeandtheFutureofHumankind.NewYork:AnchorBooks,1995.Print.

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Thus,aninequityofaccesstothewilderness-remedywill(andis)dividealong

socioeconomiclines,anditismybelief(myresearchareaofsocialconcern)that

therecanbenomeaningfulcreativeoutputwithoutlargeinputsof(accessto)the

elegant,diverse,andhealthywilderness.

Myproposedareaofstudyistheintersectionofthecreativeprocesswithfairand

justaccesstohealthyareasofwilderness.Usingthermodynamicsastheoperative

andguidingmetaphorformyresearch,Iwillsetouttodiscovertheimpactoftoo

littlenatureoncreativity.Asthefirstandsecondlawofthermodynamicsstates4

(andIsummarize),1)nothingcanbecreatedordestroyed,orputanotherway,

outputcanneverexceedinputandmustbalance2)whenenergyischanged,it

degradesinquality,orinputisalwayslargerthanoutput.Thus,theapplicationof

thermodynamicstocreativityandwildernessisthatinordertotrulyhave

productivecreativityrequirestheinputofwilderness,whereastheamountof

wildernessconsumed(enjoyed)isgreaterthanthecreativeoutput.Therefore,as

accesstoenjoywildernessislimitedtothosewhocanafford(bothtimeandmoney)

toengageinthenaturalword,sotoiscreativitylimited,creatingacreativitygap

alongclasslines.

Tothisproject,Iwouldbringmyinterdisciplinaryandcreativebackgroundin

Rhetoric&Discourse,CreativeWriting,andEnvironmentalStudies.Forthepast

threeyears,Ihavehadtheopportunitytoteachcomposition,literature,and

environmentalscience.Inordertoengagestudentsincoursecontent,Ihave

4Spoolman,Scott&G.TylerMiller,Jr.“EnergyChangesAreGovernedbyTwoScientificLaws.”EnvironmentalScience:Problems,Concepts,andSolutions.12thEd.Canada:Thompson,2008.Print.pp.34-35

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continuedtoexpandmyknowledgeofenvironmentalissues,literarytheory,and

writingmethodologiestoimprovethelearningexperienceforstudents.Thecohort

Ph.D.inInterdisciplinaryStudieswillallowmetofurthercombinemyacademic,

social,andpersonalinterestinhowengagementinthenaturalworldfostersthe

creativeprocess,specificallyforwriterswishingtocreatelastingandmeaningful

literature.Myfirstbook,TheManyLivesofInezWick ,5acollectionofshortstories,

attemptstocombinethosetwopassions,asdoesmostofmyfiction.

ItismyplantomakeuseoftheCreativeDissertationoptiontofurthermy

personalgoalofproducingbothafictionmanuscriptthatexposestheinjusticeof

wildernessaccessalongsociologicalandeconomiclines,justasUptonSinclair’sThe

 JungleandEdwardAbbey’sTheMonkeyWrenchGangdidfortheworkingcondition

inthemeatpackingindustryandtheoverdevelopmentofwildnessareas,

respectively;andIwouldusethescholarlyapproachtotheinterdisciplinary

engagementofdifferenceandcreativitytoproduceaguideforlevelingthefield

betweenthosewithaccesstothewildernessandthosewhodonot.

Itismysincerebeliefthateveryone,regardlessofdifference–class,race,religion,

gender,generation,etc.–hastherighttoaccessandenjoywilderness.Itistooeasy

toallowpessimismanddefeatismovertakeusconcerningissuesonenvironmental

scales,asRobertMichaelPylewrites,"ButIdoubtverymuchthattheculturewe

knowwilllongpersist,absenttrulyradicalchangesinthewayitworks.Wearethe

5Wilson,Aaron.TheManyLivesofInezWick .Minneapolis:EverythingFeedsProcessPress,2011.Print.

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maladaptiveapeattwilight.Evolutionwillmockourtardyrage."6Instead,ifwe

begintoaccessandinputlargequantitiesofwildernessbackintoourlives,

remedyingourdeficit,wewillseeanoutputofhopeandcreativityreadytoface

futurechallengesinamoralandjustway.

6Pyle,RobertMichael."EveningFallsontheMaladaptiveApe."MoralGround .KathleenDeanMoore&MichaelP.Nelson.Ed.SanAntonio,Texas:TrinityUniversityPress,2010.p.128.Print.

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Draft 2

UnionInstitute&UniversityStatementofPurpose

Severalyearsago,Iwasperusingboththeliteraturecriticismandthe

environmentalscienceshelvesofmyfavoriteusedbookstore.Inbothsections,a

slimvolume,nomorethanafourth-inchwideandsixtall,honey-yellowincolor,

caughtmyattention.Alwaysonthelookoutfortextsthatcombinemypassionsfor

fiction,wilderness,andphilosophy,Ipaidthe$2.50andtookhomeGeorge

Myerson’sEcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity .Afterreadingthefirsteightpages,I

knewthatI’dhappeneduponthebookthatwouldchangethewaythatI

intellectuallyapproachliterature.Previously,Ihadtaughtliteratureand

environmentalscienceasdisconnectedculturalmodes.However,Ifecology,as

culturalforce,“…isnotpostindustrial,buttheheraldofanewindustrialfuture…”

(Myerson7)wheretheindustryiscontrollingnature(becausewehavedegraded

environmentalsystemsbeyondself-perpetuation)thenoneoftheclassicalliterary

themes,Manvs.Nature,surelythenissotoodegradedtoManvs.Anthropogenic

Nature,ormoresimply,Manvs.Man.

TheUnionInstitute&University’sCohortPhD,withaconcentrationin

Humanities&Culture(andwithsecondarycourseworkinPublicPolicy&Social

Change),willallowforguidedinquiryintothecrosssectionofecologyand

literature,whereenvironmentalscience(specifically,ecology)isthenew

modernizingculturalforce.ThisnewmodernityaccordingtoMyerson,“…expresses

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itselfdifferently:itisdiffused,hasnocentralworkorauthor,andspeaksfrommany

places”(7-8),justastheenvironmentalmovementhasnooneMartinLutherKing,

Jr.,noGandhi.Instead,theguidingphilosophy,rules,ethicsforlivinginthisnew

modernworldarehandeddownfromarespected,peer-reviewed,scientific

community,notsounlikehowreligiousscholarschosewhichteachingstocanonize

andwhichtodiscardasheretical.Furthermore,ifscience,ratherthanreligion,in

thisnewmodernity,isresponsiblefortheocracy,becauseitpossessesultimate

access(understanding)ofhowweshouldlivehumorouslywithnature(andwithin

ecosystems),wethusreturntoarelianceonaselectfewfortheinterpretationof

nature.However,myintellectualinquirywillnot(butcould)produceanecological

canonoftextstoguidefuturecritics.Rather,Iwishtofocusmorespecificallyon

howecologicalmodernismisrhetoricallypresentedinfictionaltexts,bytracing

historicalnarrativetransitioninthemefromManvs.NaturetoManvs.

AnthropogenicNature.

Tothisproject,Iwouldbringmyinterdisciplinaryandcreativebackground

inRhetoric&Discourse,CreativeWriting,andEnvironmentalStudies.Forthepast

threeyears,Ihavehadtheopportunitytoteachcomposition,literature,and

environmentalscience.Inordertoengagestudentsincoursecontent,Ihave

continuedtoexpandmyknowledgeofenvironmentalissues,literarytheory,and

writingmethodologies.TheCohortPh.D.inInterdisciplinaryStudieswillallowme

todeepenmyacademicknowledgeinordertodevelopengagingandthought

provokingcourses,continuingtodemonstratetomystudentsthatknowledge-silos

areartificialandunnecessary.

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Itismyplanto,inpart,makeuseoftheCreativeDissertationoptiontofulfill

mypersonalgoalofpublishinganoveloradramaticscript,whichexemplifies

ecologicalmodernitythroughsetting,characterdevelopment,thematicconflict,and

plot.Thusfar,myshortstorypublicationshave,insetting,character,andplot

engagedincontinuingthepostmodernideathatManvs.Nature,awildand

uncontrolledNature,stillexistsorcanbefoughtforandpreserved.However,the

scholarlycomponents–tracingthenarrativeshiftfromManvs.NaturetoManvs.

AnthropogenicNature,unifyingmodernizingecologicaltexts,andconceptualizing

scientistsasmoderntheologians–willbethemajorfocusofmyresearch.

Itismysincerebeliefthatfiction,andtheothermajorgenresofliterature,

possestheabilitytorecordculture,thebeliefsandattitudesofaspecificgeneration,

inawaythatnewsandmediacannot.Thesubtleshiftinnarrativethemeovertime,

throughtheuseofsetting,character,andplothelptorecord,inameaningfuland

empatheticway,whatitiswasliketobehumanatthatmomentintime.Ifthese

shiftsareunderstood,theycanbeusedasahistoricalrecordtoteachand

remember.Myproposedfieldofstudywillexpandupon(perhapsevenprovide)yet

anotherliterarytheory(ecologicalmodernism)withwhichtoanalyze,extract,and

createmeaningfromliteraryconsumptionandproduction.

WorkCited

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Myerson,George.EcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity.PostmodernEncounters.

Duxford, Cambridge: Totem Books, 2001. Print. 

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Draft 3

UnionInstitute&UniversityStatementofPurpose

Severalyearsago,Iwasperusingboththeliteraturecriticismandthe

environmentalscienceshelvesofmyfavoriteusedbookstore.Inbothsections,a

slimvolume,nomorethanafourth-inchwideandsixtall,honey-yellowincolor,

caughtmyattention.Alwaysonthelookoutfortextsthatcombinemypassionsfor

fiction,wilderness,andphilosophy,Ipaidthe$2.50andtookhomeGeorge

Myerson’sEcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity .Afterreadingthefirsteightpages,I

knewthatI’dhappeneduponthebookthatwouldchangethewaythatI

intellectuallyapproachliterature.Previously,Ihadtaughtliteratureand

environmentalscienceasdisconnectedculturalmodes.However,Ifecology,as

culturalforce,“…isnotpostindustrial,buttheheraldofanewindustrialfuture…”

(Myerson7)wheretheindustryiscontrollingnature(becausewehavedegraded

environmentalsystemsbeyondself-perpetuation)thenoneoftheclassicalliterary

themes,Manvs.Nature,surelythenissotoodegradedtoManvs.Anthropogenic

Nature,ormoresimply,Manvs.Man.AndasmuchasIamintriguedbythepossible

degradationofaliterarytheme,Iammuchmoreconcernedaboutwhatareturnto

modernismmightmeanfordiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativityinlightof

theemergenceofnature-deficitdisorder.

RichardLouvcoinedtheterm“nature-deficitdisorder,”inhisbookLastChild

intheWoodstodescribeanobservedconditionthatisremedyonlybygetting

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outsideandencounteringwilderness.Ifadisorderistheproductoftoolittle

exposuretothenaturalworld,humanity’sshifttoanevermorevirtual–human

created–worldisunsettling,becauseasweselecttospendincreasingamountsof

timeinthesefabricatedenvironments,wild-spacesarebeingdeveloped,mined,

fished,andconvertedintovirtual-hinterlands.Soon,theremedywillbebeyond

reachourreach.WeareinthemiddleofRichardLeakey’ssixthextinctioninwhich

wearethedrivingforcebehindanextinctionrateisthatisonethousandtimeswhat

scientistsconsidernormal.Aswildernesscontinuestodwindlesurelycasesof

nature-deficitdisorderwillincrease,creatingademandforandthe

commodificationoftheremainingnaturalworld.Thus,aninequityofaccesstothe

wilderness-remedywillbe(andis)dividedalongsocioeconomiclines;andeven

moretroubling,itismybeliefthattherecanbenomeaningfulcreativeoutput

withoutaccesstoelegant,diverse,andhealthywilderness.

Itismyplanto,inpart,makeuseoftheCreativeDissertationoptiontofulfill

mypersonalpublishinggoals,developingapoetrymanuscript,anovel,ora

dramaticscript,whichexemplifiesthestruggleofindividualswithecological

modernity.Myresearchwillfocusonthisnewmodernity,whichaccordingto

Myerson,“…expressesitselfdifferently:itisdiffused,hasnocentralworkorauthor,

andspeaksfrommanyplaces”(7-8).Theenvironmentalmovementhasnoonetext

orprophet.Instead,theguidingknowledgeforlivinginthisnewmodernworldare

handeddownfromarespected,peer-reviewed,scientificcommunity,notsounlike

how,inthepreviousperiodtobeconsideredmodern,religiousscholarschose

whichteachingstocanonizeandwhichtodiscardasheretical,limitingtheology.

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Furthermore,ifscience,ratherthanreligion,isresponsibleforanewtheocracy,

becauseitpossessestheultimateknowledgeofhowweshouldliveharmoniously

withnature,wethusreturntoarelianceonaselectfewfortheinterpretationof

nature.Thus,diversity,culturaldifference,andcreativityarethreatenedinthename

ofpreservingwildernessforfuturegenerations(andperhaps,rightlyso;asitis

difficulttopredicttheneedsoffuturecultures).Moreover,becauseasaccessto

enjoywildernessislimitedtothosewhocanaffordthetime,themoney,the

transportation,thegeartoengageinthenaturalword,sotooisdiversity,cultural

difference,andcreativitylimited.

Tothisproject,Iwouldbringmyinterdisciplinaryandcreativebackground

inRhetoric&Discourse,CreativeWriting,andEnvironmentalStudies,mypassion

forteachingandengagingfirstgenerationandnon-traditionalstudents,andadesire

toconserveandopenareasofwildnessforalltoaccess.Iwouldalsobringmylove

forlearningandforthecreativeprocess.

TheUnionInstitute&University’sCohortPhDinInterdisciplinaryStudies,

withaconcentrationinHumanities&Culture(andwithsecondarycourseworkin

PublicPolicy&SocialChange),willallowforguidedinquiryintothecrosssectionof

environmentalscienceandliterature,whereenvironmentalscienceisthenew

modernizingculturalforce.APh.D.willallowmetobothdeepenmyacademic

knowledgeinordertodevelopengagingandthoughtprovokingcourses,continuing

todemonstratetomystudentsthatknowledge-silosareartificialandunnecessary,

perusepersonalpublishinggoals,andtoengageinpoliticalandsocialactivism,

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helpingtoimproveaccesstowildernessandtospurcreativityinunderserved

communities.

WorkCited

Leakey,Richard&RogerLewin.TheSixthExtinction:PatternsofLifeandtheFuture

ofHumankind .NewYork:AnchorBooks,1995.Print.

Louv,Richard.LastChildintheWoods:SavingourChildrenfromNatureDeficit

Disorder .NewYork:AlgonquinBooks,2008.Print.

Myerson,George.EcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity.PostmodernEncounters.

Duxford,Cambridge:TotemBooks,2001.Print.

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Draft 4 

UnionInstitute&UniversityStatementofPurpose

1.Introduction

Severalyearsago,Iwasperusingboththeliteraturecriticismandthe

environmentalscienceshelvesofmyfavoriteusedbookstore.Inbothsections,a

slimvolume,nomorethanafourth-inchwideandsixtall,honey-yellowincolor,

caughtmyattention.Alwaysonthelookoutfortextsthatcombinemypassionsfor

fiction,wilderness,andphilosophy,Ipaidthe$2.50andtookhomeGeorge

Myerson’sEcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity .Afterreadingthefirsteightpages,I

knewthatI’dhappeneduponthebookthatwouldchangethewaythatI

intellectuallyapproachliterature.Previously,Ihadtaughtliteratureand

environmentalscienceasdisconnectedculturalmodes.However,Ifecology,as

culturalforce,“…isnotpostindustrial,buttheheraldofanewindustrialfuture…”

(Myerson7)wheretheindustryiscontrollingnature(becausewehavedegraded

environmentalsystemsbeyondself-perpetuation)thenoneoftheclassicalliterary

themes,Manvs.Nature,surelythenissotoodegradedtoManvs.Anthropogenic

Nature,ormoresimply,Manvs.Man.AsmuchasIamintriguedbythepossible

degradationofaliterarytheme,Iammuchmoreconcernedaboutwhatareturnto

modernismmightmeanfordiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativityinlightof

theemergenceofnature-deficitdisorder.

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2.NDExists(andisincreasing)

RichardLouvcoinedtheterm“nature-deficitdisorder,”inhisbookLastChild

intheWoodstodescribeanobservedconditionthatisremediedonlybygetting

outsideandencounteringwilderness.Ifadisorderistheproductoftoolittle

exposuretothenaturalworld,humanity’sshifttoanevermorevirtual,human

createdworldisunsettling.Whenweselecttospendincreasingamountsoftimein

thesefabricatedenvironments,weunknowinglycontributetothedepletionofwild-

spaces,whicharebeingconvertedintosupportsystemsforourcontinuedshift

awayfromnature.Aswildernesscontinuestodwindle,casesofnature-deficit

disorderwillincreaseandaninequityofaccesstothewilderness-remedywillbe

dividedalongsocioeconomiclines.

3.NDisincreasingalongSocioeconomicLines

Soon,thewilderness-remedywillbebeyondthereachofeventheupper

middleclass,justasitisoutofreachoftheurbanpoornow.Wemustwork

diligentlytorestorewilderness(foritsownsakeandasremedy)forthehear-and-

nowandforthevoicelessgenerationstocome.Whenaccesstowildernessislimited

tothosewhocanaffordthetime,themoney,thetransportation,thegeartoengage

inthenaturalword,sotooisdiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativitylimited.

4.WhatistheimpactofNDontheCreativeProcess?

Thedilemmaisthentoweightheimportanceofaccesstothewilderness-

remedyfornaturedeficitdisorderagainstthenewmodernizingforceofecology.

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Withoutaccesstowildernessdiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativityislimited.

However,inordertorestoreareasofwilderness,wemustacceptthemodernizing

forceofecology,whichalsolimitsdiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativity

(throughknowledgehandeddownfromthescientificcommunity,notsounlike

how,inthepreviousperiodtobeconsideredmodern,religiousscholarschose

whichteachingstocanonizeandwhichtodiscardasheretical,limitingtheology).

Thispostmodernclashwithanewmodernismisthefocusareaformyresearch.

5.Conclusion=CreativeDissertationOption,WhatIbringtotheproject,&

WhataPhDwilldoforme

Itismyplanto,inpart,makeuseoftheCreativeDissertationoptiontofulfill

mypersonalpublishinggoals,developingamanuscriptthatexemplifiesthestruggle

ofindividualscaughtbetweenpostmodernnature-deficitdisorderandthe

modernizingforceofecologytorespectandtoengageindiversity,cultural

difference,andcreativity.Tothisproject,Iwouldbringmyinterdisciplinaryand

creativebackgroundinRhetoric&Discourse,CreativeWriting,andEnvironmental

Studies,mypassionforteachingandengagingfirstgenerationandnon-traditional

students,andadesiretoconserveandopenareasofwildnessforalltoaccess.I

wouldalsobringmyloveforlearningandforthecreativeprocess.TheUnion

Institute&University’sCohortPhDinInterdisciplinaryStudies,witha

concentrationinHumanities&Culture(andwithsecondarycourseworkinPublic

Policy&SocialChange)willallowmetobothdeepenmyacademicknowledgeand

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toengageinpoliticalandsocialactivism,helpingtoimproveaccesstowilderness

andtospurcreativityinunderservedcommunities.

WorkCited

Louv,Richard.LastChildintheWoods:SavingourChildrenfromNatureDeficit

Disorder .NewYork:AlgonquinBooks,2008.Print.

Myerson,George.EcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity.PostmodernEncounters.

Duxford,Cambridge:TotemBooks,2001.Print.

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Final Draft 

UnionInstitute&UniversityStatementofPurpose

Severalyearsago,Iwasperusingboththeliteraturecriticismandthe

environmentalscienceshelvesofmyfavoriteusedbookstore.Inbothsections,a

slimvolume,nomorethanafourth-inchwideandsixtall,honey-yellowincolor,

caughtmyattention.Alwaysonthelookoutfortextsthatcombinemypassionsfor

fiction,wilderness,andphilosophy,Ipaidthe$2.50andtookhomeGeorge

Myerson’sEcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity .Afterreadingthefirsteightpages,I

knewthatI’dhappeneduponthebookthatwouldchangethewaythatI

intellectuallyapproachliterature.Previously,Ihadtaughtliteratureand

environmentalscienceasdisconnectedculturalmodes.However,Ifecology,as

culturalforce,“…isnotpostindustrial,buttheheraldofanewindustrialfuture…”

(Myerson7)wheretheindustryiscontrollingnature(becausewehavedegraded

environmentalsystemsbeyondself-perpetuation)thenoneoftheclassicalliterary

themes,Manvs.Nature,surelythenissotoodegradedtoManvs.Anthropogenic

Nature,ormoresimply,Manvs.Man.AsmuchasIamintriguedbythepossible

degradationofaliterarytheme,Iammuchmoreconcernedaboutwhatareturnto

modernismmightmeanfordiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativityinlightof

theemergenceofnature-deficitdisorder.

RichardLouvcoinedtheterm“nature-deficitdisorder,”inhisbookLastChild

intheWoodstodescribeanobservedconditionthatisremediedonlybygetting

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outsideandencounteringwilderness.Ifadisorderistheproductoftoolittle

exposuretothenaturalworld,humanity’sshifttoanevermorevirtual,human

createdworldisunsettling.Whenweselecttospendincreasingamountsoftimein

thesefabricatedenvironments,weunknowinglycontributetothedepletionofwild-

spaces,whicharebeingconvertedintosupportsystemsforourcontinuedshift

awayfromnature.Aswildernesscontinuestodwindle,casesofnature-deficit

disorderwillincreaseandaninequityofaccesstothewilderness-remedywillbe

dividedalongsocioeconomiclines.

Soon,thewilderness-remedywillbebeyondthereachofeventheupper

middleclass,justasitisoutofreachoftheurbanpoornow,becauseweareinthe

middleofRichardLeakey’ssixthextinctioninwhichtheextinctionrateisone

thousandtimeswhatscientistsconsidernormal.Thus,wemustworkdiligentlyto

restorewilderness(foritsownsakeandasremedy)forthehere-and-nowandfor

thevoicelessgenerationstocome.Whenaccesstowildernessislimitedtothose

whocanaffordthetime,money,transportation,andequipmenttoengageinthe

naturalword,sotooisdiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativitylimited.

Thedilemmaisthentoweightheimportanceofaccesstothewilderness-

remedyfornaturedeficitdisorderagainstthenewmodernizingforceofecology.

Withoutaccesstowildernessdiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativityare

limited,because“It’snotuntilwe’re…,unabletocheckoure-mail,thatwe’refinally

abletohearthequietvoicesinthebacksofourheadstellingusabouttheinsight.

Theanswershavebeenthereallalong–wejustweren’tlistening”(Lehrer31-2).

However,inordertorestoreareasofwilderness,wemustacceptthemodernizing

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forceofecology,whichalsolimitsdiversity,culturaldifference,andcreativity.

Throughecologicalstudy,knowledgeishandeddownfromthescientific

community,notsounlikehow,inthepreviousmodernperiod,religiousscholars

chosewhichteachingstocanonizeandwhichtodiscardasheretical,limiting

theology.Thispostmodernclashwithanewmodernismisthefocusareaformy

research.

Itismyplan,inpart,tomakeuseoftheCreativeDissertationoptiontofulfill

mypersonalpublishinggoals,developingamanuscriptthatexemplifiesthestruggle

ofindividualscaughtbetweenpostmodernnature-deficitdisorderandthe

modernizingforceofecologytorespectandtoengageindiversity,cultural

difference,andcreativity.Tothisproject,Iwouldbringmyinterdisciplinaryand

creativebackgroundinRhetoric&Discourse,CreativeWriting,andEnvironmental

Studies,mypassionforteachingandengagingfirstgenerationandnon-traditional

students,andadesiretoconserveandopenareasofwildnessforalltoaccess.I

wouldalsobringmyloveforlearningandforthecreativeprocess.TheUnion

Institute&University’sCohortPhDinInterdisciplinaryStudies,witha

concentrationinHumanities&Culture(andwithsecondarycourseworkinPublic

Policy&SocialChange)willallowmetobothdeepenmyacademicknowledgeand

toengageinpoliticalandsocialactivism,helpingtoimproveaccesstowilderness

andtospurcreativityinunderservedcommunities.

WorkCited

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Leakey,Richard&RogerLewin.TheSixthExtinction:PatternsofLifeandtheFuture

ofHumankind .NewYork:AnchorBooks,1995.Print.

Lehrer,Jonah.Imagine:HowCreativityWorks.NewYork:HoughtonMifflinHarcourt,

2012.Print.

Louv,Richard.LastChildintheWoods:SavingourChildrenfromNatureDeficit

Disorder .NewYork:AlgonquinBooks,2008.Print.

Myerson,George.EcologyandtheEndofPostmodernity.PostmodernEncounters.

Duxford,Cambridge:TotemBooks,2001.Print.