ENV 975b () / 2024-2025

Field Craft: Writing Society, Science, and Nature

Credits: 3 Spring 2025: Th, 4:00-6:50, Kroon 321

This course develops students' skills in writing and publishing, with a mandatory field trip at its core. Students complete a self-driven writing project aimed at publication, with work both before and after the trip. The course welcomes projects from any field, including but not limited to social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. The course fulfills the MEM capstone, but is open to all students. In prior years, students have published scholarly journals articles, op-eds in reputable news outlets (e.g. NYT in 2024), thesis chapters, book manuscripts, documentaries, podcasts, and creative non-fiction essays. The course emphasizes narrative craft for both scholarly and general public writing. 

Trip Details:The YSE Dean's office generously covers trip costs, scheduled for February 12-17th, 2025, at the San Miguel Writers' Conference in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. All students are required to participate for the full length of the trip.
 
Course Application Instructions: Due to the logistics of field trip planning, application review begins on December 13th, 2024, with decisions sent on a rolling basis until the roster of ten is filled. Write an email with the subject “Field Course Application” to Justin Farrell (justin.farrell@yale.edu). In less than 300 words, include the following information: (1) Name, degree program, year, specialization. (2) What is your writing project, and why does it excite you? (3) Where would you ideally like to publish it? (4) How does this writing course align with your future professional goals? (5) Confirm that you have a passport and can travel internationally without problem. (6) Separately, attach a one-page sample of your ongoing writing project, or if you do not have one, an outline of your proposed project.
 
Limited to twelve