Course Schedule and Catalog
Course Schedule - Spring Semester 2026
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
ENST 320 001 (CRN: 25677)
CONTESTED LANDS
Long Title: CONTESTED LANDS: POLITICS AND POWER IN U.S. NATIONAL PARKS
Department: Environmental Studies
Instructor: Hill, Chaney
Meeting: 1:00PM - 1:50PM MWF (12-JAN-2026 - 24-APR-2026)
Part of Term: Full Term
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Language of Instruction: Taught in English
Method of Instruction: Face to Face
Credit Hours: 3
Course Syllabus:
Course Materials: Rice Campus Store
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Undergraduate Professional
Visiting Undergraduate
Undergraduate
Section Max Enrollment: 30
Section Enrolled: 6
Waitlisted: 0 (Max 99)
Current members of the waitlist have priority for available seats.
Enrollment data as of: 24-NOV-2025 5:21PM
Final Exam: No Final Exam
Description: This course explores the national park system as a symbolic battleground where histories of settler colonialism, conservation policy, scientific research, and aesthetic design intersect. We will investigate how parks have been used to tell national stories, to exclude certain communities, and to manage nature itself, whether through the reintroduction of wolves, the prioritization of charismatic species, or debates over fire suppression and biodiversity. Readings will draw from history, environmental philosophy, conservation biology, Indigenous scholarship, and landscape studies. We will also consider how ideas of beauty, wilderness, and visitor experience have shaped which lands are protected and how they are presented to the public.