ENGL 407 A: Special Topics in Cultural Studies

Environments and Epistemologies of Extractivism

ENGL 407/ENGL 556, M W 1:30 - 3:20 PM, Winter Quarter 2026

Thompson Hall THO 135

Course Description

This seminar will examine relations of extraction and extractivism in the global history of settler colonialism and racial capitalism. We will focus on how the dispossession of Indigenous homelands and the exploitation of racialized communities—the extraction of territories and resources—intersect with the expropriation of ways of knowing and being on these lands and in these communities. We will engage scholarship on environmental justice and environmental racism, while paying close attention to the limits of these frameworks across a global context. We will put these studies in conversation with scholarship on the theory and practice of archival research, including recent efforts to develop protocols for protecting Indigenous and other forms of community knowledge. With this scholarly work, we will engage histories of resource and knowledge extraction through a wide range of media, including literature, film, art, and other narrative texts. Through this media, we will consider how authors, artists, and producers represent racialized, gendered environments of extractivism and the uneven exposure to risk and harm that these environments produce. Our readings will explore how this media imagines and expresses life amidst extractivism—past, present, and future.

This seminar covers the origins of conservation and environmentalist movements related to communities most vulnerable to economies of extraction. We will discuss the complex politics of resistance to and engagements with racial capitalist enterprises. Parallel to our academic study, we will examine the long history of Indigenous material culture appropriation by settler institutions, as well as data sovereignty movements to protect these cultures. The seminar’s attention to research practice and protocol aims to get us to think critically about how we imagine knowledge production in our research processes across the humanities and social sciences, especially as we engage Black, Indigenous, and peoples of color community contexts.

Characteristics of Class Meeting

This course is designed primarily for an in-person, classroom learning environment. However, some class discussion, assignments, and other coursework may take place on Canvas, often asynchronously or self-paced.

Required Texts, Media, & Readings

1. Wind from an Enemy Sky (1978), D'Arcy McNickle (Cree-Métis)
2. Blood Quantum (2019) film, Jeff Barnaby (Mi'kmaw)
3. The Marrow Thieves (2017), Cherie Dimaline (Métis Nation of Ontario)
4. A Map to the Door of No Return (2001/2024), Dionne Brand
5. M Archive: After the End of the World (2018), Alexis Pauline Gumbs
6. from unincorporated territory [åmot] (2023), Craig Santos Perez (Chamorro/Chamoru)

You can purchase some of the above texts directly from the UW bookstore and others directly from the publisher; from online book sellers, such as Amazon or AbeBooks; or from your local bookstore. You can find all other required readings in the weekly modules. They are all accessible via PDFs or through online access links provided by the publisher.

You are responsible for bringing texts to class on the day they will be discussed.

Many of the texts that we will be reading represent and engage with chattel slavery, settler colonialism, and other systems of violence and oppression. These representations can be disturbing and challenging, and I ask that you assess these texts for yourself and determine what level of engagement is safe for you. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need help assessing these texts.

Assignments

Oral Presentation

On the first day of class, you will sign up to give a presentation on a given class period's readings. Because of the class size, you may be doubling up with a partner. The goals of the presentation are threefold:

1. situate the readings within the topics of the course. Here it would be helpful to give a brief recap of salient points from the previous week's discussion (if applicable).
2. isolate and explain key concepts or themes organizing the argument of one of the readings but without summarizing. For literary/cultural media, highlight and interpret specific elements from the work and/or give a brief analysis of particular passage(s) or moment(s).
3. end with some discussion questions for the group to pursue.

If you are doubling up with a partner, the presentation goals require that you work collaboratively.

Research Précis and Bibliography (3-pages, plus bibliography)

On the week of February 16 (Presidents' Day Holiday, no class), I will set up conferences with each student. The goal of that conference is to discuss your ideas for the research paper and help you develop your bibliography. In preparation for that conference, you will write a 3­-page paper engaging readings of your choice from the syllabus with the goal of developing your research paper topic. Please include a bibliography of sources or potential sources that you see as fitting with your research topic. This bibliography may include sources beyond the course reading assignments. The 3­-page paper and bibliography are due Friday, February 13th.

Special Collections Project (3-pages)

Toward the end of the quarter, we will be visiting Special Collections of the UW University Libraries. Librarians will introduce participants to the manuscripts, printed materials, maps, and photographs in the Special Collections holdings. This orientation will include a discussion of the implementation of the Protocols for Native American Research and other questions related to ethical and responsible research practices while in the archives. Following this orientation, we will work with librarians and archivists to guide students through the collections. After the visit, you will produce a 3-page reflection of your experience, what you found, and possible research directions you may take given the experience. 

Research Paper (12-20 pages)

An original, independently­ conceived paper that makes an argument within the context of a specific theoretical/critical problem or intervention. Your primary object of analysis (literary/filmic/cultural text or phenomenon) is open. You certainly may choose to write on a text from the syllabus but you do not have to. The paper should, however, engage with the topics/themes of the course. Depending on the nature of your argument, we can guide you on the overall bibliography during and after the conference. The research paper is due Monday, March 16th, 11:59 PM.

Office Hours

My office hours will be held in-person on Mondays from 4:00-5:00 PM and online via Zoom on Tuesdays from 3:00–4:00 PM. I ask that you sign up for a 20-minute appointment slot beforehand to minimize wait time. See the Zoom and Office Hours Sign Up module for link to the sign up page.

If you can't make either of those office hours, please email me to schedule an appointment for a time when we're both available.

Academic Integrity

The University takes academic integrity very seriously. You are ultimately accountable for the work that you submit for this course. For this reason, it’s important to take care in properly citing work that you quote, paraphrase, or otherwise summarize in assignments. Academic integrity also extends to representing work that you have not substantially done yourself as your own. Here, I’m talking primarily about the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative AI-based tools like Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT. While these tools can certainly be helpful if used critically, they can also call into question the academic integrity of submitted work if they are used poorly. We will discuss academic integrity in more detail in class and set expectations as a learning community.

In any case, if you’re uncertain about if something is academic misconduct, ask me. I am willing to discuss questions you might have.

Concerns about these or other behaviors prohibited by the Student Conduct Code will be referred for investigation and adjudication by (include information for specific campus office).

Accommodation & Learning Access Equity

Your experience in this class is important to me. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at disability.uw.edu.

If, for whatever reason, you cannot meet an assignment due date or need more time, please do not hesitate to contact me, and we can work out an alternative timeline that meets your needs. You do not need to disclose any information or explain why you need accommodation. No questions asked—just be sure to let me know as soon as you need help.

Religious Accommodation

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).

Safety

Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 anytime – no matter where you work or study – to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others. SafeCampus’s team of caring professionals will provide individualized support, while discussing short- and long-term solutions and connecting you with additional resources when requested.

Title IX statement on sex- and gender-based violence, harassment, and discrimination. 

The UW, through numerous policies, prohibits sex- and gender-based violence, harassment, and discrimination and expects students, faculty, and staff to act professionally and respectfully in all work, learning, and research environments.

For support, resources, and reporting options related to sex- and gender-based violence, harassment, or discrimination, refer to the UW Title IX’s website, specifically the Know Your Rights & Resources guide. Should you wish to make the Office of the Office of the Title IX Coordinator aware of a Title IX concern, visit the Make a Title IX Report webpage. 

Please know that if you choose to disclose information to me about sex- or gender-based violence, harassment, or discrimination, I will connect you (or the person who experienced the conduct) with resources and individuals who can best provide support and options. You can also access additional resources directly:

• You can request anonymous support, from SafeCampus 
• You can request confidential support, from a confidential advocate.
• If you know you want to submit a formal complaint, contact the Civil Rights Investigation Office.

Please note that some senior leaders and other specified employees have been identified as Officials Required to Report. If an Official Required to Report learns of possible sex- or gender-based violence, harassment, or discrimination they are required to contact the Office of the Title IX Coordinator and report all the details they have in order to ensure that the person who experienced harm is offered support and reporting options.