FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In Composition II, all students spend the semester reading and writing, but this semester, two sections devoted their time to reading and writing almost exclusively about nature.

The students in these classes chose outdoor field sites to observe and map out, wrote letters advocating for their favorite places, and thought about how their personal communities connect to nature.

Members of each class worked together on their final projects developing two publications that showcased contributions from each student.

The publications — Bioregionalism and Ecological Literacy and Eco-Woke — examine how each community connects to nature; what they consume, what they value and how they give back. Students studied their sororities and fraternities, their jobs and their majors, writing about a variety of subjects such as food waste, how fishing communities can help rivers, and how textbook use impacts the environment.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.