| Abstract Detail
Teaching Section Amason, Craig [1], DeVore, Melanie L. [2], Manoylov, Kalina [3], Pigg, Kathleen B. [4]. Infusing Flannery O’Connor with environmental and plant sciences. Andalusia was the residence of Flannery O'Connor and her mother Regina Cline O'Connor for thirteen years, until the writer's death in 1964. The 544-acre estate is located in Baldwin County, Georgia about four miles northwest of Milledgeville. The rolling hills of the Georgia Fall Line, red clay roads, and stands of pine trees and hardwoods provided the natural backdrop for the many memorable characters who came to life in the pages of O'Connor's short stories. One of our goals has been to find ways to link Flannery O'Connor and Andalusia to current environmental concerns and the plant sciences with activities designed for K-12 and undergraduate student learning experiences, as well as informal educational programs for adults. During this presentation we provide an overview of such activities as the use and development of a new interpretive trail, recent renovations of the pump house, and the educational use of Andalusia's ecological communities ranging from marshes and bogs to hardwood clearings. The artificial pond on the property is currently being monitored to document changes in algal assemblages as an undergraduate research project, the first science-related use of Andalusia. In February 2008, we made a presentation on the cultivated plants of the Andalusia property and those noted in O'Connor's letters and stories, as part of Andalusia's annual lecture series. A new column published by a local newspaper showcases plants found on the property or represented in O'Connor's work. We hope that this column will attract attention from numerous garden enthusiasts in the Milledgeville area, and others interested in plants of the South. Overall, our hope is to draw people to Andalusia for O'Connor and the natural areas surrounding the main residence. We also hope that visitors re-read O'Connor and consider how the natural setting is captured, and is an essential influence on her writing.
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1 - Flannery O\'Connor - Andalusia Foundation, P.O. Box 947, Milledgeville, GA, 31059
2 - Georgia College & State University, Biological & Environmental Sciences, 135 Herty Hall, Campus Box 81, Milledgeville, Georgia, 31061, USA
3 - Georgia College and State University, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Campus Box 081, Milledgeville, GA, 31061, USA
4 - Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 874501, Tempe, Arizona, 85287-4501, USA
Keywords:
Flannery O'Connor
plant science education
Environmental Science.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 31
Location: Council Chambers/SUB
Date: Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
Time: 8:45 AM
Number: 31004
Abstract ID:643 |
