Tree
FYSEMR 52C
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Have you hugged a tree lately? How about grown one? Photographed one? Drawn one? Written about one? Imagine a semester devoted to connecting two organisms: a person (you) and a tree (not you). Interacting with a single tree, you will explore its individual history, evolutionary history, life cycle, leaves, bark, roots, flowers, cones, and architecture. In an age of environmental destruction and outright murder of our biological brethren, there is something deeply troubling about humanity’s relationship with nature. Technology has left us with mere facsimiles of nature - pixilated abstractions of biodiversity through satellite imagery, decoded strings of DNA – and we, as a species, have become fundamentally disconnected from actual nature and the magnificent organisms with which we share the earth.
In this seminar, we will work to understand and give agency to trees as individual organisms, literally rooted in the ground, and evolutionarily rooted in deep time. Topics to be covered include the evolutionary origin of arborescence, human relationships with non-sentient organisms, the case for legal rights for natural objects, reading a twig, the unseen world of roots, and finding human meaning in the longevity in trees. Each student will also work with an individual tree in the living collections of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and observe (see) this organism throughout the entire semester through the creation of images (photography, drawing), journaling, and other forms of representation. The goal of this first-year seminar will be to initiate a personal and lifelong connection with the “other,” the vast and variant organisms with which we share the planet.
NOTE: The seminar will meet at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University from 3pm-6:30pm to allow for travel time. Required field trips to the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and a local pigeon fancier will be included. Transportation will be provided at no cost to the student.
Class Notes
First-Year Seminars are available only to first-year students. You may apply to both Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 First-Year Seminars via the FYS lottery between July 6 and August 6, 2026 at 11:59PM-midnight.
You may apply to as many seminars each term as you would like, but we recommend you apply to at least six in fall and three in spring.
As part of your application, you must provide a brief statement on why you are interested in each seminar. You will be notified of lottery results for both fall and spring seminars at 5 pm on August 11. If you are unsuccessful in the lottery, you may still join any seminar with open seats. A list of open seminars and instructions on next steps will be available on the First-Year Seminar Program website August 11 at 12 Noon.
Not Available for Cross Registration
