Down the Drain?

Teresa Schoenkaes

Down the Drain? The Fluctuating Water Levels of the Great Lakes

ISBN 978-3-86821-161-0, 187 S., 80 Abb., € 22,00 (CD-ROM, 2009)

(Cultural Studies in the Heartland of America, Bd. 20)

The Great Lakes – Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Superior, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario –constitute the earth’s largest freshwater system. For hundreds of years the lakes have shaped the lives of the people inhabiting the Great Lakes basin. They are a significant part of the cultural and physical heritage of North America and the Midwest. This thesis focuses on the fluctuating water levels, an aspect of the Great Lakes that has become a center of attention over the past decades. The reader will be familiarized with the Great Lakes area and some facts, figures and phenomena of the Great Lakes region. Moreover, contentious subjects such as environmental issues, potential impacts of climate change on the Great Lakes ecosystem and diversion in the Great Lakes basin are discussed. Additionally, a qualitative content analysis of thirteen newspaper articles published in the New York Times was conducted. The content analysis is to portray how the Great Lakes water levels are communicated by the media. A bilingual terminology database containing the keywords of this thesis provides the reader with the most important terms and rounds off this valuable cultural studies project.