Special Topics in Environmental Policy and Culture (390-0-26)
Topic
Climate Change Literature
Instructors
Sarah Beth Dimick
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-331: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
This course focuses on climate change literature, the most active and popular arena of contemporary environmental writing. Examining a variety of 20th and 21st century works—including science fiction, spoken word poetry, narrative fiction, and film—we will analyze how literature shapes and responds to planetary crisis. Which imaginative currents—apocalyptic, technocratic, communalist, militaristic—are molding readers' visions of the climatic future? Is it possible to narrate climate change as a multi-century catastrophe rooted in colonialism and the acquisition of capital? What can we learn about climate change from literature that we can't grasp through other fields of study? Since the works in this class cover a broad geographic range and include both award-winning texts and relatively unknown books, we will also theorize how—and why—particular writers' voices become central or peripheral within climate discourse.
Class Attributes
Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area