First-Year Writing Seminar (105-8-21)

Topic

Eco-fiction and Human Metamorphosis

Instructors

Kathleen Carmichael
847/467-5592
555 Clark, Room 239
Office Hours: By appointment

Meeting Info

Willard Hall B72: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

We are all familiar with public discourse about environmental concerns: Descriptions of a future where familiar landscapes have been transformed into alien vistas, newly dangerous and hostile to human life. Recent eco-fiction, however, challenges that familiar narrative, proposing ways that we humans may find ourselves transfigured along with the world around us. In this class we will engage with accounts of such human metamorphosis, considering the characteristics of environmental fiction for children, the hyper-empathy of Octavia Butler, the "new weird" landscapes of Jeff Vandermeer's Area X and a selection of other short works. Film viewings will include Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke (1997) and Pixar's Wall-E (2008).

Class Materials (Required)

The Parable of the Sower. Octavia Butler. Grand Central Publishing (2019) ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1538732181 Annihilation. Jeff Vandermeer. FSG Originals (2018) ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374104093 Additional readings TBD

Class Attributes

WCAS First-Year Seminar
WCAS Writing Seminar
Freshmen Only

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Weinberg First Year Seminars are only available to first-year students.
Add Consent: Department Consent Required