Becoming-Earth: Environmental Humanities, Art And Science

Timetable

When:  Mondays from 15.00–16.30.

Where: Campus Ogrody, building C, II floor (Faculty of Philosophy), room 213.

Module aim (aims)

Becoming-Earth: Anthropocene, Art & Science is an interdisciplinary course offering a comprehensive introduction to the major themes in environmental humanities. It equips students with the skills to analyze and interpret a diverse range of texts, visual materials, and artistic practices, while also allowing for flexibility in applying concepts and methods to independently chosen case studies.

The course provides an opportunity for original research, culminating in a research presentation that encourages critical engagement with human-environment relationships, ethical considerations, and the impact of theoretical perspectives within environmental humanities.

Beyond subject-specific knowledge, students will develop strong research, analytical, and reflective skills, gaining insights that extend beyond academia to influence personal perspectives and real-world environmental discourse.

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

All are welcome!

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction to Environmental humanities and Art
Week 2: Anthropocene, anthropocentrism and beyond
Week 3: Deep time: deep past & deep future of life
Week 4: Minerals, excavation, remediation
Week 5: Sustainability and overpopulation
Week 6: Climate change
Week 7: Geoengineering
Week 8: Plastics
Week 9: Extinctions and biodiversity
Week 10: Plants and their future environments
Week 11: Metabolic force: living-nonliving distinction
Week 12: Dust
Week 13: Water, Underwater & Hydrofeminism
Week 14: Refugia
Week 15: We-Earth: a closing discussion

Reading list

Bakke, M. “Art and Metabolic Force in Deep Time Environments.” Environmental Philosophy,
Spring 2017.
Cohen, J. “Geophilia, or The Love of Stone.” Continent, 4:2, 8, 2015.
Debaise, D. “The Modern Invention of Nature.” In: General Ecology: The New Ecological Paradigm
edited by E. Hörl. Bloomsbury Academic, London 2017.
Davis, H. & Turpin, E. Art in the Anthropocene. Open Humanities Press, London 2015.
Haraway, D. “Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Plantationocene, Chthulucene: Making Kin.”
Environmental Humanities, 6, 2015.
Jamieson, D. A Companion to Environmental Philosophy. Blackwell Publishers, Oxford 2001.
Living Books About Life http://www.livingbooksaboutlife.org/
Mirzoeff, N. “Visualizing the Anthropocene.” Public Culture, 26:2, 2014.
Nemais, A. “Hydrofeminism: Or, On Becoming a Body of Water.” In: Undutiful Daughters, edited by
H. Gunkel, Ch. Nigianni & F. Soderback. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.
Neimanis, A., Asberg, C., Hedren, J. “Four Problems, Four Directions for Environmental
Humanities: Toward a Critical Posthumanities for the Anthropocene”
Parikka, Jussi. “Deep Times and Media Mines: A Decent into Ecological Materiality of
Technology.” In: General Ecology: The New Ecological Paradigm edited by E. Hörl. Bloomsbury
Academic, London 2017.
Yusoff, K. “Geologic Life: Prehistory, Climate, Futures in the Anthropocene. Environment and
Planning, 31, 2013.
Schlosberg, D. & Coles, R. “The New Environmentalism of Everyday Life: Sustainability, Material
Flows and Movements.” Contemporary Political Theory, 1470-8914, 2015.
Yusoff, K. & Gabrys, J. “Climate Change and the Imagination.” Advanced Review, 2, July/August,
2011.
Zylinska, J. Minimal Ethics for the Anthropocene. Open Humanities Press, London 2014.
http://www.openhumanitiespress.org/books/titles/minimal-ethics-for-the-anthropocene/