This course explores the ways in which literature and film represent the natural world, engage with ecological concerns like the environmental implications of AI, and invite us to reimagine our relationship with our planet. From Indigenous worldviews to climate change to speculative futures, we’ll examine how narrative forms—novels, poetry, memoirs, and cinema—help us make sense of our planet. Our texts will include voices from the Global South to shed light on how environmental issues intersect with colonial histories. Along the way, we’ll also engage with key concepts such as the Anthropocene, ecofeminism, and postcolonial ecologies. Students will develop critical tools to analyze narratives, reflect on what it means to live ethically and imaginatively in a time of environmental uncertainty, and consider how storytelling can inspire awareness, resistance, and change. And, of course, there will always be room for wonder—for recognizing the amazing gift that is our planet. We will begin with a book that captures this wonder: Samantha Harvey’s ORBITAL. Other texts for the semester may include Octavia Butler’s PARABLE OF THE SOWER, Amitav Ghosh’s THE HUNGRY TIDE, Robin Wall Kimmerer's BRAIDING SWEETGRASS, and Mai Der Vang's PRIMORDIAL. This course satisfies an Integration in the Humanities requirement and a WAC Writing to Learn requirement. Application is being made to have this course count as meeting a Sustainability requirement (approval not guaranteed). Prerequisite: ENGL 106, 121, or 190.
This course explores the ways in which literature and film represent the natural world, engage with ecological concerns like the environmental implications of AI, and invite us to reimagine our relationship with our planet. From Indigenous worldviews to climate change to speculative futures, we’ll examine how narrative forms—novels, poetry, memoirs, and cinema—help us make sense of our planet. Our texts will include voices from the Global South to shed light on how environmental issues intersect with colonial histories. Along the way, we’ll also engage with key concepts such as the Anthropocene, ecofeminism, and postcolonial ecologies. Students will develop critical tools to analyze narratives, reflect on what it means to live ethically and imaginatively in a time of environmental uncertainty, and consider how storytelling can inspire awareness, resistance, and change. And, of course, there will always be room for wonder—for recognizing the amazing gift that is our planet. We will begin with a book that captures this wonder: Samantha Harvey’s ORBITAL. Other texts for the semester may include Octavia Butler’s PARABLE OF THE SOWER, Amitav Ghosh’s THE HUNGRY TIDE, Robin Wall Kimmerer's BRAIDING SWEETGRASS, and Mai Der Vang's PRIMORDIAL. This course satisfies an Integration in the Humanities requirement and a WAC Writing to Learn requirement. Application is being made to have this course count as meeting a Sustainability requirement (approval not guaranteed). Prerequisite: ENGL 106, 121, or 190.