Course content

Our contemporary moment is marked by an increasing awareness of serious and rapid changes in living conditions on Earth. This course will address the social, cultural, and political issues associated with our contemporary moment, which researchers suggest could be a new geological era: the Anthropocene. If we accept that human activity affects the rhythms of geological phenomena, we in the humanities must also ask how we can make sense of our place in the world today. What is nature? What is human? How should we think about the human in the world? Do humans have obligations to nature and the planet? Questions like these form the backdrop of this course that addresses humanities perspectives on topics related to climate, environment, and nature.

This provides further basis for discussing how the term 'Anthropocene' contributes to new questions, new issues, and new ways of exploring things in the humanities. This is done through thematic organized project work.

Learning outcome

Students who complete this course will have knowledge of:
- today's debates about environmental, social, aesthetic, and ethical topics and controversies.
- the term Anthropocene, its origination and important debates related to the term.
- how the concept of the Anthropocene has been the starting point for new directions in humanities research, with particular focus on popular culture, natural philosophy, technology studies, studies of politics and democracy, posthumanism, and animal studies.
- the relevance of the concept of the Anthropocene outside the university, in daily life and in society as a whole.

Skills
Students who complete this course will have the skills to:
- interpret and debate historical, political, social and cultural aspects of nature and environmental issues.
- track the path of Anthropocene through various disciplines and areas of study within the humanities.
- formulate an argument on a given topic and answer it through a project.

General competence
Students who complete this subject have general competence in
- cooperative learning
- project work

Learning methods and activities

The first half of the semester is based on lectures followed by a period of seminar training, where the students work on a project in interdisciplinary groups. The project is presented in the end.

Compulsory activities:

- Project outline / project plan (in groups)

- Weekly logs during the project period (in groups)

- Presentation of the project (in groups)

- 80% participation in seminars is required, i.e. 4 of 5 seminars.

Compulsory activities during the seminar-training are conducted in groups. In order to take the exam, approval of compulsory activities and 80% participation in seminars are required.

Students are obliged to keep updated on information from department or course constructor in Blackboard.

Compulsory assignments

• Two written assignments submitted in Blackboard based on the lectures and curriculum (not valid autumn2020/spring 2021)
• Project outline / project plan (in groups)
• Weekly logs during the project period (in groups)
• Presentation of the project (in groups)
• 80% participation in seminars is required, i.e. 4 of 5 seminars