Extreme Landscapes of the Anthropocene
SISP 204
Spring 2019
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
WRCT 204, ENVS 204 |
The "Anthropocene," a term coined to categorize the current geological epoch, has become a way in which social scientists can critically and creatively engage with the impact of humanity on the ecological well-being of the Earth. The interdisciplinary and uncertain nature of this subject matter provides space for experimental writing styles, innovative approaches to documentary film, and critical discussion and debate. In this course, we will consider texts that investigate extreme worlds, from the far north and Antarctic to the forests of the Amazon, and discuss the ways these texts incorporate ethnography, social ecology, political economy, history, biology, and technology. In addition to extreme landscapes, we will dive into social, political, economic, and scientific "scapes," from race and migration to late liberal ideology to corporate/industrial influence on science. This course is designed to explore and challenge the term "Anthropocene" as well as tackle the question of probable futures versus fictional ones, questioning how narrative and drama are entangled in the dissemination of complex truths. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS SISP |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (ANTH)(ENVS-MN)(ENVS) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 75% - 89% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Possible Key Texts:
Arctic Dreams, Barry Lopez
How Forests Think, Eduardo Kohn
The Mushroom at the End of the World, Anna Tsing
Geontologies: A Requiem to Late Liberalism, Elizabeth Provinelli
Making Kin in the Chthulucene, Donna Haraway
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Examinations and Assignments:
This writing-intensive course involves reading several full-length ethnographic-style books, short texts available on Moodle, watching several docu-fiction films, group projects, and several writing assignments, including a final writing project. |
| Instructor(s): Bird,Tess Times: ..T.R.. 08:50AM-10:10AM; Location: 116MTV102; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 8 | JR major: 8 | | |
| Seats Available: 8 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 2 | JR non-major: 1 | SO: 0 | FR: X |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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