HHU22003 Histories and Futures of Climate Change
Climate change poses a challenge to the ways in which we think about the relationship between past, present, and future. As the historian Dipesh Chakrabarty has famously argued, 'anthropogenic explanations of Climate Change spell the collapse of the age-old humanist distinction between natural history and human history'. This module will introduce students to the environmental humanities, a multidisciplinary formation that brings the visual arts, literature, theatre, history, music, languages, philosophy, politics, law, film, media/cultural studies, anthropology, and cultural geography, into relation with the sciences in response to the environmental crisis.
- Module Organisers:
- Dr Katja Bruisch and Dr Timothy Stott
- Duration:
- Michaelmas term (Semester 1)
- Contact Hours:
- 1 lecture per week, 4 tutorials
- Weighting:
- 5 ECTS
- Assessment:
- continuous assessment
The module will focus on how history/history of art and architecture have responded to the challenge described by Chakrabarty and how these disciplines now contribute to the project of the environmental humanities by rewriting histories and reimagining futures. Students will learn about the climate crisis as a product of modern histories, including histories of science, extractive economies, technology, and media. The module will also critically appraise concepts that feature prominently in public and academic debates about the climate crisis, such as Sustainable Development, the Anthropocene, and Planetary Boundaries. A combination of individual learning and group work will enable students to foster critical and research skills in different situations.
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
- Describe various historical approaches to understanding climate change.
- Identify, critically evaluate, and synthesise key concepts and key texts in the environmental humanities, with a focus on history and history of art/architecture.
- Evaluate transdisciplinary, humanist approaches to the media, histories, and narratives of climate change.
- Construct and communicate (orally and in writing) an independent, historically- and theoretically-informed argument about the histories and futures of the climate crisis.