Selected Topics in Literature and Science: 21st Century Ecopoetics

Ecopoetics is the study of literature that is concerned with ecology and nature. However, beyond just literature about nature, this course will examine how ecology and nature have become complicated in the 21st century, the age of the Anthropocene (don’t worry, we will define Anthropocene and other key terms). In the 21st century, humans are now confronted with a growing awareness of their impact on the earth, its environments, and its non-human inhabitants. From this perspective, how does one meaningfully engage with climate change, ecological collapse, ecological justice, and non-human beings in literature, art, and culture? How do we think about the climate crisis? How do we think about nature? How do we write about the climate crisis? How can the study of ecopoetics actually help us think about the complicated, interconnected social and environmental challenges of the 21st century at large? Ultimately, in this class, we will discuss these profound questions raised by the study of ecopoetics, questions of what it means to be human, to live in an organized society, on a finite earth, now, and 100 years from now.