GER 3104W (Reading and Analysis of German Literature), with Charlotte Melin
This course (taught in German) provides an introduction to the study of German literature through texts involving environmental perspectives. The connection between a sense of nature and cultural identity has a long and fascinating history in German-speaking countries that predates contemporary environmental awareness and is interlinked with the development of modern literary genres and ecocritism. Works to be read include drama, fiction, and poetry describing the beauty of the natural landscapes, the impact of culture on nature, and the ethical dilemmas that arise when humans interact with the environment. Texts are by E.T.A. Hofmann, Buechner, Droste-Hülshoff, Thomas Mann, Brecht, Dürrenmatt, and others. The course concludes with discussion of Christa Wolf’s novella about the Chernobyl nuclear accident, Störfall: Nachrichten eines Tages.
GCC 3025 (Living the Good Life at the End of the World: Sustainability in the Anthropocene, with Jessica Hellman and Dan Philippon
What does it mean to live "the good life" in a time of rapid climate changes, mass extinction of plant and animal species, and the increasing pollution of our oceans, atmosphere, and soils? Is it possible to live sustainably, as individuals and societies, in what scientists are calling the Anthropocene, or this new epoch of human influence over the planet? Will sustainability require that we sacrifice the gains humanity has made in our quality of life? Or can we find a way to create a good Anthropocene? This course will attempt to answer these questions in four ways:
By providing an overview of sustainability science, both what it says about human and natural systems and how it comes to make these claims
By examining various conceptions of the good life, both individual and social, and how they intersect with the findings of sustainability science
By exploring the conflicts that exist within and between differing visions of sustainability and the good life through case studies in energy, water, and food
By pursuing collaborative research projects that will help students apply their knowledge and skills to current problems in sustainability studies
We will read widely in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities to understand a range of historical and contemporary perspectives on these questions, and in doing so we will put abstract ethical principles into conversation with a diversity of specific cultures and environments. By the end of the course, students will have examined their own assumptions about personal and professional happiness, considered how these align with and diverge from societal visions and values, and explored innovative solutions to help sustain our productive economy and our planet.
