ENGL 1101: How (and Why) to Write in the Anthropocene
Course Description
In 2016, geoscientists adopted a new designation for our current time period, “the Anthropocene.” This nomenclature reflects the impact of human activity on the planet, as human beings now transform the Earth on a global scale to the same degree that environmental events have in the past. In this course, we will contemplate what it might take to reconfigure the actions of humans in the Anthropocene toward sustaining life on this planet, instead of accelerating its (and our) demise. First recognizing how humans are altering earth’s ecosystems on such a grand scale, we will reflect on our individual and collective responsibilities toward the the planet and its systems and toward each other. Then, we will consider how and why published writers are framing our ecological present in texts, both critical and creative, that foreground climate change and related environmental crises. This course is designed to increase students’ ability to construct written prose of various kinds. It focuses on methods of organization, analysis, research skills, and the production of short expository essays. Readings consider issues of contemporary social and cultural concern.
Dr. Shannon Finck • November 10, 2021