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Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:38:04
Abstract
This course introduces crucial ‘climate imaginaries’ of the 20th and 21st centuries and the critical role they can play. We will focus in particular on science-fictionality, the connection to general science and technology research as well as contemporary climate science, and texts from marginalised perspectives, including feminist and postcolonial approaches.
Objective
In studying this module, students will develop: - A comprehensive basic understanding of the history and characteristics of climate fiction as well as related genre conventions, such as those of science fiction - An ability to understand how these texts engage with their socio-political, cultural and historical contexts - A deeper understanding of the role texts by marginalised groups have played in climate fiction and their vital role in re-imagining the genre - Competence in the use of critical tools to analyse literary and digital texts as well as critical skills in the interrogation of standard and traditional approaches to literary criticism - An ability to articulate and substantiate an independent critical and imaginative response to literature and literary criticism as well as canon-formation - An ability to form coherent arguments, employ appropriate critical terminology, and communicate this information effectively orally and in the form of well-structured and persuasive essays
Content
Contemporary climate fiction is a vitally important genre that ‘faces up to the unthinkable’ (Claire Armistead) in confronting the climate crisis through narrative, thereby playing a crucial role in informing public thought and policy. This course provides an interdisciplinary connection between climate fiction and the science and technology research that informs and is inspired by it, particularly within contemporary climate science. Moreover, it focuses on the role climate fiction plays in utilising various scientific approaches, genre tools, narrative devices and diverse perspectives to imagine human resistance to the climate catastrophe as well as more just and resilient futures. We will trace the historical trajectory of this genre, exploring classic environmental fiction by writers such as Sydney Fowler Wright, John Brunner, Ernest Callenbach and Kim Stanley Robinson, and analysing the power of narrative with the ‘environmental humanities’ in engaging with science and exploring possible human responses to climate catastrophe. Excerpts from scientific, philosophical and ecocritical writings will be used to expand our readings and explore further methodologies of analysis and appreciation. Moreover, we will particularly explore what it means to think about climate change from marginalised perspectives, such as feminist and postcolonial approaches, thus rethinking whose voices may create visions of the future: in reading climate imaginaries by feminist, Afrofuturist and Indigenous futurist writers such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Cherie Demaline, N. K. Jemisin and Darcie Little Badger, we will examine how such texts help us re-imagine climate justice and address historical power imbalances in our response to the climate catastrophe. Moreover, we will investigate how these texts help us rethink climate science and related policy from the ground up, for example by presenting feminist challenges to the gender and race biases of traditional scientific models and by providing fundamentally different understandings of space, time and causation, thus leading the way in shaping radically different holistic models of climate survival.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- DS
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Max Places
- 40
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| seminar | Climate Fiction |
|
2 h semesterly |
Offered In
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Science in Perspective (In “Science in Perspective”-courses students learn to reflect on ETH’s STEM subjects from the perspective of humanities, political and social sciences. Only the courses listed below will be recognized as "Science in Perspective" courses.)
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Type A: Enhancement of Reflection Competence (SiP courses are recommended for bachelor students after their first-year examination and for all master- or doctoral students. All SiP courses are listed in Type A. Courses listed under Type B are only recommendations for enrollment for specific departments.)
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