98838 - Environmental Humanities (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, participants will know how to apply concepts and methods from the environmental humanities to the study of cultural heritage, broadly construed. They will have a critical stance on landscapes and societal practices in Italy that exemplify transformations rooted in human and more-than-human agency. They will be able to work individually and in groups to carry out interdisciplinary ruminations and knowledge-sharing activities regarding the human race’s capacity to alter the biosphere, especially following the Industrial Revolution in Europe. They will comprehend this epoch of unprecedented changes as an opportunity to bring about inclusive and solidarity-oriented ways of being.

Course contents

The course revolves around the environmental humanities in relation to contemporary Italy, in particular. There are five components: 

• Looking forwards and backwards to fathom the climate crisis
• The Anthropocene's narrative aspects
• Weighing up capitalist production through systems theory and ecofeminism
  
• Ecological considerations pertaining to movement
• Including more-than-human beings

Readings/Bibliography

Attendees

Our key texts are:

• Marco Armiero et al. (eds), Environmental Humanities: Scienze sociali, politica, ecologia (Rome: DeriveApprodi, 2021)
• Cristiano Giorda (ed.), Geografia e Antropocene: Uomo, ambiente, educazione (Rome: Carocci, 2019)

Additional brief readings relating to each part of the programme are signposted in the course of lectures. 

Non-Attendees

Three books have to be studied:

1. Marco Armiero et al. (eds), Environmental Humanities: Scienze sociali, politica, ecologia (Rome: DeriveApprodi, 2021)
2. Cristiano Giorda (ed.), Geografia e Antropocene: Uomo, ambiente, educazione (Rome: Carocci, 2019)
3. Your choice between

• Carla Benedetti, La letteratura ci salverà dall'estinzione (Turin: Einaudi, 2021)
• Serenella Iovino, Paesaggio civile: Storie di ambiente, cultura e resistenza (Milan: Il Saggiatore, 2022)
  

Teaching methods

For assessment as an attendee, the minimum participation is two-thirds of lectures. Given this distinction, no lecture-capture is to be implemented. The classroom experience is a collective undertaking that blends chalk-and-talk and flipped pedagogy. The opening session is dedicated to a thoroughgoing overview of the programme, materials and assessment methods.

Assessment methods

Attendees are assessed in three parts: 

• A group presentation (10 minutes towards the end of the lecture programme)
• A critical dialogue with the course organiser (10 minutes)
• A learning diary (5 weekly entries of 200 words maximum) - the deadline for submitting your document by email is 48 hours before the critical dialogue

Non-attendees have a twofold assessment:

• A critical dialogue with the course organiser (10 minutes)
• An essay on a cultural artefact, such as a literary text or a museum holding, in relation to the prescribed reading (2000 words maximum) - your approach must be agreed with two weeks' notice and the deadline for submitting your document by email is 48 hours before the critical dialogue

You are being assessed on:

• Your depth of learning in key areas
• Your use of an appropriate nomenclature
• Your capacity to synthesize

A critical stance, terminological proficiency and lucidity are the cornerstones of top marks. Knowledge gaps, unsound statements or redundant details are grounds for failure.

6 exam sessions are on offer:

• The first is scheduled one month post-teaching
  
• The second and third are scheduled two months post-teaching
• The fourth is scheduled three months post-teaching
• The fifth and sixth are scheduled four months post-teaching

Outcomes are announced via AlmaEsami, with a window of 24 hours to opt for resitting.

Teaching tools

• Content-sharing platform
• Literary works
  
• PowerPoint slides
  
• Texts from social media
• Visual art

The University's Service for Students with Disabilities and Learning Disorders provides appointments for deciding upon academic adaptations.

Office hours

See the website of Daniel Andrew Finch-Race