Are you a non-literary type who has never attended a book club? Or a bookworm who is obsessed with Cli-Fi? Somewhere in between? Everyone is welcome to attend this interdisciplinary short course in climate fiction (“Cli-Fi”) and address the question: How can fiction help to stimulate new thinking and conversations about our planetary predicament?
In this fourth year of the program, we will read our way into the uncharted territory of the Predicament – how to talk about Collapse and Business as Usual. These three terms, proposed by Ahmed Afzaal in his 2023 book, Teaching at Twilight, will serve as shared vocabulary for challenging considerations of the faculty role in talking about near term social, economic, and/or ecological Collapse. As we read and discuss these collapse-themed cli-fi novels, we will also read Afzaal’s book as a companion, threading the Reflections included in the book through our literary and pedagogical discussions of the function of fiction as a “third thing” that helps us come at impossible topics from a more accessible angle.
The goal of the book club is to stimulate new conversations about Climate (and, Collapse) on campus. Participants will be supported with monthly discussions and an asynchronous discussion board in creating course assignments for a variety of disciplines – we’d love to support non-literature faculty in learning to facilitate conversations across disciplines. We focus on the qualities of teachable novels, and support design of assignments, courses, campus book clubs, faculty discussion group or whatever application works on your campus or just for your reading pleasure.The most important course learning outcome might be the network that we build together as sustainability coordinators, librarians, counselors, and faculty from across the curriculum.
The book club will take place over 5 monthly meetings and is preceded by a webinar open to all, that provides an overview of this genre which is changing the landscape of literary fiction. Participants will then read one book a month from a curated book list of the most teachable novels that integrate science, economics, engineering, psychology, into humanities, communication, and storytelling to imagine a new future. A monthly discussion allows participants to meet new colleagues from other institutions and share ideas and interpretations as well as hear from guest speakers.
Participants will:
Gain an overview of the genres of climate fiction;
Learn speed reading techniques to share with students and how to create time to read more;
Practice discussion techniques including Literature Circles pedagogy with other sustainability champions;
Engage with faculty from a variety of disciplines including science, humanities, and social sciences;
Integrate imagination and the envisioning of climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience.
What makes this the “Ultimate” Cli Fi Book club is the participants. Getting to read amazing books with smart people from a variety of disciplines, as well as campus librarians, counselors, and sustainability coordinators, is Krista’s idea of a good time.
Key Details
Course participants will meet virtually on the first Thursday of the month from 2:45–4:00 p.m. ET starting on August 8 and continuing through December 12.
Participants will purchase/borrow/find the books on their own.
The course is preceded by a free introductory webinar on June 26. All course participants are strongly encouraged to participate or watch the recording of the webinar prior to the first meeting and read the first book before August 8.