FWS: Catastrophe

Catalog description

From nuclear accidents to glacial melt, literature and the arts can capture anxieties about global catastrophes beyond comprehension and register seemingly invisible traces of radical changes to landscapes. In what ways do cultural forms grasp, question, and creatively transform world-negating events? How can creative texts use cultural memories to reinvigorate worlds with meaning after traumatic disasters? Using texts about impacted and disappearing places in central and eastern Europe, East Asia, Latin America, and Antarctica, we will investigate global catastrophes through intercultural lenses to explore the strategies and solidarities that arise in response. Scaffolded essay assignments with guided drafting and peer reviews will help students identify complex, interconnected impacts on local and global communities.