Anthropology of the Apocalypse: Climate Fictions and Future Imaginaries

Catalog description

In this course, we study the climate apocalypse, potential futures that may result from it, and how to respond to those scenarios. The course is founded in cultural anthropology and combines discussions of climate fictions and climate science to think through the future. We learn from diverse cultures and perspectives, and integrate a cross-cultural comparison to our own cultures, and study how certain groups respond to climate change and related management decisions. Students focus on understanding how we as humans envision the world, our place in it, and what we desire for our futures influence how we know and treat the world now, as well as how we react to various possible social and environmental transformations. We apply an anthropological lens to assess diverse ways of imagining the future, understand how various cultures inform social-environmental programs and policies, and interpret the equity and justice implications of climate decisions for society.