What is nature to us -- and what are we to nature? Are human beings one with nature, or is there something about us, whether evolved or created, that fundamentally sets us apart -- freedom, dignity, morality, culture, language, or reason? Is nature essentially a resource available for our use, in whatever way we see fit, or are we bound in some way by obligations, whether moral or otherwise, to nature? Has our impact on the global ecosystem reached the point that the earth itself must now be considered part of the “Human Story”?
This course brings together the disciplines of climate science, film studies, and deep ecology to critically examine the relationship between human beings and nature through the lens of contemporary film. It is a course about cultivating and reflecting on our experience of nature. The central question for each of us during this course is, “How do I, as a human being, relate to nature?” “Screening the Anthropocene” aims to equip students with the tools needed to think in a disciplinarily literate, critically acute, and personally relevant manner about the relationship between human beings and the natural world.
To answer this question, we’ll begin by looking at a terminological debate currently taking place in the field of geology about whether the term “Anthropocene” should be adopted to designate the geological epoch in which, as some argue, we now find ourselves. We will then examine a variety of films and readings that explore our relationship to nature from both scientific and philosophical perspectives. Special attention will be given to one specific topic of considerable current interest that relates to this question: climate change. (Depending on time and student interest, we may also look at some of the issues surrounding the production and consumption of food.) Readings and films will be interwoven during the course to create multiple sites for dialogue and critique.
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