GERST 4351 - Critical Theory and Climate Change

(crosslisted) COML 4996
(CA-AS)

Spring. 4 credits. Student option grading.

Co-meets with COML 6895/GERST 6351.

P. Fleming.

This seminar explores what German literature and thought, especially the tradition of Critical Theory, can teach us about living in the anthropocene. Taking off from Kant’s four questions for framing enlightened man around 1800 – What can I know? What do I have to do? What can I hope for? What is the human being? – this seminar re-explores these questions in light of climate change in the 21st century. Of particular interest is not only the rhetoric of climate change and a critique of its denial in word and deed, but also narration: how does one narrate the singularity of this catastrophe? Different narrative structures from trauma and tragedy to the 19th century novel and 20th century surrealism will be examined.