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SoSe 22: What ist "Nature"? Thinking about an Elusive Concept

Susanne Scharnowski

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Subject: The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a wave of discussions about our relationship with nature. The pandemic has been interpreted as the result of humanity’s destructive impact on the environment; the virus seems to be a “message”, even a “warning shot” from nature. Paradoxically, though, the pandemic also appeared to show a way out of the various environmental crises: During lockdown, air and oceans seemed to recover from humans’ harmful influence, while people turned to nature and found that an “exposure to nature” was beneficial for their mental health. It seemed that the pandemic has made people realise how much they depend upon nature, which makes this a good moment to consider humans’ attitudes towards and relationship with the natural environment. We will examine what Jedediah Purdy calls the “environmental imagination”, in particular three forms which have been powerful in Western thought: the “utilitarian idea” according to which nature is a resource for human needs and requires expert management through science and technology, the “Romantic vision”, which attributes aesthetic and spiritual value to nature, and the “ecological view of the world” which requires substantial knowledge about the complexity of interactions in and between the world’s ecosystems. One of the key questions is of course whether our environmental imagination leaves scope for hope and optimism, or whether it will inevitably create dark, pessimistic visions: Will the “Anthropocene”, the “Age of Humanity”, rescue or annihilate nature? Program: The course is divided into three parts: In the first part, we will study the “environmental imagination” in selected texts which discuss humans’ relationship with nature in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second part, we will look back at some key figures from the Western tradition as representatives of specific forms of environmental imagination: Francis Bacon for the (scientific) conquest of nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson for the Romantic idea of nature, and Rachel Carson for the ecological approach. As the nature documentary is now one of the most popular forms in which people inform themselves about nature, we will finally analyse three nature documentaries, likewise representing different forms of environmental imagination: Two BBC documentaries with David Attenborough, and Werner Herzog’s “Grizzly Man”. Is this the right course for you? The course is open to students from all fields. You should be interested not just in the topic, but also in analysing and interpreting texts and other sources. You should be prepared to study and discuss academic and complex journalistic texts written in English. Workload and assessment: To obtain 5 ECTS credits, you will have to attend the course regularly; have studied the course materials (an average of 15-25 pages of texts in English per week); pass the mid-term test (ca. 1000 words) and the written final examination (ca. 1500 words). close

12 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Mon, 16:00 - 18:00 12 Class schedule

Mon, 2022-04-25 16:00 - 18:00

Lecturers:
Dr. Susanne Scharnowski