16905

WiSe 21/22: How to talk and write about nature and the environment

Susanne Scharnowski

Comments

Subject: Many of the concerns and challenges of the 21st century are related to nature and the environment: climate change, various forms of pollution, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, soil fertility …. Especially climate change is a huge topic in political debates. But when we communicate about nature and the environment, we are often confronted with the gap between what C.P. Snow described as the ‘two cultures’: science & technology on the one hand, arts & humanities on the other hand. In the field of environmental and climate politics, we see the dominance of a technocratic language. This language reflects an attitude according to which the natural world is little more than a resource that can and has to be managed through specialist knowledge. The language of technocracy, though, can have problematic consequences regarding the acceptance and democratic legitimacy of political decisions. Thus, it does matter how we “frame” the environment in our speech. Some of the central questions in this context concern the emotionality of language: Is it advisable to simply “follow the science”, or should other – emotional, aesthetic or spiritual – views of the natural world play a larger role? Program: This course will serve as an introduction to the field of ‘environmental communication’: What does it entail, what should it achieve, who are the intended recipients, and what is the intended outcome? We will study some theoretical texts, addressing ‘the two cultures’, ‘framing’, and ‘technocratic discourse’. We will then analyze several political speeches about environmental policy and a manifesto. Finally, we will look at the genesis of scientific and literary nature writing and study extracts from classics such as Henry David Thoreau’s Walden or Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring as well as more recent texts by British as well as American authors. We will analyze how these different texts operate, what they aim to accomplish and whether they succeed. Is this course suitable for you? The course is open to students from all fields, from the sciences as well as from the humanities. However, you should be able to read English texts at a fairly high level, be prepared to study a wide variety of theoretical as well as literary and journalistic texts and be interested in environmental matters as well as in textual and discourse analysis. Workload and Assessment: To obtain 5 ECTS credits, you will have to study and engage with the course materials (an average of 15-20 pages of academic as well as literary texts per week) and submit one piece of written work during the semester (summary of one topic discussed in class) and one piece of written work at the end of the semester (an analysis of one or more of the course materials in the context of environmentalism or an essay on a set topic; both texts together: 2000-3000 words, submission date of the final assignment: March 31st). close

16 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Wed, 10:00 - 12:00 16 Class schedule

Wed, 2021-10-20 10:00 - 12:00

Lecturers:
Dr. Susanne Scharnowski