Course Details

The Anthropocene presents us with the problem of all problems for the following reasons:
• It was a colossal accident.
• It is a consequence of the everyday life choices of over seven billion people.
• These choices are strongly driven by an amalgamation of psychological and institutional forces with deep historical and even biological roots.
• The everyday actions of a few of us are far greater drivers than those of most us, but our lower-impact members are quickly adopting the habits of the affluent.

Taken alone, each of these factors presents a conundrum; taken together, they cry out for deep inquiry into the peculiar place of the “anthros” in the scheme of things. The dawning of the Anthropocene seems to compel us to ask ourselves not only, “What on Earth are we doing?” but even more fundamentally, “What on Earth are we?” If nothing else, the new geological era highlights our species’ paradoxical relationship to the rest of creation. While these questions can be illuminated by the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, so too can we investigate them through personal and interpersonal introspection. For our complicity in the Anthropocene implies that each of us must answer the question, “Who am I in relation to this?” The very magnitude of the problem and its undeniable biophysical dimensions tend to transfix our gaze outwardly, yet coming to understand the “anthros” must surely also entail looking within.

The premise of this course is that cognition will be necessary but not sufficient on addressing the global challenges of the 21st century. Rather than studying such issues as climate change, the extinction crisis, world food challenges, and global justice as happening only “out there,” we will view them as also happening “in here” by continually asking ourselves, “Who am in relation to this?” This holistic approach involves integrating cognitive learning with affective and somatic awareness through reflective and contemplative exercises and community.

Course requirements will include:
• Intensive reading on the human and biophysical dimensions of the Anthropocene
• Active participation in seminar discussions
• A daily reflective or contemplative practice
• Writing in both a private journal and a public blog
• Bi-weekly meetings with your “study buddy”
• A class-wide community service project
• A final creative project (paper, video, performance, multi-media) addressing the question, “Who am I in the Anthropocene?”