ENGL 071E. Ecopoetry and the Climate Crisis

Cross-listed as ENVS 041
This course will survey nature poems as well as poems on other relevant topics written in English from the Romantics in the early 19th century up to the present, with particular emphasis on poems from the the post-WWII era-that time when scientists began publishing evidence that human beings’ use of fossil fuels was altering the Earth’s climate in ways that might bring about the sixth Great Extinction in our planet’s history. Also emphasized: the primary role that women and/or writers of color have played in shaping ecopoetry, and in linking the climate crisis to historical trauma, social inequality, and why reparative justice is needed. The course will be taught in ways to make it welcoming to students who have not taken a literature course at Swarthmore, much less a course on poetry. Advanced students in cultural studies or poetry are also welcome. This course is cross-listed, which means that students should register for credit as either ENVS 041 or English 071E.

Humanities.
1 credit.
Eligible for ENVS.
Spring 2024. Schmidt.
Spring 2025. Schmidt.
Catalog chapter: English Literature
Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/english-literature

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