ECOLOGY AND ART

This course explores the intersections between contemporary artistic practices and ecological issues, examining how artists engage with, respond to, and help us reimagine our relationship with the environment and the non-human worlds. We will investigate the ways in which art can reflect the ecological conditions of our time and how it actively shapes our understanding of the world and our place within it.

Interdisciplinary understanding: Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the intersections between art and ecology, drawing on insights from contemporary art theory, environmental studies, and related fields.

Critical Analysis: Through in-depth study of key texts, artworks, and exhibitions, students will test their ability to critically analyze and evaluate the diverse ways in which artists respond to environmental discourse. They will develop the skills necessary to formulate arguments about the role of art and artistic institutions in addressing ecological challenges and to assess the strengths and limitations of various approaches.

Research skills: Students will undertake independent research, drawing on the course reading list and other relevant sources.

Integrative Learning: Students will be able to integrate the insights and the research methods acquired in this course with their broader understanding of the environmental humanities as an interdisciplinary form of knowledge and research.

Advanced academic english: reading, writing, and oral communication

Drawing on different disciplines, including environmental humanities, anthropology, art theory, political ecology, architecture and geography, we will examine key concepts and debates that have emerged in recent years: from the uneven and multiscalar dimensions of planetary transformations and their entanglement with systems of power and exploitation, to the emergence of restorative artistic and design practices, and art-science initiatives. Ecocriticism, eco-aesthetics, critical theory, visual culture studies, and ecomedia studies will provide us with tools to examine how the arts are responding to the profound ecological crises defining contemporaneity.

A central theme of the course will be the growing recognition of nonhuman agency and subjectivity in contemporary art and beyond. We will explore how artists are challenging anthropocentric worldviews and engaging with the vitality and creative agency of microbes, technologies, landscapes, water, rocks, toxicity, and non-human animals. This will lead us to question dominant knowledge systems and governance structures, as well as extractive ways of inhabiting the world, opening up spaces for the existence of more-than-human and pluriversal ways of knowing and being.

Throughout the course, we will engage, critique, and dialogue with the ideas of influential authors informing the work of artists and curators, which could include Donna Haraway, Bruno Latour, Anna Tsing, Arturo Escobar, Jason Moore, Kathryn Yusoff, Christina Sharpe, Giovanni Aloi, Carolyn Merchant, Amanda Boetzkes, among others; and with the artistic and intellectual projects of artists such as Hito Steyerl, Carolina Caycedo, Giuseppe Penone, Olafur Eliasson, Pierre Huyghe, Julian Charriere, Otobong Nkanga, just to name a few. We will also examine the increasing collaboration and exchange between artists, researchers, scientists, and activists, which problematizes disciplinary boundaries and expands the possibilities of scholarly and creative work.

Course materials, including theoretical texts, images, and other resources, will be made available to students through Moodle. Students are expected to engage with these materials actively and to come prepared for class discussions and activities.

The final paper will be crucial for the final grade. Students will be required to develop in-depth research on a topic of their choice, relevant to the subjects covered during class. The aim will be to demonstrate a solid understanding of the key concepts, theories, and artistic practices explored in the course, as well as the ability to apply a critical and interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of the intersections between art and ecology.


Final paper deadlines: for now, there are 2 "appelli d'esame" in June, and a third one will be officialized for September.
The first one is June 6 and the second one is June 20. This means that if you want to get a grade for this course you NEED TO SEND IN YOUR PAPER TO ME (BY EMAIL) NO LATER THAN JUNE 1ST (MIDNIGHT) OR JUNE 15 (MIDNIGHT). These deadlines are not flexible, as I need time to read and grade through your papers.

The exam is oral (the website says written but it's an error, we are fixing that) and will consist of a discussion of your paper.

If you have not sent me your paper by the deadline (June 1st or June 15th), you won't be able to be graded on the day of the exam.

A third appello will be made available for September. I will send you an email with information about it as soon as I know more myself.

Non frequentanti: If you are a non attending student planning to do this exam please reach out to me ASAP so we can schedule a zoom meeting and discuss your final paper etc. AGAIN, I cannot give you a grade at the exam if you have not submitted a paper. If you are a non frequentante there is no way you can write a final paper for this exam without consulting me first! This is crucial!

Please refer to all the communications on moodle

oral

Grading rubric

- Argument / originality (25%): Clarity, strength of the central argument.
- Analysis (30%): Depth of case studies, effective use of theoretical and contextual sources, coherence of analysis.
- Literature review / theoretical grounding (20%): Appropriate selection and synthesis of relevant ecological and art-related literature.
- Structure (15%): Logical organization, clear prose, effective transitions.
- Bibliography + Citations (10%): relevance of citations / quotations, completeness of bibliography.
- Extra: Formatting

The course will employ a variety of teaching methods to facilitate active learning and student engagement. Lectures will be complemented with seminar-style discussions, in which students will be encouraged to critically analyze and interpret theoretical texts, artworks, and the other course materials. Students will participate in group discussions and projects, sharing their perspectives and insights with their peers and the instructor.

Regular feedback on assignments and projects will be offered, and students will have opportunities to meet with the instructor individually to discuss their progress and any concerns or questions they may have.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Climate change and energy" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development