ANTHROPOCENE (2024)

The seminar focuses on the theoretical, scientific, and political notion of the Anthropocene and engages in dialogue with knowledge from Earth sciences, philosophy, political ecology, and the history of ideas, offering students a transdisciplinary perspective to decipher ongoing environmental, social, and cognitive transformations.

By the end of the seminar, students will be able to:
Critically understand the notion of the Anthropocene in its scientific, historical, epistemological, and political dimensions.
Identify and analyze key narratives and genealogies related to the Anthropocene in contemporary debates.
Integrate approaches and knowledge from diverse disciplines (Earth sciences, philosophy, political ecology, history of ideas) within a transdisciplinary framework.
Develop argumentative and critical thinking skills in relation to current environmental and socio-ecological transformations.
Produce individual or collaborative reflections (written work, presentations, creative projects) that link theoretical insights with political imagination in the context of the planetary crisis.

There are no prerequisites for participation in this course.

The workshop is divided into a series of thematic sessions, which each year address specific perspectives related to the Anthropocene. The programme includes the participation of external guests from the academic and artistic world, with the aim of enriching the discussion and promoting transdisciplinary exchange.
For the current academic year, the focus will be on the Anthropocene nuclear, analysed through historical, theoretical and aesthetic lenses. In addition to the teacher Giulia Rispoli, the workshop will host: - Marko M. Marila, media and cultural scientist, - Tea Andreoletti, artist and essayist.
Participants will be invited to reflect critically on the role of the nuclear imaginary in constituting the planetary present.

The texts will be provided by the speakers themselves and will be made available to students via Google Drive before and after the seminar.

The exam consists of a short essay in which you develop an independent thought reflecting on the topics discussed in class and covered in the available readings.

written

The final assessment is based on active participation in class, the quality of critical reflection and the final project. Grades are given out of thirty. The minimum mark to pass the course is 18/30 and the maximum is 30/30, with honours for particularly meritorious projects.

The workshop combines frontal teaching, discussion, analysis of texts and audiovisual material, and moments of exchange with scholars and visiting artists/scholars. The approach is dialogical and participatory: constant interaction is encouraged to promote a collective space for critical reflection.