The term Anthropocene was officially introduced in 2000 by atmospheric chemist  Paul  Crutzen  and  biologist  Eugene  Stoermer  in  a  newsletter  that  was  part  of  the  International Geosphere-­‐Biosphere Program (IGBP).  With  this  notion they suggested that humanity has steered the planet into a new geological epoch and  argued  that  the  awareness  of  human  impact  over  nature  was  not  new;  rather, it reached back into time.

This seminar is dedicated to exploring the notion of the Anthropocene from a perspective that interlaces sciences and humanities. It  aims  at  discussing  the  context  in  which  the  Anthropocene  emerged  as  a  scientific, social and cultural theory, and the main narratives that characterize the  scientific  debate  about  the  global  human  influence  on  Earth  in  a  period  ranging  from  the  end  of  the  19th  century  throughout  the  course  of  the  20th century. It  will  discuss  sources,  ideas  and  practices  that  since  the  19th  century  address imbalances  deriving  from  man–nature  interactions,  ranging  from  accounts  of  the  Earth  as  a  self-­‐regulating  system  whose  equilibrium  can  be  affected  by human’s agency to less deliberate and more local forms of reflection.

In  our  weekly  meetings,  we  will  read  and  comment  on  several  short  articles  that  exemplify  approaches  and discourses  related  to  the  Anthropocene,  its  contexts  and  narratives.  The  exploration  of  these  texts  should  suggest  the  types  of  topics  and  issues  that students might pursue in their own seminar papers.

קורס מרוכז של שישה שבועות 8/12/17-12/1/18