ILN2302 – Writing, Nature, and Eco-Emotions

On successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Identify different uses for creative expressions of eco-emotions and environmental change.
• Write creatively and convincingly at a beginner to intermediate level with a focus on depicting eco-emotions.
• Learn how different world cultures, from medieval to modern, have used writing and reading of literature to deal with and better understand human-nature relationships, on emotional, cognitive, and physical levels.
• Critically analyze scientific and creative texts from different epochs, geographies, and disciplines.
• Apply methods from the humanities and sciences to deciphering past and contemporary approaches to creatively portraying eco-emotions and environmental changes.
• Articulate arguments and creative feedback based on complex causal, textual, and scientific evidence in workshops and seminars.
• Improve creative works using internal and external feedback.

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

• A background of at least 30 credits in humanities or social sciences.
• A good ability to read, write and understand English.
• An interest in creative writing

The course will be taught in six three-hour sessions and one two-hour introduction. The classes will most often consist of one hour of seminar, followed by two hours of creative writing practice. The course includes two local field trips for nature-inspired writing.

As the group discussions, workshops, and seminars require a solid understanding of the course texts, careful in-depth reading of the material provided is essential for taking this course. Occasionally, close readings will be assigned for outside of class and discussed in the next class. During the course, students will write their own short pieces and later present works written outside of class in writing workshops held in the second half of classes.

Resources and information in this course will be given in Canvas.

Compulsory assignments:

• Students will write one creative analysis paper (two to four pages, not including citations and works cited) consisting of a fictional interaction (ex. a dialogue over dinner) between characters or authors of disparate works. The paper should creatively compare and contrast different approaches to writing eco-emotions across time and cultures. One work should be covered in class, while the second work should be an external piece related to those discussed on the course. If accepted - subject to possible revisions, this will qualify students for the final exam.
• During this course, participants shall write a portfolio of creative pieces consisting of short shorties, flash fiction, and poems. Participants will get feedback from peers and course leaders in workshops. For their final exam, students will submit one short story, a set of flash fiction pieces, set of poems, or combination of all three.
• All participants will read aloud small portions of their creative pieces in workshop and provide feedback on their peers’ work.

In order to sit for the exam, you must have completed these compulsory assignments and passed the mandatory attendance mark for the course. The compulsory activity/assignment must be completed in the same semester as you take the exam.

Guidelines on compulsory activity at HF