Blog Post #4
SLS-France Fall 2023 Week 1
in Photos + "Ecocritical Threes"
August 28, 2023
Brigitte Stepanov
Cities in the time of the Anthropocene/ Capitalocene/Thermocene/Thanatocene/Plantocene/Chthulucene
Welcome to the first installment of "Ecocritical Threes," a brief three-point summary of the week's theory (in-class discussions) and practice (community engagement and experimental learning). The "Ecocritical Threes" series shares questions posed, reflections had, and anecdotes told, providing a glimpse into the interdisciplinary and intersectional thinking with which we are approaching climate change and climate justice this semester.
What does it mean to live in the time of the Anthropocene? Is the word "Anthropocene" appropriate for describing our current era? How might other terms (Capitalocene/Thermocene/Thanatocene/Plantocene/Chthulucene) better name our epoch?
While visiting Metz's many green spaces, we reflected on (over)consumption, waste, mobility, and accessibility: who has access to these green spaces? How do they contribute to well being? What politics are involved in "greening" cities?
At one point (during rush hour), we had trouble hearing each other due to the car traffic near us. This got us thinking about infrastructure, how to incentivize folks to take public transportation, and how designing cities to be pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly is key to building sustainable communities.
Learning about Metz's jardin éphémère and what will happen to the trees in this space come fall (they will be planted where most needed in the Moselle region).
On the first day of class, students discussed their interest in studying sustainability from an interdisciplinary standpoint, the volunteering and community engagement experiences they brought with them to the program, and their hopes for their time in France - and beyond.
Below, notepads for taking notes during our out-of-class experiences and a reusable bag for picking fruits and vegetables.
