CLIMATE FUTURISM
Exploring CliFi Through Digital Literacy, Interdisciplinary Fieldwork, and Multimodal Learning
A Summer Institute for 6-12 English Teachers Funded by the
National Endowment for the Humanities
Introducing Human/Nature
We welcomed 25 grades 6-12 teachers to the Sonoma State University campus in Northern California in the Summer of 2023. Visit our Faculty page to learn more about the scholars, naturalists, and artists who worked with the Institute.
Learn about our innovative approach to exploring alternative futures through literature and scientific inquiry with Literacy Unbound strategies.
The Future, Shaped through Stories
Our journey begins with Octavia E. Butler’s sci-fi classic, Parable of the Sower. Often categorized as dystopian literature, Sower’s teenage protagonist, Lauren Olamina, imagines a hopeful future for humankind through her religion, Earthseed. Embrace change and adapt! Then, we move through a range of stories including young adult literature and nonfiction all while learning about climate inquiry “in place.” In an interview, Butler said she based the Parables on current events. Thus, we hope to inspire teachers to use current events, scientific inquiry, and local knowledge to inspire new stories. Let’s imagine alternative futures for life on our planet.
Illustration from the cover of Parable of the Sower, Time Warner
NEH at Sonoma State
“Human/Nature: An Exploration of Place, Stories, and Climate Futurism” is a combined format 3-week summer institute sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. With in-person and virtual convenings, the institute will be held virtually from May 12 to June 10, 2023, and in-person from June 12-23, 2023, on Sonoma State University’s campus as well as through field trips to various locations in northern California, and again virtually from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.
While our institute’s curriculum is targeted at an interdisciplinary approach for middle and high school English teachers, we encourage any K-12 colleagues who may be interested in applying to do so. Also, per NEH guidelines, we have discretion to “admit a limited number of educators who work outside the K-12 classroom and who can demonstrate that their participation will advance project goals and enhance their professional work.”
