By now, we have read environmentally-themed novels and short stories, we’ve discussed eco-imagery and climate communications, we’ve conducted deep critical analyses of a range of environmental issues, we’ve watched environmental films, and we’ve now for today skimmed the UN Paris Agreement and the Pope’s Encyclical Letter Laudato Si. The only thing we’ve not yet done is move our scholarship outside (into ‘nature’) and beyond the classroom (to the public social sphere). Today we’ll do both. Today your challenge is to participate in the local and global online conversations around environmental and climate change. On Thursday, then, we’ll discuss the Laudato Si, the UN Paris Agreement, and the environmental explorations you document today. <The schedule has been corrected to reflect our new plan>
For TODAY:
- Create a Twitter or Instagram account if you do not already have one. If you already have one but would prefer to create a new one for this assignment, please feel free.
- Send me via email the Twitter or Instagram handle you’ll be using today.
- Explore! From 3:05 – 4:20, explore the campus (East, West, and Central) and/or spaces off-campus (Duke Forest and the Eno River are great if you’ve never been) and document your environmental findings. Find a new outdoor space, take a new look at a favorite place, or go on an afternoon hike with your eyes trained toward your surroundings. Post images of what you see to your Instagram or Twitter account using the hashtag #ecolit290 + at least one of the following:
#climate
#climateselfie
#soilselfie
#everydayclimatechange
#climatechange
#environment
#globalwarming
#water
#renewableenergy
#climatejustice
#environmentaljustice
#oil
#sustainability
#recycle
#ActonClimate
#nature
#animal
#plant
#mineral
#humanschangingclimate
#anthropocene
As you post your photos and selfies, take note of tweets or Instagram posts that are using the same hashtag. See if you can get someone (or many someones) to retweet or regram you. Accumulate at least 10 high-quality microposts before the close of the course period. Questions? Email me, send me a chat message via gmail (amandastarling [at] gmail…), or send a DM via my @stargould Twitter account. I will be online and at the ready during our full course period, watching for your posts and waiting to answer any questions you may have. Bonus: You do not need to go to the classroom today. Just start your explorations when the course period begins. Don’t forget to send me your Twitter or Instagram account before you start and don’t forget to use #ecolit290 so that your posts will be counted toward your total.
