Vanderbilt professor Edward Rubin teaching two cli-fi classes this Spring Semester: one to oldest students on campus, the other to youngest students on campus

 

 

Vanderbilt professor Edward Rubin teaching two cli-fi classes this Spring 2016 Semester: one to oldest students on campus, the other to youngest students on campus. Goal is to build a constituency, says fomer dean of the law school.

One class meets on Thursdays and has an enrollment of 50 senior citizens enrolled in the cli-fi class as part of the OSHER program for older students nationwide.

The other class is a freshman introduction to cli-fi novels and movies.

So with these two classes, Rubin is teaching both the oldest students at Vanderbilt this year as well as the youngest. There might be a good news story here for the New York Times national higher education beat desk, with perhaps Motoko Rich visiting the two classrooms fot a penetrating Times story. And if not the TIMES, then maybe the local Tennesseean newspaper might send in a reporter.
Or NPR's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. Or the local Reuters or AP offices in Nashville, where local resident Al Gore might even be coaxed into giving a quote or two on this.

Reporters? Start reporting!

FRESHMAN CLASS:
Rubin is teaching a freshman class whic is a combined literature and political science course at Vanderbilt this spring semeseter titled “Visions of the Future
in Cli-Fi.”

OSHER = OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute

CLASS TITLE:

Climate Change Literature: A New Fictional Genre about a Real Problem

Instructor: Ed Rubin, Professor of Law and Political Science, Vanderbilt University

CLASS SUMMARY: 

In recent years a new genre of modern novels has emerged -- climate change fiction, or "cli-fi." It now includes dozens, maybe hundreds of books, some in the science fiction mode, others realistic works set in contemporary times, but with a climate change theme. These books are often entertaining in themselves, but also reflect our society's effort to come to terms with an impending crisis. We'll approach these books as literature, but we'll also talk about the underlying issue of climate change, and what the novels say about it.

OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE AT VANDERBILT

CLIMATE CHANGE: 50 senior citizens signed up for this class !!!!!

 SCIENCE FICTION (CLI-FI) Spring Term, 2016:

Jan 21 to Feb 25

Edward Rubin

BOOKS TO TALK ABOUT:

Week 1 (Jan 21): Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction George Stewart, Earth Abides (Plague) Walter Miller, A Canticle for Liebowitz (Nuclear War) David Brin, The Postman (Nuclear War) John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids (Blindness) Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven (Plague) Week 2 (Jan 28): The Beginnings of Cli-Fi J.G. Ballard, The Drowned World Frederick Pohl & C.J. Kornbluth, The Space Merchants Philip Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Stanislas Lem, The Futurological Congress Week 3 (Feb. 4): Floods Kim Stanley Robinson, Forty Signs of Rain Nathaniel Rich, Odds Against Tomorrow Week 4 (Feb. 11): Genetic Engineering Paolo Bacigalupi, The Wind-Up Girl Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake Week 5 (Feb 18): Heat Edward Rubin, The Heatstroke Line Lisa Devaney, In Ark: A Promise of Survival Week 6 (Feb. 25): Escape Ian McEwan, Solar Jeanette Winterson, The Stone Gods Jim Laughter, Polar City Red

NOTE: I may add other books, and the floor will be open for comments about oth