OADD 2335 - The Idea of Nature: from Philosophical to Political Stakes.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the major environmental upheavals linked to human activities constitute a political, scientific, technological, anthropological and philosophical challenge, calling into question many of the certainties we thought were established about ourselves and nature. Facing these challenges also requires rethinking the place of humans in nature, developing new scenarios of interaction between societies and their environment and translating those into viable policies. This course aims at addressing the relationship between humanity and nature. It will do so both from a philosophical point of view and in relation to the way nature is governed through certain policy and political practices. It will mobilize insights from epistemology, history of ideas and cultural studies and will examine what those can teach us about current institutions and frameworks, in an interdisciplinary approach. At a time when the biosphere is undergoing major changes and humanity is asking itself questions about its own mutations, redefining the idea of nature in the light of both scientific and cultural knowledge is both a major academic challenge and a pressing political question. Learning Outcomes 1) Acquired knowledge: - Developping a critical understanding of current ecology from a philosophical, historical and political science perspective; - Further understanding the complexity of nature as a social concept and its use in different policy initiatives and visions. 2) Developed skills: - Seeing and using concepts as dynamic, historical objects ; - Building more informed reasonings about mankind's relationship with nature ; - Understanding the diversity of relationships and representations of nature and how it informs political positions about nature. Professional Skills - Analyzing ideas in a cultural and temporal context ; - Research and analysis ; - Critical thinking ; - Case building

Frédéric DUCARME

Séminaire

English

1. In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester 2. Reading and Preparation for Class: 6 hours a week / 72 hours a semester 3. Research and Preparation for Group Work: 1.5 hours a week / 18 hours a semester 4. Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester

Spring 2024-2025

Assessment: - 1 oral presentation : 50% - 1 written work : 50%

Pedagogical and feedback format: The class will consist in short lectures delivered by the teacher and followed by a debate with the students where key concepts and insights from the readings should be mobilized Additionally, each class will start with short student presentations where students are expected to propose their own answer to the session's theme, based on their readings of the core texts and additional resources.