Cli-Fi: Climate Science in Literary Texts

Jennifer Hanselman (Westfield State University)
Rick Oches (Bentley University)
Jennifer Sliko (Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg)

Laura Wright (Western Carolina University)
Editor: Anne Egger (Central Washington University)

Initial Publication Date: March 7, 2016
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Author Profiles

This material was developed and reviewed through the InTeGrate curricular materials development process. (view details)

This material was developed and reviewed through the InTeGrate curricular materials development process. This rigorous, structured process includes:

team-based development to ensure materials are appropriate across multiple educational settings.
multiple iterative reviews and feedback cycles through the course of material development with input to the authoring team from both project editors and an external assessment team.
real in-class testing of materials in at least 3 institutions with external review of student assessment data.
multiple reviews to ensure the materials meet the InTeGrate materials rubric which codifies best practices in curricular development, student assessment and pedagogic techniques.
review by external experts for accuracy of the science content.

Summary

This module addresses both aspects of climate literacy: understanding of climate science through data analysis and interpretation, and understanding of literary tools and techniques through which climate science is portrayed. The module is designed to be completed in introductory natural science classes where literature is not typically included as well as in humanities classes where climate change science is not normally addressed. Students will engage in activities that address both climate change science and climate change literature, including graphing data, working in groups to analyze and interpret data, creating a concept map, conducting rhetorical analyses, and writing and responding to a blog.

Strengths of the Module

Students who learn with this module will:

Plot and interpret climate change data and relate interpretations to climate system interactions.
Rhetorically analyze the treatment of a climate change issue in a work of climate change literature.
Assess the value of both literature and scientific data in communicating the grand societal challenge represented by climate change.

In working with data, students will:

Download and graph climate-related data including precipitation, temperature, and sea ice extent using Excel.
Identify and describe trends in paleoclimatic and modern data.
Make use of different literary techniques to present data.

Show literacy principles and grand challenges addressed in this module

Supported Earth Science Literacy Principles:

Big idea 1: Earth scientists use repeatable observations and testable ideas to understand and explain our planet.

Supported Essential Principles of Climate Science:

Essential principle 4: Climate varies over space and time through both natural and man-made processes.
Essential principle 7: Climate change will have consequences for the Earth system and human lives.

Addressed grand challenges in earth and environmental science:

Recognizing the signal within the natural variability
Quantifying consequences, impacts, and effects
Effectively communicating uncertainty and relative risk

Addressed grand challenges in Earth system science for global sustainability:

Determine how to anticipate, avoid, and manage disruptive global environmental change.
Determine institutional, economic, and behavioral changes to enable effective steps toward global sustainability.
Encourage innovation (and mechanisms for evaluation) in technological, policy, and social responses to achieve global sustainability.

A great fit for courses in:

Environmental science
Environmental studies
Literature
Climate science
Science communication
Global change

Show me more about fitting this material into my course

This module is designed as an introduction to climate change and as an introduction to climate change literature. While this material is designed at an undergraduate level of instruction, it can be adapted to graduate level classes (see testing examples). This module can be used in a wide variety of classes -- in the humanities, social sciences, and earth, biological, natural, and environmental sciences -- that want to include climate change as part of the curricula. We have tested this module in an undergraduate literature classes (traditional/face-to-face), several undergraduate introductory, non-major geology classes (online and traditional), an undergraduate introductory, non-major environmental science and sustainability class (traditional), and a graduate level climate change class (online).

Instructor Stories: How this module was adapted
for use at several institutions »