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Download a zip file that includes all the web pages and downloadable files from the instructor's materialsInstructor Materials: Overview of the Cli-Fi: Climate Science in Literary Texts Module
Summative Assessment: In the summative assessment, students write a three-page reflection paper that focuses on the analysis of graphs and interpretations (from Unit 2), in addition to analyzing their classmates' graphs/blogs. They will identify the interactions of the different Earth spheres related to the climate change issues presented. In addition, they will reflect upon the connection of the climate data to fictional works. Learn more about assessing student learning in this module.
Unit 1 Overview of Earth's Climate System
In Unit 1, students are introduced to basic concepts related to Earth's climate system. Students examine data sets that are provided and analyze those data.
Unit 2 Communicating Climate 1: The Science of Climate Change
In Unit 2, students have the opportunity to create and interpret their own graphs of climate change data that complement the short stories that follow. This unit provides students with a deeper understanding of the climate change data available and develops their ability to interpret those data. Students also practice their scientific communication skills as they interpret climate change data for a non-scientific audience using a blog.
Unit 3 Communicating Climate Part 2: Literary Representations of Climate Change
In Unit 3, students are introduced to climate change literary genres through class discussion. Students complete a brief rhetorical analysis and will be able to distinguish the differences in the types of texts and describe how those texts engage the readers about climate change concepts.
Unit 4 Read and Analyze a Short Story
In Unit 4, students apply their knowledge of "cli-fi" when provided with a fictional short story. After reading a short story, students will be able to discuss the climate change significance of the story and explain its literary context.
Unit 5 Literary Representation of a Grand Societal Challenge
In Unit 5, students share their graphs (from Unit 2) with group members and assess their peers' descriptions. The students then compare and contrast the strategies employed for presenting climate change information to the general public in the form of graphs and "cli-fi" short stories. For this analysis, the students will use the example short story for Unit 4 and their experience with graph creation. Finally, the students will discuss the similarities and differences of their impressions of climate change issues from the short story and the graph descriptions.
Making the Module Work
This module uses a scaffolding approach and stresses the importance of the higher-level thinking required within the units. In order to make this module work, we strongly recommend following each unit in order. We developed this module with the expectation that it will be part of an interdisciplinary course that would lend itself to a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds. If taught in a humanities course, concepts related to a rhetorical analysis may be already covered, and therefore Units 3 and 4 may take less time and direction than when it is embedded in a science course. Conversely, when taught in a science course, Units 1 and 2 may take less time. We encourage all courses to complete each unit, regardless of the type of course, so that the scaffolding approach works for all students, independent of background knowledge. The module is designed to work well in both online and face-to-face course formats.
To adapt all or part of the Cli-Fi: Climate Science in Literary Texts module for your classroom, you will also want to read through:
- Instructor Stories, which detail how the Cli-Fi module was adapted for use at three different institutions, as well as our guide to
- Adapting InTeGrate Modules and Courses for Your Classroom, which outlines how to effectively use InTeGrate modules and courses.
