“For us the red glow of the sunset should be as much part of nature as are the molecules and electric waves by which men of science would explain the phenomenon.”
Formed in 2009, a group of geologists called the Anthropocene Working Group investigated evidence suggesting that our world had entered a new geological era distinct from the almost 12,000-year long Holocene. The evidence included test samples from the earth’s geological record indicating the ubiquitous presence of both fossil fuel particles and plutonium from weapons testing. The working group concluded in 2016 with the affirmation that, indeed, the Anthropocene had began in 1950.
Meanwhile, a group of continental philosophers began assembling approaches (first at a few conferences and later on blogs) to a set of ideas loosely called “speculative realism”. These speculative realists rejected correlationism, a historically sticky assertion that as humans, our ability to think is inextricably correlated to our small sliver of human being. For correlationism, we have no access to the vast non-human universes of experience. Working against and apart from the deep roots of correlationism, speculative realists turned to heterodox philosophical practices to devise new work that attempted to decorrelate thinking from the limits of anthropocentrism.
These two independent and related events continue to make massive impacts on art, architecture, and design practices in the west. On one hand, the relatively technical term speculative realism gave birth to more popular philosophical offshoots such as new materialism(s) and object-oriented ontology. New avenues were left in SR’s wake that allowed for older conceptual projects like panpsychism, posthumanism, accelerationism, and the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead to be revived in a new context. With new movements such as “acid communism”, one might have felt like philosophers and artists were in the same creative business. What is clear is that by operating at the limits of human thought, these diverse ideas allow creative practitioners to situate their work as a critical and inquiring engagement with the non-human world.
It is none other than the anthropocene itself that sets these stakes. In the face of planetary catastrophe, ecocide, and a climate refugee crisis, many creative practitioners feel impelled to make work that is impactful in this domain. Philosopher and scientist Isabelle Stengers writes that the anthropocene signals “the intrusion of Gaia”, whose forcing us to think and feel anew portends the possibility of new kinds of politics sufficient to this moment. Like every aspect of our social life on earth, art, architecture, and design practices are in crisis. Instead of looking for answers or solutions, the speculative realisms and streams of thought adjacent to it provide a different set of questions. How can creative practice catalyze the intrusion of Gaia? How can we create moments for it to be felt and thought? How can arts practice reinvent how to be human in relation to a world demanding we reinvent ourselves?
This course charts a path through the various domains of political, aesthetic, and metaphysical theorization of the human and its place in the more-than-human universe. This will include considerations of ecology, human-animal relations, modern science and climate modeling, invisible phenomena such as sound and the electromagnetic spectrum, plant phenomenology, and contemporary theorizations of nature which do not privilege the human. Students will learn how to rigorously study challenging texts, prepare points for the discussion, and research their context in the sphere of art, design, architecture and contemporary thought. Students will be assessed through an in-class presentation and a final paper. In their writing, they will deploy a theoretical framework in relation to the course’s topics through which they discuss creative practice, whether their own, artists’ discussed in class, or others.
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>UIC is committed to full inclusion and participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of university life. If you face or anticipate disability-related barriers while at UIC, please connect with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at drc.uic.edu, via email at drc@uic.edu, or call (312) 413-2183 to create a plan for reasonable accommodations. In order to receive accommodations, you will need to disclose the disability to the DRC, complete an interactive registration process with the DRC, and provide me with a Letter of Accommodation (LOA). Upon receipt of an LOA, I will gladly work with you and the DRC to implement approved accommodations.
“UIC values diversity and inclusion. Regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, geographic background, religion, political ideology, language, or culture, we expect all members of this class to contribute to a respectful, welcoming, and inclusive environment for every other member of our class. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion, engagement, accurate assessment or achievement, please notify me or your TA as soon as possible.”
In accordance with Illinois state laws and with respect for cultural diversity, we will make every effort to avoid scheduling examinations or requiring student projects be turned in or completed on religious holidays. Students who wish to observe their religious holidays must notify the instructor by the tenth day of the term that they will be absent unless their religious holiday is observed on or before the tenth day, in such case students must notify instructor at least five days in advance of the date when he or she will be absent. UIC’s Policy on religious holidays and Religious Calendar
The UIC School of Art & Art History is committed to creating a safe space in our classrooms that is a welcoming, supportive, and safe environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students. See also: UIC’s Nondiscrimination Policy, Open Expressions Policy, and SAAH’s Allyship Booklet.
Images of projects created in this course may be used for educational purposes, including instruction in future courses and promotion of the School, College or University. If you have concerns about sharing or distributing any of your work for these purposes, please discuss these with your instructor.
In accordance with UIC policies, any student caught copying homework, plagiarizing a paper, or any copying visual material without giving appropriate credit will:
The College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts (CADA) strives to safeguard the privacy of its faculty, students, prospective students, and employees in online learning environments and other online events and activities hosted or sponsored by the College.
The College may record online events for internal use and faculty may record and post live online lectures on Blackboard, UIC's internal Content Management System; those recordings are permitted under these guidelines. However, the meeting host should endeavor to give notice whenever an online class or event is being recorded. If any student is identifiable in an image or recording from an online class, distributing that content publicly (i.e., outside of password protected Blackboard) may constitute a violation of the educational record protections provided under FERPA.
Individuals who suspect a violation has occurred should report that matter to Assistant Dean Dina Taylor (dltaylor@uic.edu) or Associate Dean Cheryl Towler Weese (cheryltw@uic.edu).
Occasionally, class sessions may be recorded via Zoom (or a similar platform) for the purposes of study / review or for students who are unable to attend an in-class session. Your instructor will inform you if they plan to record the lecture. The “record” feature for students will be disabled so that no one may be able to record the session without your knowledge. Recording in-class lectures without the permission of the instructor is not permitted.
If you have privacy concerns and do not wish to appear in lecture recordings, you may turn OFF your video and notify the instructor. If you prefer to use a pseudonym on screen instead of your name, please let the instructor know what name you will be using, so that they can identify you during the class session. If you wish to ask a question but don’t want your name to appear in the chat, you may direct-message the instructor through the chat feature. If you have questions or concerns about this video recording policy, please contact the instructor before the end of the first week of class.
These guidelines do not restrict a student's right to record lectures or download content pursuant to the assistive technology accommodations outlined by the UIC Disability Resource Center.
It is also important to maintain a learning environment where everyone feels comfortable participating. To protect these interests, students and other participants may not copy, record, reproduce, screenshot, photograph, or distribute the following content:
Any attempt to disrupt an online course or event (e.g., "Zoombombing") or to use the College's online platforms to introduce malware or gain unpermitted access to files or networks is prohibited and may violate other University policies depending on the nature of manner of the conduct. Students who violate this policy may be subject to disciplinary action under the UIC Student Disciplinary Policy.
The Student Disciplinary Policy is the University's process to handle allegations of misconduct by UIC Students. The Student Disciplinary Policy addresses both academic misconduct (such as plagiarism, cheating, or grade tampering) and behavioral misconduct (such as theft, assault, under-age drinking, and drug-use.) See also: Guidelines for Academic Integrity