Climate Narrative Prize

Climate Narratives Prize
Judging

The stories nominated for the Climate Narrative Prize will be explored and studied in a new, interdisciplinary upper division and graduate course at Arizona State University,  “Climate Narratives, Apocalypse and Social Change.” Students will evaluate and discuss the works and ultimately serve as the judges for the prize. This fall 2021 course was created with assistance by a grant from the Luce/ACLS Program in Religion, Journalism & International Affairs.

As the course will explore, apocalyptic narratives are rooted in particular traditions of American religiosity and morality and have become a staple of climate change writing. Yet the very pervasiveness of apocalyptic thinking in the American grain — in essays, books, documentaries and even Hollywood movies — may in fact make these narratives less alarming rather than more. Throughout the semester, we will consider the origins of apocalyptic narratives while also studying a variety of alternative approaches from the history of writing for social change. 

This interdisciplinary course will be cross-listed across multiple ASU schools, including the School for the Future of Innovation in Society (College of Global Futures); School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences); School of Social Transformation (CLAS); and the Department of English (CLAS). Professor of Practice Steven Beschloss and Assistant Professor Sarah Viren will co-teach the course.