This short course in climate fiction (“Cli-Fi”) is the ultimate academic book club for college educators in all disciplines and position types: faculty, counselors, student affairs, librarians, staff and administrators. Are you a non-literary type who has never attended a book club? Or a bookworm who is obsessed with Cli-Fi? Somewhere in between? Everyone is welcome to attend and address the question: How can fiction help to stimulate new thinking and conversations about our planetary predicament? 

The interdisciplinary short course in literary fiction will take place over 5 monthly meetings, with the last session for those who wish to design an assignment or course of their own. The first session, a webinar open to all, will provide an overview of this genre which is changing the landscape of literary fiction. Participants will then read one book a month from a curated book list of the most teachable novels that integrate science, economics, engineering, psychology, into humanities, communication, and storytelling to imagine a new future. A monthly discussion allows participants to meet new colleagues from other institutions and share ideas and interpretations as well as hear from guest speakers. 

Participants will: 

• Gain an overview of the genres of climate fiction; 
• Learn speed reading techniques and how to create time to read more;  
• Practice discussion techniques with other sustainability champions; 
• Engage with faculty from a variety of disciplines including science, humanities, and social sciences;
• Integrate imagination and the envisioning of climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience.

Key Details

Course participants will meet virtually on the first Thursday of the month from 2:45–4:00 p.m. EDT starting on August 4 and continuing through December 1 (exception is November 10).

The course is preceded by a free introductory webinar on June 29. All course participants are required to participate or watch the recording of the webinar prior to the first meeting and read the first book before August 4. See detailed schedule below.

Registration Fees* 

* To check if your organization is a current AASHE member, please search the AASHE Membership Directory.

Discounts are available for group registration. A limited number of scholarships are available to individuals who need financial assistance to participate. Please apply two weeks before the program begins (i.e., 7/21/2022) to be considered for a scholarship for this workshop.

Registration Policies:

• Registration deadline is Thursday, August 4, 12:00 p.m. ET.
• Payment is accepted in the form of Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover cards.
  If you need to pay by check or ACH, please contact us at least 5 weeks prior to the event start date. Registration using these forms of payment must be received 4 weeks prior to the event start date and full payment must be received by AASHE within 2 weeks of event start date.
• Cancellation Policy: A 20% processing fee applies to any cancellation prior to July 25, 2022. No refunds will be given after July 25, 2022.
• No substitutions are allowed.
• Registered participants will receive access to the recording after the live event.
• Review all Terms & Conditions.

Instructor

Krista Hiser, Professor, Kapi’olani Community College 

Your course instructor is Krista Hiser, an English professor who facilitates the AASHE “Ultimate Cli-Fi Book Club for Sustainability in Higher Education” (see 2021 archives), authors the blog, “Ultimate Cli Fi Book Club” and has been an obsessive reader of post-apocalyptic and climate themed fiction for many years. 

She published an essay in 2010 called Pedagogy of the Apocalypse, and she was recently featured on Episode 51 of Citizens Climate Radio “Art and Identity in a Time of Climate Change”. She is interested in how fiction can help students visualize sustainability solutions and the issues and impacts of our climate predicament. 

2022 Book Club Themes and Novels 

June 29: Cli Fi, Sci Fi, and the Culture of Sustainability
Free Webinar

An overview of the emerging genre of Climate Fiction and its function in Literature and Environmental Humanities. What makes a teachable novel? How can literature be used across disciplines and in extracurricular settings? Bonus: speedreading techniques and facilitating interdisciplinary dialogue.

August 4: How to Save the Planet using Every Academic Discipline?
Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
Engineering, Economics, Ethics, Environment

Kim Stanley Robinson’s epic world-building tale describes a crazy-quilt of solutions that come together to reduce carbon in the atmosphere. We’ll discuss these solutions from the perspectives of economics, engineering, environmental impact, and ethics. What does your academic discipline bring to the table? 

September 1: Anthem
Anthem by Noah Hawley (2022)
September is National Suicide Awareness Month

This difficult novel describes a pandemic of youth suicide and the surreal adventure of a group of young people who break through the weirdness. We’ll discuss how colleges and universities are addressing climate anxiety and mental heath for young adults. 

October 4: Fire & Water: Stories from the Anthropocene
Fire & Water: Stories from the Anthropocene

Short Fiction. In a conversation with the editors and authors of these short stories, we’ll discuss favorite stories and how they could be used on campus or in the classroom. 

November 10: Equity and Migration
World in Winter (1968) by John Christopher

A classic from before cli-fi was “a thing”, this novel flips our understanding of global warming and raises issues of displacement and equity. Who will move where, and why?

December 1: What Next?

How to integrate climate fiction on your campus, what to read next, cultivating imagination, future-vision, and storytelling capacities. This will be a working meeting for any participants working on a course design, assignment, or book club project of their own. Consult with other teachers, counselors, and librarians to inform their assignment.