FAD3115 Gender and Sustainability: Introducing Feminist Environmental Humanities 7.5 credits

The PhD course combines critical and creative perspectives on gender and sustainability from the emerging field of environmental humanities as it overlaps with science, humanities and art. It explores directions in sustainability research, art, technology and design related subjects from a set of feminist environmental humanities positions. The course provides an insight in theories of feminist environmental humanities and an orientation in their methodological trajectories across the fields of science, technology, art and design. Notions of different scientific traditions, paradigmatic shifts, and inter- and transdisciplinary research are presented and framed in ways that are particularly useful for PhD researchers pursuing environmental humanities studies and practice-based research in art, technology and design. PhD researchers are provided with an understanding of key concepts ‒ and the relationship between research questions, methods, objectives and outcomes ‒ through lectures, literature seminars, workshops and collaborative project work. The course introduces participants to thinking on reflexive and critical methodologies, qualitative and innovative methods, and performative research practices. On completion of the course, PhD researchers will be provided with tools to critically reflect over the epistemological and ethical challenges inherent to their own research practices.

On completion of the course, participants should be able to
- Describe and discuss central concepts theories and methods in the overlap of gender and sustainability research, STS and feminist environmental humanities, critically assess them in relation to foci, topics and aims, and analyse them in relation to their own subject areas.
- Describe and discuss inter- and transdisciplinary research practice, and have a historical view to disciplinary divisions and modern divides
- Critically reflect over how environmental and social complexity affect the preconditions for specific studies
- Critically reflect over their own research practices in view of epistemological and ethical challenges

To be eligible for the course, PhD researchers must have completed a mastersʼ degree or have an equivalent level of education in STS, history of science, technology and environment studies, gender studies, technology, art or design (such as architecture, planning, civil engineering, design, arts and crafts, or fine arts) or affiliated subjects within the humanities and social sciences.

Stacy Alaimo, “Introduction: Science Studies and the Blue Humanities, Configurations, 2019, 27:429-32;
Maria Puig de la Bellacasa, Matters of Care: Speculative Ethics in More than Human Worlds, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2017;
Jane Bennett, ”The Force of Things: Steps Toward an Ecology of Matter”, Political Theory, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Jun., 2004), pp. 347-372;
Amy Elias and Christian Moraru, The Planetary Turn: Relationality and Geoaesthetics in the Twenty-First Century, Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 2015;
Hiʼilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart and Tamara Kneese, “Radical Care: Survival Strategies for Uncertain Times”, Social Text 142 (2020) Vol. 38, No. 1;
Isabelle Stengers, "Introductory Notes on an Ecology of Practices", Cultural Studies Review 11, no. 1 (March 2005): 183- 196;
Cecilia Åsberg, Redi Koobak & Ericka Johnson, “Beyond the Humanist Imagination”, NORA ‒ Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 19:4, 2018-230;

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

• DEL1 - Participation, 2.5 credits, grading scale: P, F
• INL1 - Hand in assignment, 2.5 credits, grading scale: P, F
• SEM1 - Seminar, 2.5 credits, grading scale: P, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

The course is examined in three parts:
- Active participation in seminars and lectures (DEL1: 2,5 hp)
- Group and/or individual assignments (SEM1: 2,5 credits)
- Hand-in and present final assignment that shows the participant's ability to crictically reflect on their own research practices in view of epistemological and ethical challenges (INL1: 2,5 credits)

Meike Schalk

• All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
• In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
• In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.

This is an electable course for doctoral candidates in the programme Art, Technology, Design (KTD). However it is also open to other doctoral candidates that meet with the course prerequisites.