Anthropocene
The popularity of the term ‘Anthropocene’ reflects our growing interest in human-environment relationships. How significant is our impact on the earth? How did our interaction with other species evolve to today’s reliance on industrial agriculture? Understanding how the Anthropocene emerged, evolved, and how its many facets manifest themselves in ‘natural’ and ‘social’ phenomena - from soil formation to the rise and fall of empires - is critical to dealing with our current global challenges.
The Anthropocene is a topic that is relevant to almost all disciplines, and human impact on the environment is increasingly addressed by policy makers worldwide. We bring together an interdisciplinary group of experts from geography, archaeology, ecology, law, psychology, and political science to engage with the participants through lectures, discussions, excursions, and fieldwork. During the week you will learn how archaeologists, geographers, and ecologists study our impact on landscapes and oceans, and how legal and political scientists, psychologists and anthropologists implement the Anthropocene knowledge to improve environmental policies and behavior.
The first part of the summer school will take place at Groningen University with a combination of guest lectures, exploration of laboratory specimens and excursions in the city and its surroundings. During the second part of the week we will stay on the island of Schiermonnikoog, where we will explore human influence in a seemingly natural setting. During the week there will be ample time to reflect on the topics discussed, collect and analyse data as part of a group, and develop your own perspective in relation to the Anthropocene.
This week will increase your awareness of human impact in different settings, and teach you how to read landscapes and societal issues as pieces of the Anthropocene. In addition, you will have obtained a toolkit to apply the theories related to this topic in the context of your own discipline.
Practical information
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Dates
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3 - 8 July 2023
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Location
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Groningen and Schiermonnikoog (a small Wadden Sea island) |
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Level
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3rd year BA/MA/PhD/Early career researchers/Practitioners |
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Fees
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Regular summer school fee: € 420 (including: welcome tour and drinks, lunch, coffee and tea, return boat trip to Schiermonnikoog, full board accommodation on Schiermonnikoog, summer school dinner with lecturers) Discount fee for RUG students: €320 (limited availability, on the basis of first come first served) Accommodation in Groningen, Sunday 2 July until Wednesday 5 July in shared rooms, can be arranged through us (limited availability, on the basis of first come first served). If you are interested in booking accommodation for the first nights via the Summer School please indicate this in the application form. One scholarship covering the summer school fees will be made available, you can apply for this by adding a section in your motivation letter explaining your need for a scholarship. |
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Academic coordinators
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Daniella Vos (Faculty of Spatial Sciences) |
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Contact |
anthropoceneschool rug.nl |
Requirements
As the nature of this course is cross-disciplinary, no domain specific prior knowledge is required. The focus will be on participating in a scientific debate. This type of activity usually relates to a postgraduate (master / PhD) level, but highly motivated undergraduate students may apply.
It is expected that the participants have a sufficient command of the English language to actively participate in the discussions and to present their own work in English.
Workload
Preparatory work: 10 hours
Data collection and analysis during summer school: 11 hours
Lectures, excursions and fieldwork: 35 hours
Upon successful completion of the programme, the Summer School offers a Certificate of Attendance that mentions the workload of 56 hours (28 hours corresponds to 1 ECTS). Students can apply for recognition of these credits to the relevant authorities in their home institutions, therefore the final decision on awarding credits is at the discretion of their home institutions. We will be happy to provide any necessary information that might be requested in addition to the certificate of attendance.
Introduction to Lecturers
Daniella Vos, Assistant Professor Cultural Geography, RUG. Expertise: human-environment interaction in the past and present, human and physical geography.
Canan Çakirlar, Senior Lecturer in Zooarchaeology and Head of zooarchaeology research group, Groningen Institute of Archaeology, RUG. Expertise: environmental archaeology, historical ecology, human-animal interactions.
John Mac Marston, Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology and Director of Archaeology Program at Boston University. Expertise: long-term sustainability of agriculture and land use, archaeologies of empire and environment.
Lisette de Senerpont Domis, Professor of aquatic ecology and head of the Aquatic Knowledge centre Wageningen at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Professor by special appointment at the University of Twente. Expertise: the effects of human-induced global changes on aquatic ecosystems.
Ethemcan Turhan, Assistant Professor Environmental Planning, RUG. Expertise: political ecology, climate justice and energy democracy.
Willemien de Kock, Postdoctoral research, Faculty of Arts, RUG. Expertise: historical ecology, marine conservation, marine cultural heritage, ancient DNA, stable isotope ecosystems
John Hoeks, Professor, Faculty of Arts, RUG. Expertise: Communication studies, environmental studies
Gunnar Mallon, Assistant Professor Physical Geography, RUG. Expertise: environmental science, palaeoecology, AI.
Course schedule
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Sunday 2 July |
15.00-18.00: Scavenger hunt and drinks |
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Monday 3 July |
Introduction lectures |
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Tuesday 4 July |
Lectures on environmental policy and psyhology |
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Wednesday 5 July |
Travel to Schiermonnikoog |
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Thursday 6 July |
Preparation lectures on physical geography |
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Friday 7 July |
Morning off |
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Saturday 8 July |
Reflection morning |
Learning outcomes
After this course you will:
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Better understand how human interaction with their environments and other species shaped our current lifestyles and impacted our environment
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Be able to identify anthropogenic influence in a variety of settings
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Have developed a reflection of the how the Anthropocene relates to developments in your field
Workload
Preparatory work: 10 hours
Data collection and analysis during summer school: 11 hours
Lectures, excursions and fieldwork: 35 hours
Upon successful completion of the programme, the Summer School offers a Certificate of Attendance that mentions the workload of 56 hours (28 hours corresponds to 1 ECTS). Students can apply for recognition of these credits to the relevant authorities in their home institutions, therefore the final decision on awarding credits is at the discretion of their home institutions. We will be happy to provide any necessary information that might be requested in addition to the certificate of attendance.
Application procedure
To apply, kindly fill out the online application form. Please note that you will be asked to upload the following documents:
- Curriculum Vitae (max. 2 pages)
- Motivation letter, clearly stating why you want to join this summer school, what you will bring to the school and what you hope to learn (max. 1 page)
The deadline for application is 15 May 2023. Selected applicants will be informed by 19 May 2023. Applications will be reviewed after the deadline has passed and the go/no go moment is 19 May 2023.
| Last modified: | 28 April 2023 10.04 a.m. |