The Horror of Deep Time
The Horror of Deep Time Vanishing species, hostile climates, plagues that engulf planets – the looming dread of our current world can be paralyzing. In this course, we will cultivate curiosity as a technique for confronting such phenomena by looking to those who regularly face the limits of human knowledge: scientists and the protagonists of cosmic horror. Paleontology provides the ideal toolkit for grappling with overwhelming timescales, worlds without humans, and bizarre lifeforms. We will combine works by Lovecraft, Thacker, VanderMeer, and others with visits to spaces of science (e.g., fossil outcrops, molecular laboratories) to engage with the simultaneous beauty and terror inherent to discovery. Projects that blend scientific, environmental, and creative writing will allow students to explore darkness as an empowering opportunity to shine light.
The Horror of Deep Time Vanishing species, hostile climates, plagues that engulf planets – the looming dread of our current world can be paralyzing. In this course, we will cultivate curiosity as a technique for confronting such phenomena by looking to those who regularly face the limits of human knowledge: scientists and the protagonists of cosmic horror. Paleontology provides the ideal toolkit for grappling with overwhelming timescales, worlds without humans, and bizarre lifeforms. We will combine works by Lovecraft, Thacker, VanderMeer, and others with visits to spaces of science (e.g., fos …Read more
I found this course both strange and fascinating, its focus an unconventional combination of distant times, and especially disasters of the distant past, and of horror literature—which was presented as an exploration of concepts which are challenging or even impossible to contemplate directly. Assignments tend to range between scientific exploration/writing with creative elements to creative projects with scientific elements; there was relatively little emphasis on standard essay writing. Though I would not have previously described myself as a fan of either horror or morbid events of the distant past, I have ended up enjoying this course greatly, and I would strongly recommend it for any who enjoy some amount of both science and creativity. Or any who would like to see how the bizarre and unexpected still lie below the surface of even the most mundane-seeming things.
I found this course both strange and fascinating, its focus an unconventional combination of distant times, and especially disasters of the distant past, and of horror literature—which was presented as an exploration of concepts which are challenging or even impossible to contemplate directly. Assignments tend to range between scient …Read more
This course was not on a topic I would have ever chosen, but it was interesting nonetheless. We read and thought about worlds before and after humans and how to grapple with these realities. I ran things to say but I need the character count :)