ILN2303 – Writing, Nature, and Eco-Emotions

Course content

Using works from across the world and time, we will explore how humans have portrayed and dealt with nature, environmental changes, and the emotions these drum up. Using practical and theoretical methods, we will learn what eco-emotions are, how they appear across different literatures and disciplines, and various ways writers use them as tools for activism, empathy, and understanding the world. Finally, we will learn how to express and use our own eco-emotions through creative writing.

Learning outcome

On successful completion of this course, you should be able to:?

Knowledge Outcomes:?

  • Identify different uses for creative expressions of eco-emotions and environmental change.?
  • Learn how different world cultures, from medieval to modern, have used writing and reading of literature to deal with and better understand human-nature relationships, on emotional, cognitive, and physical levels.?
  • Critically analyze scientific and creative texts from different epochs, geographies, and disciplines.?

Skills Outcomes:?

  • Write creatively and convincingly at a beginner to intermediate level with a focus on depicting eco-emotions.?
  • Apply methods from the humanities and sciences to deciphering past and contemporary approaches to creatively portraying eco-emotions and environmental changes.?
  • Articulate arguments and creative feedback based on complex causal, textual, and scientific evidence in workshops and seminars.?
  • Improve creative works using internal and external feedback.?

Admission to the course

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for?in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures.

This course is?available for students admitted to the Sustainability Certificate.

  • A background of at least 30 credits in humanities or social sciences.
  • A good ability to read, write and understand English.
  • An interest in creative writing

Overlapping courses

Teaching

The course will be taught in six three-hour sessions and one two-hour introduction. The classes will most often consist of one hour of seminar, followed by two hours of creative writing practice. The course includes two local field trips for nature-inspired writing.

As the group discussions, workshops, and seminars require a solid understanding of the course texts, careful in-depth reading of the material provided is essential for taking this course. Occasionally, close readings will be assigned for outside of class and discussed in the next class. During the course, students will write their own short pieces and later present works written outside of class in writing workshops held in the second half of classes.

Resources and information in this course will be given in?Canvas.

Compulsory assignments:

  • Students will write one creative analysis paper (two to four pages, not including citations and works cited) consisting of a fictional interaction (ex. a dialogue over dinner) between characters or authors of disparate works. The paper should creatively compare and contrast different approaches to writing eco-emotions across time and cultures. One work should be covered in class, while the second work should be an external piece related to those discussed on the course. If accepted - subject to possible revisions, this will qualify students for the final exam.

  • During this course, participants shall write a portfolio of creative pieces consisting of short shorties, flash fiction, and poems. Participants will get feedback from peers and course leaders in workshops. For their final exam, students will submit one workshopped and edited short story, a set of flash fiction pieces, set of poems, or combination of all three.

  • All participants will read aloud small portions of their creative pieces in workshop and provide feedback on their peers’ work.

In order to sit for the exam, you must have completed these compulsory assignments and passed the mandatory attendance mark for the course. The compulsory activity/assignment must be completed in the same semester as you take the exam.

Guidelines on compulsory activity at HF

Course Attendance:

For the 5 ECTS course, you are only required to attend and do the readings for 2 of the 5 lecture and workshops. The first lecture and final workshop and feedback sessions are mandatory and do not count towards the 2 lecture and workshop requirement.

Examination

The course is assessed by a portfolio of creative works. Your portfolio must not exceed 3500 words, seven pages of poems, or ten pages of combined poetry and fiction (that still remains within the word count). Fiction must be written in Times New Roman, 12pt font (or a similar font, such as 11pt Georgia) if combined with poetry. All works should be in 1pt or 1.15pt line spacing.

Examination support material

As this class involves creative writing, AI/KI usage is not permitted for any submitted work. Additionally, and more importantly, AI/KI has extremely detrimental environmental impacts, ranging from immense greenhouse gas emissions to widespread water depletion. As this course is, at its heart, about preventing climate and environmental change, any AI/KI usage on this course will result in a failure.?

Language of examination

The examination text is given in English and Norwegian, and you can submit your response in English, Norwegian, Swedish, and/or Danish.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is failing. Read more about?the grading system.

More about examinations at UiO

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.

Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) Nov. 18, 2025 8:49:11 AM

Facts about this course

Level
Bachelor
Credits
5
Teaching
Spring
Examination
Spring
Teaching language
English

Contact

Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies