Ecocritical Literacy

Christian Rolle, PhD, is a Professor of Music Education at the University of Cologne, Germany, and serves as Vice Dean of Research and Innovation at the Faculty of Human Sciences. Dr. Rolle is involved in several international projects exploring how arts education can respond to social change. In his talk at Teachers College, he will present the project EcoLit, which is funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research and is part of the University of Cologne’s Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities network.

EcoLit assumes that the arts play a significant role in addressing the climate crisis. Aesthetic experiences offer crucial opportunities for reflection on the Anthropocene conditions of life, enabling us to perceive ourselves affectively as human beings who are part of nature and interconnected with non-human creatures. At the same time, artistic imagination can draw attention to the social and political dimensions of climate justice.

The EcoLit project aims to develop a comprehensive concept of eco-critical literacy. How can artistic engagement with the ecological crisis foster an attitude that is both critical and self-critical, leading to action? Using a participatory ethnographic approach, the project examines how aesthetics, ethics, and political activism need to be reimagined in the context of arts education.

RSVP: If you are interested in attending the event in person, please contact Prof. Rolle to register using this address: ar4927@tc.columbia.edu.

Link for online participation