The Art of Climate Change

Why should I take this Trinity Elective?

Take this elective if you want a fresh, creative way to engage with climate change. Instead of focusing only on science or policy, you’ll explore how film, literature, photography, music, and performance shape how people understand and respond to the climate crisis. You won’t just analyse these works; you’ll create your own, working with others on a hands-on ‘Living Lab’ project that tackles a real sustainability challenge.

Classes are active and discussion-led, with short, accessible materials to prepare in advance. You’ll build skills in critical thinking, communication, and creative problem-solving, while working with students from different disciplines. Whether you’re from STEM, the arts, or the social sciences, this elective will help you see climate change differently and give you practical ways to respond.

What will I learn?

By the end of this module, students will:

• Critically explore how the arts interpret, represent, and influence global responses to climate change.
• Gain interdisciplinary understanding of key theories and methods from ecocriticism, environmental aesthetics, and climate communication, applied across literature, film, performance, and visual culture.
• Develop analytical and creative capacities through close reading, comparative critique, contextual research, and collaborative experimentation.
• Work across disciplines, engaging with diverse perspectives and communicating ideas within heterogeneous student teams.

What will I do?

• Take part in interactive, discussion-led classes where you analyse films, texts, images, and performances to explore how the arts shape climate understanding.
• Complete short weekly preparatory tasks (readings, clips, artworks) and reflect on them through a digital ePortfolio, building your critical and creative skills over time.
• Work in interdisciplinary groups on a ‘Living Lab’ project, designing an arts-based response to a real sustainability challenge on or near campus.
• Experiment with creative methods in class, such as visual analysis, storytelling, and media design, to test how different art forms communicate climate issues.
• Present your ideas and creative work, and reflect on your learning, values, and role in addressing climate change through both individual and group assessment.

How will this be delivered?

• Attend weekly blended sessions (approx. 22 contact hours) focused on discussion, workshops, and collaborative activities.
• Prepare for class through short, accessible materials (readings, videos, artworks), with around 50 hours of independent study across the semester.
• Work regularly on your assessments, including a weekly ePortfolio and a group project, which together make up about 50 hours of effort.
• Engage actively in group work, creative exercises, and class discussion. Your participation and collaboration are central.

How will this be assessed?

• Individual ePortfolio (60%). Each student maintains a digital ePortfolio, including weekly preparatory reflections, analyses, and creative responses. Students submit their best three entries plus a reflection entry for assessment (four in total, anticipated to be approximately 350 words in length, or 1400 in total).
• Group Living Lab Project (40%). Interdisciplinary teams design and present an arts-based response to a sustainability challenge on or near campus. It will comprise three elements:
  • i) Short concept pitch outlining rationale, sustainability link, and artistic medium,
  • ii) Artefact/Creative output (e.g., zine, podcast, presentation with audio-visual component, photography exhibition), and
  • iii) Brief process log documenting the link between the project and module readings and aesthetic theory.

Who can take this Trinity Elective?

This Trinity Elective is open to undergraduate students from all disciplines. It is designed to bring together students from STEM, the arts and humanities, and the social sciences, and no prior experience in the arts or climate studies is required. There are no specific prerequisites or excluded programmes. The module is suitable for students who are interested in exploring climate change through creative and interdisciplinary approaches. Visiting students are welcome to take this elective, provided it fits within their programme requirements.

* Please note that assessment methods, assessment weightings and amount of contact hours are subject to change by the module coordinator. You can confirm all assessment details and expected contact hours with the module coordinator upon starting the elective.