It is almost a cliché to say the world is facing cataclysmic crises—of governance, of the environment, of inequality in wealth, opportunities, and capacities. Many reformers confront big challenges like these with proposals that essentially tinker at the margins and stop short of exposing deeper causes of the crises or contemplating the real opportunities for a better future. This Focus cluster gives students opportunities to go beyond stale assumptions and engage with theories and practices that promote justice rather than greed and cooperation rather than exclusion—opportunities to think expansively about bold solutions to the crises we face and ultimately how to promote human flourishing on a grand scale.
Today we live in a world dominated by one story—a story of growth, extraction, and exploitation. It is a story, however, that merely represents one of many possibilities for our future as a planet. The Build a Better World Focus cluster investigates ways of thinking and being that both expose and move beyond the singular extractivist logic of modern societies. Working with a rich trove of historical and contemporary knowledge in the worlds of science, the arts, technology, and political economy, our rotating courses explore a wide range of alternative stories, experiences, and visions, ranging from Indigenous practices to the newest findings of post-growth care economies or the work of environmental and racial justice activism. Our courses are discussion-intensive and include deep readings, research opportunities, interactions with the larger community, and—most importantly—thinking in new and exciting ways about the most pressing problems facing our world.
In this Focus cluster, students will ask: what will it take to move the world away from dystopia and towards a future that foregrounds justice, ecological sustainability, and human flourishing?
Dirk Philipsen, Associate Research Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy; Associate Research Professor in the Department of History
What are the roots of the climate crisis or unparalleled inequality? This course explores big ideas that envision a radically different future, one that provides for the common good within our given biophysical limits, including discourses such as post-growth, wellbeing, and care economics; eco-feminism; eco-anarchism; decolonization; ecological justice; and commoning. A reading and discussion intensive course that uses an interdisciplinary approach and includes elements of research, individual and group presentations, as well as a writing requirement.
Wesley Hogan, Research Professor of the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute; Research Professor in the Department of History
While the US recognizes young people for achievements in music, sports, and technology, their contributions to politics—especially those creating a more just nation—are often downplayed. Despite significant innovations for justice in the 20th and 21st centuries led by those under 30 to destroy Jim Crow, legalize contraception, and stop police brutality, we do not have great documentation of these youth leaders. Today’s reproductive justice activists advocate for decolonizing sexuality and providing accurate, stigma-free care. Students in this course will use oral history and archival research to document how activists drive innovations in reproductive justice, exploring campaigns against forced sterilization, for gender affirming care, and access to both birth justice and abortion care.
Nick Carnes, Creed C. Black Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy; Associate Professor of Political Science; Professor of Sociology
Neoliberalism is a philosophical framework so intrinsic to contemporary US politics that it can be difficult for Americans to articulate, contemplate, and critique. In this course, we will define neoliberalism, evaluate how it is reinforced and critiqued in popular culture, and discuss alternative social and political worldviews.
Saskia Cornes, Program Director, Assistant Professor of the Practice, Duke Franklin Humanities Institute
In thinking about the future of our climate and our planet, the imagination tends toward extremes. It can be hard to find a place to land, to think, and to act. It can feel hard to even envision a convincing way forward, which makes it that much harder to move forward. This course offers a series of texts and practices for imagining just futures as a first step to building them. We will think alongside those who have already lived through cataclysm and beyond, explore works of fiction, art, and film that have imagined more sustainable futures, and start to reimagine elements of our own lives in service of a more just and joyful world.
