When people talk about climate change as an “existential threat” to humanity, they are correct in underscoring the pressing nature of this reality.  However, such depictions tend to conceive of it as a single issue.  Thus, the purpose of this class is to assist students in understanding climate change and, at the same time, exploring the many facets of its challenge to us today.  What are the economic and political implications of climate change?  How do the threats posed by climate change shape our everyday lives, emotional responses and the ways in which we imagine the future?  How do these threats push us to rethink humans’ relationship to nature and advocacy for social justice?  In what ways might the reality of climate change inform and/or unsettle our roles as citizens, scholars and ministers?  These are just some of the questions we will address in our effort to tease out the variegated dimensions and implications of climate change. [25 max enrollment]