Literary analysis of Essays from Lived Experiences of Climate Change in Higher Education

In this paper we explore what introducing literary analysis techniques might add to Climate Change Education (CCE). We take as a case study the Master’s course ‘The Lived Experience of Climate Change’. The Short Learning Program of which this course is a part, has successfully proven to combine environmental scientific, economic and social knowledge. A holistic approach to knowledge and learning is taken, in contrast to the traditional reductionist approach in scientific disciplines. The concept of Lived Experience of Climate Change (LivExpCC) combines and integrates epistemological and phenomenological views on knowledge. By analysing student essays with narrative techniques, we propose an innovative, integrated approach as an example of how narratives can be legitimate knowledge sources in a learning-action cycle. Conclusions are drawn with respect to the learning potential of literary analysis for students in the context of cross-curricular designs of Climate Change Higher Education, combining scientific knowledge and knowledge from the humanities.