We are living through a time of unprecedented challenges to both the natural world and our social ecosystem. Witness the removal of environmental protections, the construction of massive data centers and power grids for artificial intelligence, and growing concerns about massive economic inequality. Experiences from the medieval world offer a host of alternatives that are more sustainable and communitarian. Together we will explore Professor Annette Kehnel’s magnificent The Green Ages: Medieval Innovations in Sustainability. Along the way we will encounter forestry cooperatives in French woodlands, Italian microfinance initiatives, a Dutch self-sufficient ‘city of ladies’, paper created from recycled straw, and much more.

This course will combine lecture with class discussions.