Duration
45h SEM
Number of credits
Lecturer
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
All year long, with partial in January
If a student fails an examination during the first term:
- They are permitted to resit the assessed subject during the second term (May-June);
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This seminar focuses on the relationship between the mythologies of the energy transition and the new emotions associated with fascism.
Among the discourses and practices that attempt to respond to the ecological crisis, the idea of energy transition dominates: it consists in seeking technological solutions to reduce energy consumption and replace fossil fuels with so-called sustainable resources. Following the work of Cara New Daggett, this seminar postulates that techniques are inseparable from narrative frameworks that justify them and inscribe them in particular histories and power relations (Daggett 2023). In this sense, the energy transition relies as much on techniques and objects as on narratives, which open or close the field of possibilities, shape imaginations and activate affects. We propose to consider these narratives as myths, which we will identify and describe.
At the same time, the war rhetoric that saturates the media and the political sphere fosters a range of emotional responses that may interact with ecological myths.
In Q1, the seminar proposes a program of readings and meetings around these questions. In Q2, it extends this dynamic by providing collective support for individual work. The focus will be on the ways in which knowledge is circulated.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The seminar will enable students to :
- become aware of contemporary critical issues, in this case the question of the energy transition ;
- become familiar with a diversity of paradigms and critical gestures;
- try their hand at formatting choices that support the circulation of knowledge on these issues.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Have a good grounding in the Philosophy and Letters subjects.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Collegiate seminar, organised in the form of thematic sessions equivalent to approximately 3 h/month (schedule to be comunicated on the first-meeting date, on Wednesday 24th 2025, 12AM, classroom A2/4/15).
Every session will be led by one or more members of the teaching team and/or an external guest and/or students themselves.
In Q1, students will be invited to participate in the conference "Ordinary Aesthetics of Fascism," organized at ULiège.
In Q2, the seminar will primarily focus on monitoring students' work.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
Face-to-face.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège
Further information:
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège
Further information:
As part of the seminar on the mythologies of the energy transition, students are invited to read the following works:
- Wahnich (Sophie), La révolution des sentiments. Comment faire une cité. 1789-1794, Paris, Seuil, 2024 [introduction].
- Hamel (Jean-François), Les feuilles de l'après-mai. Une histoire littéraire du gauchisme, Paris, Amsterdam, 2026 [chapitre 2].
- Merlin-Kajman (Hélène), Lire dans la gueule du loup. Essai sur une zone à défendre, la littérature, Paris, Gallimard, 2016 [introduction et chapitre 1]
- Jeusette (Julien), Claustropolis, Paris, La Fabrique, à paraitre [sélection d'extraits].
In addition, we refer you to two bibliographies, which offer suggestions for further reading: https://dox.uliege.be/index.php/s/S8iCuXFsM0OuE3j
One can serve as a general introduction to the theorisation and practice of critical knowledge from the 19th century to the present day.
The other offers a selection of works that we believe are useful for familiarising oneself with research methods in philosophy, literature and the humanities.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Further information:
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Additional information:
Students will be assessed on the basis of a personal assignment.
This project will involve designing a fanzine on a theme related to the topics covered in the seminar.
This work will be physically handed in to the seminar leaders on the first day of the May-June examination session, and will be discussed.
The evaluation criteria will be as follows:
- relevance and originality of the problematic ;
- relevance of bibliographical choices ;
- ability to develop a narrative from heterogeneous materials;
- formal completion of the work;
- ability to provide an oral commentary on the work.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The seminar will be in the form of a 3 h session every month (approximately). Attendance is required. Everyone should have read the preparatory texts prior to each session.
Students will meet on Wednesday 23rd September 2026 at 12AM (classroom A2/2/5) for an introductory meeting, where they will be given all the information concerning the seminar's organisation.
Contacts
Julien Pieron
Julien.Pieron@uliege.be
François Provenzano
Francois.Provenzano@uliege.be
Arnaud Massin
Arnaud.Massin@uliege.be
Florian Zanatta
Florian.Zanatta@gmail.com