Environmental History

Catalog description

Environmental history is the study of human interactions with the nonhuman world over time, with an emphasis on the role of nonhuman nature in significantly shaping those relationships. This course explores the field of environmental history through seminal and current readings, seminar discussions, and other activities. We will consider the emergence of environmental history out of the broader environmental movement and early concerns about conservation. We will read case studies that expand the field into more general socio-ecological and scientific histories around topics such as cities, nitrogen, mushrooms, population, water, and more. We will note how environmental histories can focus on particular time-scales, regions, or themes, and connect a wide range of disciplines.