Topics In Environmental History: American Nature

Catalog description

Cat. I This course surveys the methods and sources that historians adopt to answer three questions central to environmental history: How have constantly changing natural environments shaped the patterns of human life in different regions? How have different human cultures perceived and attached meanings to the natural and built worlds around them, and how have those attitudes shaped their social, economic political, and cultural lives? Finally, how have people altered the world around them, and what have been the consequences of change for natural and human communities alike? Sections will vary in content and emphases alternating between North American, regional, or global approaches. This course may be repeated for different topics. No prior coursework or background in environmental history is required.