HIST 300 5 - Introduction to Environmental History

1.00

This course covers the main themes, methods, and conclusions of environmental history. It explores how peoples of the past have used and transformed the natural world, how they responded to the challenges of growth and environmental sustainability, and how different political, cultural, and religious world-views affect land and resource use. The class will first survey the broader discipline, trying to understand the questions that environmental historians ask and the sources and methods they use. We will then work with two key works in the field to see the broader temporal issues involved in
studying environmental history. Finally, we will move to several in-depth case studies that will underscore the breadth and applicability of the field. (Group I Social Science)