Environmental History (HIST 2055)

Term: Academic Year 2026-2027 Fall

Faculty

Description

Environmental History explores interactions between people and their environments in historical context. The course provides an overview of major environmental developments since the dawn of civilization, but particular emphasis is placed on the last few centuries. Topics covered include the Columbian Exchange and its consequences, forestry and its relationship to colonialism, the evolution of agriculture, climate change and climatic vagaries, ?high modernism? and the administrative ordering of nature, urbanization, and pollution. Students will also consider the moral and ethical dimensions of the human relationship with the natural environment.