HYM4180

Images of the natural world: Issues in environmental history

(ART)

Proposed to be offered next in 2002

David Garrioch and Stephen Kegg

8 or 12 points + 2 hours per week + Second semester + Clayton

Synopsis: This subject is a history of the way people have related to and thought about the natural environment in the past. It will provide an introduction to recent literature on environmental history, including the environmental consequences of European expansion into the New World, of industrialization and imperialism, and of medicine and science. Attention will also be given to climate change, plagues and other diseases, and the depletion of natural resources. The subject will conclude with some reflections on the historical underpinnings of current debates about global pollution, population, and global warming.

Assessment: 8 points - Research essay (4000 words): 70% + Take-home examination (2000 words): 30% + 12 points - Essay (2000 words): 25% + Research essay (5000 words): 50% + Take-home examination (2000 words): 25%