BACK to History 170 Syllabus

Exams should be typed and stapled, with your name and date on the top. You are allowed to use whatever notes and assigned course readings you feel will help you; however, be aware that the sections are weighted unequally and budget your time accordingly. You should not need to spend more than 4 hours writing the exam, though you may spend as much time as you wish in preparation beforehand.

Parts I-III deal exclusively with the readings and lectures from the second half of the course. The final essay, Part IV, asks you to consider issues related to the course as a whole. For no section are you expected or required to use any outside materials.

If you have any questions, I will be checking my email -- rshaw @ ucsd.edu -- regularly this week.

NOTE: I will not respond to emails posted after 10pm Thursday.
Also, if you have borrowed any materials from me this semester, please return them with your final.

Part I: Reading Awareness: 5%

Select the best answer for each of the following five questions. Each is worth 1 point. 1)How many households in Beverly Hills received FEMA grants after the Northridge quake?

a) only a few
b) 140 or so
c) nearly 1400
d) 2,382 in 1996, 438 the following year

a) Federal Licensing of Unfiltered Salmon Hatcheries
b) Fish Leaving Under Several Hypotheses
c) Fix Leaky Uranium Systems at Hanford
d) Fishing Limits for Underage Salmon Habitats

a) the Columbia Gorge
b) Bonneville Dam
c) the Dalles
d) the Bitterroot Mountains

a) a chinchilla
b) a rabbit
c) a mouse
d) a coyote

a) Stewart Udall
b) John Muir
c) Rachel Carson
d) British Petroleum staff

Pick one from each column, for a total of four. Then

First, in 1-2 sentences, you should identify each subject and locate it in place and time.

Second, in 2-4 sentences, explain why it is historically significant.

NOTE: If you answer more than four, only the first one from each column will be graded even if it is not your best answer!

Part III: Analytical Essay 35%

Both Mike Davis and Richard White make the idea of hidden nature a central theme in Ecology of Fear and The Organic Machine , respectively. Using this as your organizing focus, compare/contrast their two arguments, and discuss the relative merits and/or weaknesses of each. You are strongly encouraged to use specific examples to support and illustrate your claims; a demonstrated awareness of historiographical issues is also desirable.

You should require about 2-3 pages to make a focused, concise and thoughtful essay; more may be required, however, depending on the complexity of your argument and your ability to focus your ideas effectively.

Part IV: Comprehensive Essay 40%

The central definition of environmental history is that it is a field which studies the interaction of humans and environment over time. However, the particular focus of that study is not defined, leaving individual environmental historians to figure out what a desirable balance between human concerns and environmental issues might be. In other words, should environmental history be a human story, with environment simply a chapter in the larger tale, or should it be a story of environments and ecosystems, with humans being merely part of the greater whole? Or should it aim for something between these two options?

Drawing on the readings and lectures for information, examples, and conceptual frameworks, argue for what you think the proper balance should be. Be sure to use specific examples to illustrate and defend your position. You are encouraged to think about the larger implications of your choice; however, this should not be the main focus of your essay.

This will probably take about 4-5 pages; again, feel free to write more if you think it necessary to make your case effectively.

Bonus Question: 5 extra points

For which organization does guest speaker Scott Anders work?