Dr. Rachel D. Shaw
Fall 2002
MWF 10:45-11:40
L 577
http://www.stolaf.edu/people/shawr/courses/HIST246/EH246syllabusfall02.htm
history-246 @ stolaf.edu
shawr @ stolaf.edu
Please include "H246" in subject heading
Office: Holland 511
Office Hours: Tuesday 2:30-4:00 and by appointment.
(You are also welcome to just drop by!)
History Dept.: (507) 646-3167
Office: (507) 646-3826
(Email is quicker and preferred.)
Welcome to Environmental History! By examining the interaction of people and environment on the North American continent from the 15th century to the present, we will see how history “takes place” in ecological contexts that change over time. You will compare Native American and Euro-American religious beliefs, social values, economic aspirations, and technological developments and examine their consequences for the flora, fauna, and peoples of the continent. The spread of the Euro-American ecoscape is of particular interest.
Specific Goals: You will learn about the environmental history of the United States. You will become familiar with the concept of the ecoscape and learn how to use it in a variety of contexts. You will begin to develop your own position on issues in environmental history. You will learn how to integrate personal experience and academic argument.
Skills: You will learn how to summarize, critically assess, and construct effective arguments, both textual and visual. You will learn how to analyze and employ a variety of primary sources, including: text, audio, maps, images, cinema, internet. You will learn how to present your ideas in public through writing, presentations and in-class discussion. You will learn and develop your research skills.
Required Readings
John Opie, Nature’s Nation: An Environmental History of the United States. (Harcourt Brace & Company, 1998).
Timothy Silver, A New Face on the Countryside: Indians, Colonists, and Slaves in South Atlantic Forests, 1500-1800. (Cambridge University Press, 1990).
William Cronon, Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West. (W. W. Norton, 1992).
Shepard Krech III, The Ecological Indian: Myth and History. (W. W. Norton, 2000).
Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water. (Penguin, 1993).
Mike Davis, Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster. (Vintage Books, 1999).
Assigned articles will be placed on reserve. Additional material may
be assigned during the semester to supplement the assigned readings. It
is your responsibility to attend class and check your email regularly to
learn of any additions or changes.
Assignments and Course Work
Class Participation
Presentation on Outside Reading
Weekly Reading Reactions
Primary Source Analysis
“My Environmental History”
Environmental History (Class Project)
Grading Breakdown
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Grade Scale
In the following grade scale, the grade is centered at the number following it. That is, if you received an 83, it would count as a high B-. Similarly, an 84 would be a low B.
Note that essays and papers are not graded by starting with 100 points and subtracting points for errors. Rather, each paper or essay is weighed on its overall merits, judged to be falling within a given grade range, and the number assigned accordingly. Moreover, comments on written work will focus on major and/or typical problems or strengths; they will not itemize every flaw or contribution.
If you have questions about how to improve your work, I will be happy to meet with you during office hours. You can also contact me by phone, email, or in person to arrange an appointment.
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More complete descriptions will be handed out and discussed in class.
Note that the following guidelines for assessing student performance are
just that, guidelines.
All student work is assessed on a case by case basis within these general
standards.
Participation: You are expected to attend all sections of class, barring emergencies. Beyond attendance, you will be assessed on how well you contribute to class discussion and work. This includes commenting on and asking questions about the reading, and responding thoughtfully and respectfully to others in the class. All students are expected to participate regularly in class discussions and to keep up with the reading and other assignments.
A significant component of participation will be the use of “exit cards.” At the end of each class you will explain the most important thing you learned in class that day, and include a question about something that you were confused by or wish to learn more about. If you are a shy person who finds it difficult to speak in class, I strongly encourage you to use the exit cards as a way to demonstrate your engagement with the materials and with class discussion. (They cannot fully make up for a lack of regular involvement in discussion, but they can partially compensate for it.)
If you have concerns about your participation, please see me as soon as possible, so that we can figure out the best way for you to improve and build on your strengths.
Presentation: Each of you will be responsible for leading class discussion of one week’s reading as part of a small group. Presenters will briefly summarize the argument of the reading in question, offer an assessment of the material, and provide questions and topics for discussion. Each group of presenters will create an outline of the materials and questions to hand out to the rest of the class. You will turn this in instead of your weekly reaction for that week. Your goal overall is to enhance understanding of the materials and to promote productive class involvement with them. GROUP WORK
Weekly Reading Reactions: (1-2 pages) (Due weekly) At the beginning of every week each of you will turn in a short paper in which the reading for that week is summarized and analyzed. This means identifying the main idea of the piece (not the topic, but the author’s opinion about it) and thoughtfully analyzing the author’s effectiveness in persuading the reader to accept it. (Note: you can disagree with a piece while still finding it effectively presented; vice versa, a likeable idea may still be poorly supported and/or explained.) You may, if you wish, add a brief paragraph summarizing your personal reaction to the readings; this section will not be graded (unless it is particularly insightful; then it will contribute positively to the overall value of the paper).
The weekly reaction for the last week of class will be a response to your initial first-week essay.
Note: part of this assignment is learning to get at the heart of the matter quickly and to explain it concisely. If you are having trouble fitting your analysis into the page limits, you probably need to work on your focus.
If you are still having problems with this assignment by the end of the second assignment (that is, if you receive more than 2 check-minuses) see me individually to figure out what’s not working.
Primary Source Analysis: (4-5 pages) (Due 27 September ) For this paper, you will select a primary source which sheds light on some aspect of the environmental history of the Midwest (or other personally familiar region -- see me for approval first in this case). You may use the sources discussed in class as models, but you must find your own primary source for this assignment. I encourage you to choose a source on a topic of personal interest to you, as it may be useful in the “My Environmental History” paper. You will describe this source, explain where you found it and how, place it in historical context, and explain what it can (or cannot) tell us about the environmental history of the Midwest. Your overall goal will be to argue persuasively that this is a useful source (or not) for scholars intending to research the history of this region. If you wish, you may add an extra section giving your personal reaction to the source; this will not be graded (unless it adds a positive contribution), and it will not count toward the page total.
“My Environmental History”: (5-7 pages) (Due 25 October ) For this paper, you will research and write an environmental history of your family and/or yourself. This will require you to think about what an “environmental history” means in general, and what it means for you and your family in particular. Consideration of your relationships to the non-human world and a sense of the larger historical context and significance are essential. The course readings offer examples of different ways of writing about the connection between one’s personal experience of the environment and larger environmental histories; you are encouraged to use them as models for organizing your thoughts.
You are strongly encouraged to use your own experiences as the basis for an argument about larger environmental, cultural, or social issues. (That is, to make and defend a claim that your family’s experiences are meaningful in more than just personal ways.)
Environmental History (Class Project): ( Draft due 22 November ) (Final due 9 December ) As a class, we will work together to produce an environmental history on a topic of your choice. The format and focus of this history will be determined by the class as a whole (within guidelines set out by me, and contingent on my approval), and then we will figure out what tasks must be undertaken to complete it. We will work at our respective tasks over the course of the semester, with the goal of producing a history that can be shared with others. To encourage cooperation, the entire class will share the grade for the final result. GROUP WORK
Final Exam: (16 December, 2:30-4:30 p.m. ) The final exam will assess what you have learned as a result of taking this course. It will assess your familiarity with the readings; test your comprehension of important themes and elements in American environmental history; and will ask you to reflect at greater length on what you have learned in this course.
NOTE: This syllabus may be amended as necessary during the semester, though I will try to keep such changes to a minimum. It is your responsibility to attend class regularly so as to be aware of any possible changes, and to check with me if you are unsure about materials covered in class or if you miss a section due to illness.
Week 1: Introduction: Environmental History
Friday, 6 September
Introduction to course and each otherIn-Class Assignment: What Does “Environmental History” Mean to You?
Week 2: The Columbian Exchange Begins
Nature’s Nation: Introduction, Chapter 1.
Silver, A New Face, Preface, Chapters 1-4.
Monday, 9 September
Reading Response DueWednesday, 11 September
Discussion of environmental history and class project
Friday, 13 September
Assign duties for class project
Week 3: An Agricultural World
Nature’s Nation: Chapter 2.
Silver, A New Face, Chapters 5-7.
Monday, 16 September
PresentationWednesday, 18 September
Reading Response Due
Friday, 20 September
Week 4: Divinity in the Wilderness
Nature’s Nation: Chapters 3-4.
Thoreau, “Walking.” (On reserve)
Emerson, “Nature.” (On reserve)
Carolyn Merchant, “Introduction: What Is Radical Ecology?” (On reserve)
(Merchant -- in preparation for personal environmental
history research.)
Monday, 23 September
PresentationWednesday, 25 September
Reading Response Due
Friday, 27 September
PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSIS DUE
Week 5: Rationalizing the Ecoscape
Nature’s Nation: Chapters 5-6.
Cronon, Nature’s Metropolis, Prologue and Part I (Chapters 2 and
3).
(Reading for Cronon, Part I, will be split among
the class)
Monday, 30 September
PresentationWednesday, 2 October
Reading Response Due
Friday, 4 October
Week 6: Building a National Ecoscape
Nature’s Nation: Chapter 7.
Cronon, Nature’s Metropolis, Part II (Chapters 3-5).
(Reading for Cronon will be split among the
class)
Monday, 7 October
PresentationWednesday, 9 October
Reading Response Due
Friday, 11 October
Week 7: Building a National Ecoscape, Part II
Nature’s Nation: Chapter 8.
Cronon, Nature’s Metropolis. Part III (Chapters 6-8), Epilogue.
(Reading for Cronon, Part III, will be split
among the class)
Monday, 14 October
PresentationWednesday, 16 October
Reading Response Due
Friday, 18 October
FALL BREAK 18-22 October
Week 8: Building a National Ecoscape, Part III
Nature’s Nation: Chapter 9.
Reisner, Cadillac Desert, Introduction, Chapters 1-5.
Monday -- NO CLASS
Wednesday, 23 October
PresentationFriday, 25 October
Reading Response Due
MY ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY DUE
Week 9: Controlling Nature
Nature’s Nation: Chapter 10.
Reisner, Cadillac Desert, Chapters 6-9.
Monday, 28 October
PresentationWednesday, 30 October
Reading Response Due
Friday, 1 November
Week 10: Controlling Nature?
Nature’s Nation: Chapter 11, “Hitting the Wall,”
pp. 344-68.
Reisner, Cadillac Desert, Chapters 10-12, Epilogue, Afterword.
Monday, 4 November
PresentationWednesday, 6 November
Reading Response Due
Friday, 10 November
Week 11: The Ecological Indian
Nature’s Nation: Chapter 12.
Krech, Ecological Indian: Introduction, Chapters 1-4.
Monday, 11 November
PresentationWednesday, 13 November
Reading Response Due
Friday, 15 November
Week 12: The Seeds of Earth Day Sprout
Nature’s Nation: Chapter 13.
Krech, Ecological Indian: Chapters 5-7, Epilogue.
Monday, 18 November
PresentationWednesday -- 20 November
Reading Response Due
Friday -- 22 November
CLASS ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY DUE -- FIRST DRAFT
Week 13: Environmental Distopia
Nature’s Nation: Chapter 14.
Davis, Ecology of Fear: Chapters 1-3.
Monday, 25 November
PresentationTHANKSGIVING HOLIDAY 27 November-1 December
Reading Response Due
Wednesday, 27 November -- NO CLASS
Friday, 29 November -- NO CLASS
Week 14: Distopia or Ecotopia?
Nature’s Nation: Chapter 15.
Davis, Ecology of Fear: Chapters 4-5.
(Chapters 6-7 optional).
Monday, 2 December
Reading Response DueWednesday, 4 December
CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL -- 5-8 December
Friday, 6 December
Return to first in-class essay: write response on it instead of on readings.
Week 15: Thinking Back over
the Semester
Re-read first papers and comment on changes since then
Monday, 9 December
“Thinking Back” Paper Due -- discussion.Wednesday, 11 December -- LAST DAY OF CLASS
CLASS ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY DUE
LAST DAY TO TURN IN ANY LATE WORKThursday, 12 December -- READING DAY
Work turned in after 4pm today will not be accepted.
FINAL EXAMS -- 13-19 December
Monday, 16 December -- Scheduled Exam , 2:30-4:30 p.m.
NOTE: We may have a take-home
final in lieu of an in-class exam. If so, the take-home would be due at the
scheduled time. In either case, you are required to show up as scheduled.