AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
History 4475/5475
Autumn Term, 2017
Instructor: Dr. Phil Roberts Time: M, W, F, 1:10-2 p.m.
Classroom: College of Business, Room 209
Office Hours: M, 10 a.m.-noon; Wed., 11-noon., and by appointment
Office: 356 History Bldg., Mobile: (307) 272-2729
E-mail address: philr@uwyo.edu
Course Objective: This course is designed to explore the history of environmental issues in America since the colonial period and the changing attitudes toward the environment. We will go beyond this continent and before recent times to understand how other cultures and societies have dealt with environmental issues. Throughout, we will consider how people have thought about nature and the relationship between humans and nature. How have these ideas changed over time? Why have these changes occurred? Second, the course will consider the history of human impact on the environment. For instance, how has America changed as a result of agricultural practices, growth of industry, and mineral extraction? The third theme is how the landscape and attitudes may combine to shape natural resource policy, depending on the time period being considered and the geographical, cultural, political, and economic forces at work. Areas set aside for wilderness and conservation will be considered, including national parks and monuments.
Course Requirements:
Environmental history is dynamic and the issues of yesterday often appear as current events. Consequently, students are urged to read their local newspaper(s) and relevant websites in order to keep abreast of the latest environmental issues affecting the community/state/nation. As we continue through the semester, considerable attention will be paid to these current events and their relationships to historical questions and issues. Students should be prepared to participate in such discussions in a meaningful way. Assignments, based on extending some of the ideas in the common readings, will be made periodically, but students should be prepared to discuss the common readings on a regular basis. Frequent references may be made to readings available on websites, in newspapers and periodicals, scholarly journals as well as from new books in the field. Relevant articles, if published during the course of the semester, may be added to the common readings although sufficient notice will be provided before the article is discussed in class.
Readings:
Each student will be prepared to discuss the common readings during each of the class sessions in the semester. Common readings will include the below-listed books as well as relevant articles from historical journals and popular magazines. The instructor may assign primary course readings for each section under discussion. Many of these will be either available from web sources or accessible through this website. In most weeks, Monday of each class period will consist of a brief overview of the specific topic in environmental history under consideration for that week and/or information about current environmental developments in that topic. On Wednesday, attention will go to consideration of the assigned book and continue on Friday. (Because of their lengths, a couple of books will be discussed for three class sessions). The class discussions will emphasize the main points in the common readings, but note that throughout the semester, class discussions will not be mere recapitulations of the contents of the readings.
Required Texts:
Down to Earth: Nature’s Role in American History. By Ted Steinberg.2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009). ISBN-13: 978-0-19-979739-4ISBN-13: 978-0520286009
The West without Water: What Past Floods, Droughts, and Other Climatic Clues Tell Us about Tomorrow. By B. Lynn Ingram and Frances Malamud-Roam. (University of California Press, 2015). Paper. ISBN-10: 0520286006 ISBN-13: 978-0520286009
Blowout in the Gulf. By William R. Freudenburg and Robert Gramling. (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2011). ISBN-13: 978-0-26251729-4
Emerald City: An Environmental History of Seattle. By Matthew W. Klingle. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007). ISBN-13: 978-0-300-14319-5
Unending Frontier: An Environmental History of the Early Modern World. By John F. Richards. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005). ISBN-10: 0-520-24678-0
Cascadia’s Fault: The Coming Earthquake and Tsunami that Could Devastate North America. By Jerry Thompson. (Counterpoint, 2013). ISBN-10: 1582438242 ISBN-13: 978-1582438245
Cody’s Cave: National Monuments and the Politics of Public Lands in the 20th Century West. By Phil Roberts. (Skyline West, 2012). ISBN-13: 978-0-914767-35-0 Note: Do NOT purchase this book until you come to the first class.
Behind the Carbon Curtain: The Energy Industry, Political Censorship and Free Speech. By Jeffrey Lockwood. ( Albuquerque: U. of New Mexico Press, 2017). Paper. ISBN-13: 978-0826358073
For Additional Reading: A wide variety of works are available in the general field of environmental history. The books we are reading in this class were all published in the 21st century. Nonetheless, many important studies were produced during the last century. For broad overview in a narrative form, a number of other books are available if you wish to explore the general topic on your own. Three compilations of articles of relevance to American environmental history are: Carolyn Merchant, Major Problems in American Environmental History (Houghton Mifflin); the “old reliable”–a now quite dated general history titled American Environmental History, by Roderick Nash; and Louis Warren, American Environmental History (Blackwells). An extensive bibliography of significant environmental books will be provided.
Exams: Two exams, one mid-term and one final, are scheduled. The mid-term will be due on Friday, Nov. 3. The final exam is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 18, 1:15-3:15 p.m.
Grading: Brief exams on each book (in class on the Friday following the class discussion on the particular book): 40% (5% each): meaningful class participation: 10%; mid-term exam: 20%; final exam: 30%.
For graduate students: In-class brief exams: 40%; historical research paper (or assigned reviews): 40%; class participation, 10 percent.
Graduate Student Requirements: Beyond the common readings for the course, graduate students will be expected to choose between two options. One option would be to complete a research paper on some aspect of environmental history—broadly defined. It is expected that primary source materials will be utilized along with an analytical treatment of a subject. This 12-15 page (double-spaced, typed) paper will be due on the last class meeting of the semester. In addition to the possible topics drawn from American and regional history sources, the student may choose a particular sub-topic that is capable of being treated comparatively, either across countries or over time. When considering a topic for this paper, graduate students should keep in mind the possibility of eventual publication. More details will be provided as the semester proceeds. A second option is to be assigned eight (8) additional books on environmental history with analytical reviews of each due on the final day of the semester. In addition to the regular schedule, graduate students may meet at least twice during the semester beyond the scheduled meetings.