Environmental History of the United States
HIST 73
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
The relations between human beings and the non-human world have never seemed as urgent or troubled as today. Or so it seems. Every crisis we confront—climate change, extinctions, invasive species, energy, regulation, and more—has a deep and complex history. We have arrived at our anthropocenic present through a series of human choices, made within the constraints imposed by the non-human world in which we live. Environmental history studies this past. We aim to craft historical narratives that focus on "nature"—as a set of biological processes and systems, the object of changing political economies, and a site for cultural meaning-making. This course will explore the ways in which these different "natures" have acted as both agents and objects of historical change. It is not a course on environmental ethics or policy, although students should expect to encounter both during the academic term. The course will deal primarily with the history of the United States as seen through the lens of the natural world, and of our perceptions, imaginings, and interactions with it.
Course Notes
This course meets the "North America" History Concentration requirement. Former course number "Hist 1473."
Class Notes
This class requires students to enroll in an untimed, placeholder section during registration and to submit time preferences. Sections will be assigned immediately after registration based on student interest and preferences.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
NOTE: This course requires additional sections; you will be prompted to choose secondary components during the Add to Cart process
