HIST 2104H:

CRITICAL ISSUES IN U.S. HISTORY (HONORS):

ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY

CRN #95182, M, W, 2:30-3:45, Squires 236

Fall 2005

Instructor: Dr. Mark V. Barrow, Jr.

Office: 433 Major Williams (inside 431)

Phone: 231-4099 (O); 552-5876 (H, please call before 9:30 p.m.)

Office Hours: M, W 1:00-2:00 p.m., and by appt.

URL: http://www.history.vt.edu/Barrow/Hist2104/

E-mail: barrow@vt.edu

Class listserv: HIST2104_92743@listserv.vt.edu

COURSE OBJECTIVE:

This variable-content honors course introduces students to recent trends in American history. The focus this semester is environmental history, which we will explore using readings, class discussions, lectures, videos, and writing assignments. Until recently, historians have tended to ignore the role and place of nature in human society. The emerging field of environmental history seeks to address this longstanding neglect by examining the myriad ways humans have interacted with and been influenced by the natural world through time. More specifically, it explores the role of nature—broadly construed to include climate, micro-organisms, water, wildlife, and ecosystems—in shaping human society. At the same time, the field documents the tremendous impact humans have had on the natural world as they have imported exotic species, extracted resources, built structures, diverted waters, produced pollution, and otherwise transformed the landscape to suit their needs and desires. And, finally, environmental history examines differing perceptions of, ideas about, and values associated with the nonhuman world and the effects of those conceptions on that world.

REQUIRED READING:

• Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

• Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

• Roderick Nash, Wilderness and the American Mind

• Henry D. Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays

• Ted Steinberg, Down to Earth: Nature’s Role in American History

• Donald Worster, Dust Bowl

Books are available at the University Bookstore, Volume Two Bookstore, Tech Bookstore, and the Reserve Desk in Newman Library. Additional readings will occasionally be handed out in class or be posted on the class homepage.

EVALUATION:

The final grade for the course will be based on the following:

• 5 short essays (@ 12.5 % each) 60%

• Homework 20%

• Attendance and Participation 20%

ESSAYS:

Each student will write five short essays (each ca. 3-5 pages typed, double-spaced) on a topic assigned by the instructor. Essay assignments will be based on material covered in the course and will not require additional reading or research (though students are always welcome to delve more deeply into topics in which they are especially interested). Completed essays should be stapled in the upper left-hand corner and should include a cover page with the student's name, date of completion, course number, and title of paper. Essays will be graded on content and presentation (correct grammar, punctuation, syntax, etc.). For more details on how I evaluate essays, see the handout “Grading Criteria for Essays.”

Class Attendance, Homework, Quizzes, And Participation:

I expect students to attend each class and to prepare themselves by carefully reading the material assigned for that day. To encourage (and reward) class attendance, preparation, and participation, I will regularly take attendance and give numerous short homework assignments during the term. I may also occasionally give unscheduled quizzes. Homework assignments will be passed out at least one class period before they are due and graded using a √ (=adequate), √+ (=outstanding), or √- (=needs work) system of evaluation. A failure to turn in a homework assignment will result in a grade of zero for that assignment. Homework assignments must be turned during the class they are due to receive credit. If you should miss a class, it’s important to check the class homepage to find out if any new homework has been assigned. The participation component of the final grade will be based on how actively students engage in discussion during class and how well they prepare themselves by reading and thinking about the assigned material before each class session. I encourage questions, welcome alternative viewpoints, and expect everyone to demonstrate respect for the ideas of their fellow students.

Field Trip:

I hope to schedule an optional field trip during the semester. Details about time and place will be provided later.

Honor Code:

Students are expected to follow the Virginia Tech Honor Code for all assignments. I don’t mind if you consult with your classmates for homework and paper assignments, but any work you turn in should ultimately represent your own thoughts and words. Otherwise we would all be forced to live in a world of deceit and distrust that most of us would prefer not to inhabit.

A Personal Note:

I am here to help you learn. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, special needs, or difficulties related to this course (or even if you just want to talk about the issues it raises). I know that approaching a professor can be intimidating, but I want to assure you that I enjoy meeting with students, and I do everything possible to make myself accessible throughout the term.

Schedule:

Subject to change as necessary. Reading assignments are to be completed by the time of class on the day they are listed. Unless otherwise noted, the numbers in the reading assignment column refer to chapters. On-line readings are marked as OLR and are available on the class homepage. The user name for on-line readings is: walden and the password is: pond.

	Day	Topic	Homework	Reading Assignment
8/22	M	Introduction
8/24	W	Native Americans and the Land	#1	Steinberg Preface, Prologue, 1, 2
8/29	M	Europeans and the New World		Steinberg 3, 4
8/31	W	European Views of Wilderness	#2	Nash Introduction, Prologue, 1, 2
9/5	M	Online Lecture: Hudson River School		Nash 3, 4
9/7	W	Romanticism and Transcendentalism	#3	Nash 5; Thoreau pp. 49-74
9/12	M	The Wilderness Idea		Nash 6, 7, 10
9/14	W	Saving America’s Wildlife Paper #1 Due		Steinberg 9, and pp. 124-129
9/19	M	The Urban Environment	#4	Steinberg 10, Owen (OLR)
9/21	W	Online Lecture: Ecology		Worster Introduction, 1, 2
9/26	M	The Dust Bowl I		Worster 3-5
9/28	W	The Dust Bowl II	#5	Worster 12-14, Epilogue
10/3	M	Eastern National Forests and Parks Paper #2 Due		McKibben (OLR)
10/5	W	Smokey Bear and Bambi		Lutts (OLR); Little (OLR)
10/10	M	No Class: Fall Break
10/12	W	Leopold and the Land Ethic I		Leopold pp. vii-ix, 6-18. 41-50. 67-72, 94-116, 129-133, 149-158
10/17	M	Leopold and the Land Ethic II	#6	Leopold pp. 164-226
10/19	W	Leopold and the Land Ethic III		Nash 12
10/24	M	The Trouble with Wilderness	#7	Cronon (OLR); Pollan I (OLR)--not used Fall 05
10/26	W	TBA Paper #3 Due
10/31	M	The Origins of the Consumer Culture		Steinberg, 11-13
11/2	W	Suburbanization	#8	Steinberg 14, Pollan II (OLR)
11/7	M	WWII as a Watershed		Carson 1-3 (skim 4-9)
11/9	W	Rachel Carson and Silent Spring I		Carson 10-12
11/14	M	Rachel Carson and Silent Spring II		Carson 13-15
11/16	W	Rachel Carson and Silent Spring III	#9	Carson 16-17
11/21	M	No Class: Thanksgiving Break
11/23	W	No Class: Thanksgiving Break
11/28	M	Flowering of Environmentalism		Steinberg 15
11/30	W	Love Canal and Environmental Justice Paper #4 Due		Bullard,et al. (OLR)
12/5	M	Living in a Toxic World		TBA
12/7	W	Paper #5 Due