World Environmental History

In this class, you will encounter the field of world environmental history through a variety of theoretical and methodological frameworks. We will begin by examining 'Big History,' which contextualizes the human past within broader biological, geological, and even astronomical processes. We will then contemplate how the exchange of pathogens has connected human populations and shaped world history through plagues and epidemics. Next, we will examine the role of the environment in European colonization of America and Australasia, a theme environmental historians have dubbed 'Ecological Imperialism.' We will subsequently draw on world systems analysis and dependency theory to explore how the spread of capitalism has transformed societies and environments the world over. We will conclude with a discussion of the theories of space and place that underlie our understandings of the globe and its human history.