Climate Society In Historical Perspective

AY2020/2021 Semester 1

This seminar covers major traditions of thought regarding climate, climate change and its impact on society, drawing on history, science and anthropology. In this course, you will investigate how climactic factors conditioned the development of human societies and conversely, how human societies impacted the climate. You will analyze diverse theories and interpretations of climate-related societal change that span a global scale while being embedded in their own local political, economic and social contexts. This course will also equip you to conceptualize the basic precepts and terminology that define knowledge of the climate while inviting you to critique this notion through empirical historical evidence. You will also develop your skills in analyzing environmental public policy and distinguish between data-supported arguments and popular rhetoric. This course will be useful for you if you seek to understand how human societies, past and present, have tackled, interpreted and responded to climate conditions. If you major in history or environmental studies, you will find the class useful in facilitating informed readings about the present climate crisis and in helping you analyze more deeply how policy-making, politics and societal change can make a difference to it. This will be of value for students aiming for careers in the public service sector or in journalism.