Social Sciences and Humanities

Living in an urban area at the end of the 20th century, it is easy to forget how germane the biophysical world is to our lives. This course seeks to explore the relationships between society and the environment as they have varied over time and across societies. The approach taken will be broadly historical and multicultural and will include readings on the social construction of nature, early industrialization and natural resource use, social movements and the environment, and the environmental impacts of late capitalism.

Changing patterns of agriculture in relation to population growth, the biology and social impact of plant disease, genetic engineering of plants: a thousand years of crop improvement and modern biotechnology, interactions between plants and the environment, and effects of human industrial and agricultural activity on plant ecosystems. Knowledge of the physical sciences is neither required nor assumed

The development of nonviolence since the Civil Rights movement. Nonviolent theory and practice seen in recent insurrectionary movements (freedom struggles), social justice struggles, nonviolent intervention across borders and protection of the environment in the emerging world of global corporatism.

Intersection of geological processes with American cultures in the past, present, and future. Overview of ethnogeology including traditional knowledge of sources and uses of earth materials and their cultural influences today. Scientific approach to study of tectonic controls on the genesis and global distribution of energy fuels, metals, and industrial minerals. Evolution and diversity of opinion in attitudes about resource development, environmental management, and conservation on public, private, and tribal lands. Impending crisis in renewable energy and the imperative of resource literacy.

This course surveys the history of American landscape architecture since 1850 in four realms: 1) urban open spaces--that is squares, plazas, parks, and recreation systems; 2) urban and suburban design; and 3) regional and environmental planning; 4) gardens. The course will review the cultural and social contexts which have shaped and informed landscape architecture in the United States since the advent of the public parks movement, as well as the aesthetic precepts, environmental concerns, horticultural practices, and technological innovations of American landscapes. Students will complete a midterm, final, and a research paper.

This course surveys the history of landscape architecture in four realms: 1) gardens; 2) urban open space, that is, plazas, parks, and recreation systems; 3) urban and suburban design; and 4) regional and environmental planning. The course will review the cultural and social contexts which have shaped and informed landscape architecture practice and aesthetics, as well as the environmental concerns, horticultural practices, and technological innovations of historic landscapes

This course will compare and contrast the nature of African American, American Indian, and European American relationships with the American Landscape. Traditional patterns of land use within each subculture will be explored, and juxtaposed against prevailing theory and ideology. Social patterns of use, perception, attached meaning and sense of place, and the transformation of the environment as the result of social change are some of the topics to be discussed.

In recent years, the pace of international transfers of technology, funds, resources, information, and even populations has increased dramatically. This cross-cultural diffusion has raised complex and interesting moral issues, issues which this course seeks to explore. We will examine some of the emergent ethical issues in international affairs, with particular attention to those involving technological development. Such issues include the effect of mass media and the Internet on cultural integrity, the politics of environmental regulation, ethical implications of genetic engineering, and others. In each case, the student will explore the relevant historical and empirical background as well as the salient moral and political debates. We will draw on classical, academic, and popular sources, including contemporary films, to explore the ramifications of such issues in modern culture. The goal of the course is to provide the student with an interdisciplinary introduction to key areas of conflict in the next century.

This course will explore the history of the Caribbean region from the arrival of the first Europeans through the end of colonialism, a period of nearly 500 years. Focusing on the cultural interactions that took place between Amerindians, Africans, and Europeans (as well as Indians and Chinese), the course will see in microcosm many of the themes of colonialism, creolization, and independence movements. Among the topics that will be covered are plantation society, the environment, race relations and slavery, labor migration, gender relations, technological innovation, the Haitian uprising, and state-building.

History of the American environment and the ways in which different cultural groups have perceived, used, managed, and conserved it from colonial times to the present. Cultures include American Indians and European and African Americans. Natural resources development includes gathering-hunting-fishing; farming, mining, ranching, forestry, and urbanization. Changes in attitudes and behaviors toward nature and past and present conservation and environmental movements are also examined.