136-035 A History of Nature

Formerly available as 136-215/315. Students who have completed 136-215/315 Historical Encounters in a Changing Environment are not eligible to enrol in this subject. For science third year, see 136-335 A History of Nature (Science 3).

Usually 75 points of first-year study across any discipline area.

This subject traces some of the historical changes in scientific and environmental thought that occurred over the last 500 years, as Europeans spread out from the continent during the voyages of discovery, and discovered new frontiers that challenged their scientific and social beliefs. We will especially follow the changes in the environmental sciences that accompanied these voyages as notions of geography, natural history, evolutionary biology, geology and ecology were transformed. We will also examine some recent examples of new understandings of 'nature'. Case studies will include America, Australia, and other parts of the colonial world including the Pacific islands. Environmental issues ranging from introduced species, sustainability, resource management, pollution, overpopulation, environmental engineering and environmental philosophies will also be examined. This subject should be of interest to students who would like to learn more about the origins of the environmental sciences and our on-going attempts to live within a changing environment.

Written work totalling 4000 words.

• K Thomas, Man and the Natural World: Changing Attitudes in England 1500 - 1800. Penguin Books.
• T Dunlap, Nature and the English Diaspora: Environment and History in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
• H Ritvo, The Animal Estate: The English and other Creatures in the Victorian Age. Harvard University Press, 1987.
• R Grove, Green Imperialism: Colonial Expansion, Tropical Island Edens and the Origins of Environmentalism, 1600-1860. Cambridge University Press, 1995.