Selected Topics in Environmental Problems
Environmental Change
Class time: Wednesdays, 4-7, MH 554
Instructor: Jonathan Taylor
Assistant Professor of Geography
H429C
Office Hours: Thurs 3-6
278-4762
jstaylor@fullerton.edu

Course Description:
This course will examine broad processes of human-induced environmental change, both global, and regional. The course will survey literature on the nature of the large-scale changes in the earth's environmental systems that have accompanied historical changes in cultures, society, economics, politics, and technology.

Course Objectives:
1 To understand the broad trajectory of historical human-induced changes in environmental systems.
2. To understand the social, cultural, economic, and political causes of these changes.
3. To understand the implications of these changes.
4. To become familiar with some major works in human-induced environmental change studies, especially the field of environmental history.

Class procedures:
Each week we will read and discuss a set of readings on a particular theme. Students are expected to prepare for each week's discussion by readings all materials carefully in advance, and writing a short (one or two paragraph) page with their reactions to reading. This will be passed around the class for all students to read, and then turned in. You can think of this as being points or questions for discussion.

In addition, each week selected students will present the readings formally and lead the class discussion.

Students will also prepare a short research paper (10-15 pp) on a regional topic of particular interest and present their research in class in a short presentation (about 10 minutes). The paper will be due Finals Week, and the Final for the course will consist of the class presentations.

Required books:
1. Ponting, Clive. 1991. A Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations Penguin USA
2. Crosby, Alfred W. Ecological Imperialism : The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900 (Studies in Environment and History). 1993. Cambridge Univ.
3. Davis, Mike. Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World. 2001. New York: Verso, 2001
4. McNeil, J. R. Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World. 2001.W.W. Norton & Company.
5. Worster, Donald. Rivers of Empire : Water, Aridity, and the Growth of the American West 1992 Oxford Univ. Press.

Optional book:
Goudie, Andrew. The Human Impact on the Natural Environment. 5th edition. 2000. MIT Press. This book is completely optional, absolutely not required. It may be helpful as a source of information on some physical aspects of environmental change.

Grading:
Discussion/participation: 50%
Seminar paper: 45%
Research presentation: 5%

Grading scale:
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
0 - 59 F

Class policies:
1. Plagiarism: Don't do it. I catch people every semester, it is actually one of those things I'm extremely good at! You are graduate students and I expect that everything you write - both all the thoughts and all the words - are your own. Make sure you are completely familiar with guidelines on plagiarism. You must quote any words you take from any source and provide their attribution, you must paraphrase any ideas you take from any source and provide attribution.
Plagiarism has become such a problem lately that my department has decided on a Zero Tolerance policy. ANY infraction, no matter how seemingly minor, will result in an score of zero (F) for that assignment and you will be reported to Judicial Affairs at the Dean of Students office. These penalties will be automatic and non-negotiable.
2. Class Discussions: 3 rules: Be prepared, be polite, and participate. Participation in discussions is half your grade in this course, so it is not an option, it is a necessity.
3. Other Stuff: There is really only one thing due in this course, the final paper, so I expect them to be on time, and I will not accept late papers. Please turn off your cell phones in class. Please show up for class on time and let me know in advance if you need to leave early for some reason.

Course Outline:

Feb 5. Introduction

Feb 12 Environmental Change and Environmental History:
1. Crosby, Alfred W. "The Past and Present of Environmental History", The American Historical Review, Volume 100, Issue 4 (Oct 1995), 1177-1189. (online)
2. Worster, Donald "The Vulnerable earth: Towards a Planetary History", Environmental Review, Vol 1, 2, (Summer 1987): 87-103. (on reserve)
3. Lowenthal, David. "Nature and Morality from George Perkins Marsh to the Millennium." Journal of Historical Geography 26 (January, 2000): 3-23. (online)
4. Nash, Catherine. "Environmental history, philosophy and difference." Journal of Historical Geography 26 (January, 2000): 23-27. (online)

Feb 19. Environmental History Perspectives
1. Worster, Donald. "Transformations of the Earth: Towards an Agroecological Perspective in History", The Journal of American History, Vol 76, Issue 4 (Mar 1990), 1087-1106 (online)
2. Responses: Crosby, White, Merchant, Cronon, Pyne (online)
3. Rebuttal: Worster (online)

Feb 26. Environmental History Perspectives Part 2
Cronon, William. "The Uses of Environmental History." Environmental History Review 17 (Fall 1993): 1-22. (on reserve)
Ponting, Clive. 1991. A Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations Penguin USA. Intro through Chap 5.

Mar 5. Environment in the Ancient World
Ponting, Chapters 6 - 12.

Mar 12. Colonialism and Environmental Change
Ponting, Chapters 12 - 17.
Turner, B. L. III, and Karl W. Butzer. 1992. The Columbian encounter and land-use change. Environment 34, no. 8: 16-29. (on reserve)

Mar 19. Colonialism and Environmental Change continued
Crosby, Alfred W. Ecological Imperialism : The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900 (Studies in Environment and History). 1993. Cambridge Univ Pr. Intro - Chapter 7.

Mar 26. Possibly no class.
Please finish reading Crosby. If there is no class we'll discuss it April 9th.

Apr 2. Spring Break: No Class.

Apr 9. Late Colonialism
Davis, Mike. Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World. 2001. New York: Verso, 2001. Intro - Chapter 6.

Apr 16. Late Colonialism Part 2.
Davis, Chapters 7 - end.

Apr 23. Twentieth Century .
McNeil, J. R. Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World. 2001.W.W. Norton & Company.
Intro - Chapter 6.

Apr 30. Twentieth Century Part 2.
McNeil, Chapters 6 - end.

May 7. Case Study: U.S.
Worster, Donald. Rivers of Empire : Water, Aridity, and the Growth of the American West 1992 Oxford Univ Pr
Intro - Chapter 4.

May 14. U.S. Part 2.
Worster, Chapters 5- end.

May 21. Other case studies:
Various articles to be assigned.

Finals week: class presentations