R.
Harpelle
Office: RB-3019
343-8691
This course is broad and comparative. It is intended to serve as an introduction to environmental history in the Americas and will offer several case studies. The course will define and trace the environmental history of the Western Hemisphere through the analysis of specific issues on a regional and thematic basis. The general themes of the course include ecosystems, various ecological perspectives, colonial land use patterns, natural resource exploitation, New World Agriculture, rainforests and development, conservation and national park development, eco-tourism and contemporary environmental issues.
The first term will involve a discussion of readings and establish a general overview of the Americas. The second term will be the research part of the course. At a class early in the term students will present a brief essay proposal for class discussion. Later in the term each student will present their research. Students will provide the required reading for these classes. Course requirements include class participation and seminar presentations worth a total of 20% of the final grade; three book reviews (15% each) and a 20-25 page research paper (35%).
Students are advised that late assignments will be assessed a penalty of one mark per day for each day that elapses between the due date and the actual date of submission. Students are also advised that they are responsible for knowing what plagiarism is and for avoiding it.
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