First-Year Seminar: The Environment in American History

In this course, students will analyze the ways in which Americans have both shaped and been shaped by their natural environment. Together, we will trace a selected history of interactions between humans and nature in America, focusing on the often-fraught intersection between political, economic, social, and religious understandings of nature. This is a dynamic course that requires students to connect the lessons of history to the world they inhabit today by engaging with popular journalism, literature, podcasts, and more, and through class visits around campus to explore how the environmental history we study has shaped even their most immediate surroundings.