HST 302: Comparative Environmental History
Welcome to "Down to Earth," the website for Central Michigan University's upper-level environmental history course. Each semester, students explore the history of human - nature interactions over the course of several centuries across the globe using geospatial technology and historical sources. Assigned readings take students from the United States to Honduras, Brazil, New Zealand, England, India, China, and Sub-Saharan Africa, among many other destinations. This blog is meant to provide students with an outlet for their reactions to reading and lecture material, and serves as place where they can share their original research projects to contribute the ongoing dialog about the significance of global environmental history. By the end of each semester, class members will have also completed their own unique research papers and companion projects.
The content of "Down to Earth" is the product of the students. Each entry has been carefully researched and thoughtfully written by a member of the class. Throughout the writing process, students were encouraged to get out of their comfort zones, listen with open minds, attempt to digest and understand material before reacting, and respectfully study new points of view. These posts are therefore an exercise in critical thinking, historical analysis, and environmental interpretation. This website also gives students the opportunity to experiment with different forms of media, share the geospatial data they have collected and interpreted, and showcase their original historical research. More importantly, it encourages them to engage one another in conversations about important events that have directly and indirectly influenced their lives and the world around them.
If you have any questions or concerns about this blog, please contact the instructor, Brittany Bayless Fremion, at [email protected].
The content of "Down to Earth" is the product of the students. Each entry has been carefully researched and thoughtfully written by a member of the class. Throughout the writing process, students were encouraged to get out of their comfort zones, listen with open minds, attempt to digest and understand material before reacting, and respectfully study new points of view. These posts are therefore an exercise in critical thinking, historical analysis, and environmental interpretation. This website also gives students the opportunity to experiment with different forms of media, share the geospatial data they have collected and interpreted, and showcase their original historical research. More importantly, it encourages them to engage one another in conversations about important events that have directly and indirectly influenced their lives and the world around them.
If you have any questions or concerns about this blog, please contact the instructor, Brittany Bayless Fremion, at [email protected].
What is Environmental History?
Environmental history is the study of the complex and often problematic relationship between humans and nature over time. The interrogation of the human-nature relationship proceeds on three levels that include the investigation of:
- Ecological and natural systems--how climate, geology, plants, animals, insects, and microbes create complex ecosystems;
- Modes of production--technologies and ways of organizing production (for example, hunting and gathering, farming, herding) that shape the way people think about nature;
- Ideas--ideologies, perceptions, and values shaped by culture, religion, myths, philosophy, and science.