HISTORY 3327
American Environmental History
SPRING 2012
Professor Mark
Stoll
Holden Hall 135
E-mail: mark.stoll@ttu.edu Web: http://courses.ttu.edu/mstoll/
Office Hours: Tuesday–Thursday 11:30–12:30 and by appointment
DESCRIPTION OF COURSE
Through lectures, readings, and film, the course explores two evolving topics in American history: the interrelationship and mutual impact of humans with the land and its plant and animal life; and cultural attitudes and thinking about nature and the environment.
TEXTS
|
William Cronon, Changes in the Land |
Rachel Carson, Silent Spring |
|
Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac |
Naomi Oreskes & Erik Conway, Merchants of Doubt |
|
Donald Worster, Dust Bowl |
Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma |
ASSIGNMENTS
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17.5% ea. |
Two midterm examinations |
|
25% |
Final examination |
|
30% |
Six book quizzes |
|
10% |
Analytical book review |
Exams: Exams will be essay exams. Students will have an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of environmental history as well as to engage issues raised in lectures, discussions, and readings. The final exam will have the same format as midterms, with the addition of a cumulative section.
Book quizzes: Short quizzes given on the discussion day for each book will encourage students to have read the books and be ready to discuss them.
Papers: Course assignments include contains one analytical book review. For each review, students will select a book on environmental history from a bibliography on the professor’s Website. (Note that biographies, edited collections, and collections of essays are not appropriate for the assignment and should not be chosen for the book review.) Students may select another book if the professor approves it. Four to six pages long, the book review will have three sections:
1. A short summary (not a table of contents or outline) of the book’s contents; this should not take more than a paragraph or two.
2. An explanation of the book’s thesis, with a discussion of how the author has supported the thesis. The thesis is usually stated in a preface, introduction, or conclusion. If you’re not sure what a book’s thesis is, ask the professor for help.
3. Most important, an analysis of the book, including: how successful (or unsuccessful) it is in supporting its thesis, the author’s bias (i.e., his point of view), whether it agrees or disagrees with other class material, how it might be improved, how well it is written, and whether you agree with the book’s conclusions.
Papers will be printed in 12-point Times New Roman, double spaced, with 1" margins all around (or 1¼" right and left margins and 1" margins top and bottom). Do not add space between paragraphs (and if your word-processing program does so automatically, adjust the “Paragraph” settings). If you quote directly from the text of your book, cite your source by adding the page number or numbers in parentheses immediately after the quotation. For example:
The poet wrote, “That is the way the
world ends” (42).
No footnotes or bibliography are necessary.
Attendance: The professor will call roll at the beginning of each class. Students with a perfect attendance record will receive 3 bonus points on their final grades. Students with more than two absences will receive 1.5 points off their final grades for each absence over two. The instructor will accept excuses in cases of true need if appropriately documented.
Plagiarism: Using text written by someone else (even in a close paraphrase) is academic dishonesty. It is strictly against university and departmental policy. Papers that have been plagiarized in whole or in part receive a 0 for the assignment, and a further penalty of 10 points will be deducted from the student’s final grade average.
Note: Students who, because of a
disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet
course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make
necessary accommodations. Students should present appropriate verification from
the Disabled Students Services in the Dean of Students Office.
The
professor reserves the right to change this syllabus at his discretion. Changes
will be announced in class and posted on the course Website.
Required Bureaucratic Educational Jargon Section:
Expected
Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, the students will be able to
(1) demonstrate expanded knowledge of the human condition and human cultures; (2) demonstrate knowledge of the origins and
evolution of U.S. environmental problems and issues; (3) describe or identify major events, persons, and
themes in American environmental history; (4) think critically about
environmental issues.
Assessment of Expected
Learning Outcomes: Student learning will be assessed quizzes and exams for outcome 1, 2,
3, and 4, and through essay questions and an analytical book review for outcome
4.
HISTORY 3327: SPRING 2012 COURSE SCHEDULE
|
Date |
Assignment |
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Jan 19 |
Introduction |
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Jan 24 |
|
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Jan 26 |
|
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Jan 31 |
Reading: Cronon, Changes in the Land |
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Feb 2 |
|
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Feb 7 |
|
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Feb 9 |
|
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Feb 14 |
Reading: Leopold, A Sand County Almanac |
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Feb 16 |
Transformation of the West: The Spanish, Russians, Mormons, and mining |
|
Feb 21 |
First Midterm Exam |
|
Feb 23 |
Transformation of the West: Settlement of the Plains and Landscape Art |
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Feb 28 |
The Progressive Conservation Movement: First Calls for Conservation |
|
Mar 1 |
The Progressive Conservation Movement: Conservation Achieved |
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Mar 6 |
Reading: Worster, Dust Bowl |
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Mar 8 |
The Progressive Conservation Movement: Conservation Achieved, cont. |
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Mar 10–18 |
Spring Break |
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Mar 20 |
|
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Mar 22 |
|
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Mar 27 |
Reading: Carson, Silent Spring |
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Mar 29 |
Second Midterm Exam |
|
Apr 3 |
|
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Apr 5 |
|
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Apr 10 |
The 1960s: The Rise of the Environmental Movement |
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Apr 12 |
The 1960s: Johnson and the Great Society and Environmental Crisis |
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Apr 17 |
|
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Apr 19 |
|
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Apr 24 |
Reading: Oreskes, Merchants
of Doubt |
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Apr 26 |
The 1970s: Carter and the Energy Crisis, Toxic Waste, and Nuclear Power |
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May 1 |
The 1980s: Reagan and the End of an Bipartisan Environmentalism |
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May 3 |
|
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May 8 |
Reading: Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma |
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May 14 |
Monday, 1:30-4:00 p.m.: FINAL EXAM |