Aims

Humans and the environment have a complex and fraught history. Humans can transform or even destroy nature, while the natural world has shaped societies, cultures and places. In this module, we will explore this relationship through the perspective of disasters and diseases – examining how environmental change also cause or worsen existing injustices. These moments of stress or crisis can be unravelled to view the ways that natural and societal factors intersect in incendiary ways. We will place current issues such as the Climate Crisis and recent pandemics in their historical context ranging from the medieval period to the present. The module uses case studies from Britain, the Americas, Europe, the Indian subcontinent, Russia, and beyond to offer wide-ranging perspectives on the history of human-environment relationships across the world. As we face the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, the module provides vital reflections on the historical roots of the many current environmental, societal and health challenges.

The module features several workshops that may cover: (1) the creation and curation of museum collections; (2 & 3) using objects and other primary sources for the study of human-nature relationships (these will use the resources on site, and be run in conjunction with, the Great North Museum and the Archive and Library of the Natural History Society of Northumbria); (4) museum label writing and the telling of stories using collections

These workshops support the preparation of a summative creative written exercise where the students will re-write existing museum interpretation to highlight hidden human-nature interactions. This will also require students to reflect on the historical roots of a present-day environmental issue and/or a key theme in environmental history and develop participants’ communication skills and ability to construct and communicate a compelling narrative and argument using primary sources and objects. Through engagement with environmental, social, health and cultural history, the module enables students to acquire a broad and detailed knowledge of human-nature interactions since the medieval period and reflect on the various ways in which colonialism, racism, industrialisation and societal change have impacted on diverse groups in unequal ways.

Further aims include:

- Develop confidence in the ability to work with objects, other primary source material, and interdisciplinary approaches that historians use to study the relationship between humans and nature.
- Raise capacity for independent thinking by requiring students to undertake their own creative
project (with guidance) that relates to the historical roots of a present-day environmental issue and/or
a key theme in environmental history.
- Introduce students to cross-disciplinary approaches which cross social, cultural, health and
environmental history and encourage them to make connections between different periods and
places.

Outline Of Syllabus

Outline syllabus, intended as a guide only; week-by-week topics may be slightly different to the following:

- In search of wilderness from the Bible to re-wilding
- Climate change, disease theories and the Black Death in medieval England
- Seeing the woods for the trees: forests, animals and ships in early modern England
- Colonialism and famine in nineteenth and twentieth century India
- Physiology, extreme environments and scientific racism in early twentieth century Britain and America
- Contagion, xenophobia and the Great Fire of San Francisco, 1906
- Ecocide in twentieth century Russia
- Petro-landscapes of the twentieth century: leisure, motoring and the Shell guides
- 'Silent Spring' and the biodiversity decline
- Circadian rhythms, shift work and ecological disasters of the 1970s, 80s and 90s
- Warnings from the past: the emergence of the ‘Anthropocene’ and the climate crisis today

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The combination of seminars, and workshops are designed to encourage an active and student-led approach to learning. Following an introductory lecture seminars will be used to introduce core themes and allow for the discussion of relevant historiographical interpretations, encourage independent study, and promote improvement in oral presentation, interpersonal communication, problem-solving skills, and adaptability. Workshops provide students with the skills to analyse and locate objects and other primary sources, consider how they are collected and interpreted in museums and support the preparation of their written exercise re-writing museum labels and reflecting on that process. Preparation for seminars and workshops requires students to read and critically analyse a wide range of primary sources and secondary literature: a programme of private reading that requires good time management and personal responsibility for learning. There will also be two hour-long drop-in surgeries for individual assignment queries to support students in developing their submissions.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The re-writing of an object label related to the themes of the course (formative assessment) will prepare students for the first summative assement which involves using objects as primary sources and assesses their skill in writing public facing text summarising complex ideas in relation to environmental history. The written exerice will gauge students’ skill at constructing and communicating a compelling narrative and argument, while requiring them to write concisely and locate and critically analyse objects as well as the associated existing historical interpretations by re-writing two museum labels and a short reflection on the approach they took. The final summative essay assesses the acquisition of a clear general knowledge of the subject, an understanding of the impact of past events on today's environmental issues and injustices, as well as the ability to locate and synthesise relevant information, engaging with primary material and relevant historiographical debates. They should be able to express complex ideas in written form using appropriate scholarly sources. All submitted work tests intended knowledge and skills outcomes and develops key skills in research, reading, and writing.