Dr. Michael Lewis
History 389: Environmental History of The United States
Section 001: M/W 3:00-4:15
Office: 389 Holloway Hall
E-mail:
mllewis@salisbury.edu
Phone: (410) 677-5020
Office Hours: T/Th 11:00-12:15 and 2:00-3:15, and by appointment.
Required Hurley, Environmental Inequalities
Course Texts: Klare, Blood and Oil
Sale, Green Revolution
Steinberg, Acts of God
White, The Organic Machine
Worster, The Dust Bowl NOTE – MUST GET THE REVISED EDITION
Recommended texts: Jackson: Crabgrass Frontier
Reisner: Cadillac Desert
Course Description and Objectives: This course has two primary goals. It will introduce you to environmental history as a type of historical inquiry, with specific goals and concerns, and second, it will give you an overview of key topics for environmental historians looking at the “long” twentieth century of 1880-present. The course will be discussion-intensive, and will also allow you the opportunity to write a substantial paper demonstrating the environmental history approach.
Grading Scale: A 90-100%
B 80%-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F 59% and below
Course Requirements:
The requirements for this class are simple. Read six books, figure out their arguments, and write a short paper dealing with some aspect of each of them. Come to class every day and talk about those six books in a thoughtful manner. Take good notes during lectures. Take a mid-term based on the first three of those books and associated lectures. Take a final based on the entire semester. Attend a couple of Saturday class trips, and complete any homework that is assigned. Here it is broken down:
Attendance: Attendance is required. Excessive absences or tardiness will reduce your grade.
Preparation: You are expected to read each of the six books, in their entirety. When you come to class, make sure that you spend a couple of minutes reviewing what you have read. On occasion, I will ask you to prepare an out-of-class assignment. I will give reading quizzes to reward those students who are keeping up with the reading. If missed, reading quizzes may not be made up.
Participation: Your participation in class, or lack thereof, will be noted. Active participation is a precondition for success in this class.
Examinations: You will have one in-class examination, and a final exam. If you miss a scheduled examination, you will not have the opportunity for a make-up, barring some truly spectacular and documented reason, cleared with me PRIOR to the examination.
Papers: You will have to write six short papers/book reviews. All writing assignments are due on their due date. Absence is not an excuse to turn in the review late. I will expect you to get the paper to me in some fashion even if you cannot attend class. If you miss a paper on its due date, you will receive a zero. If for some reason you are going to miss a deadline, you must contact me in advance – call me, or write an e-mail, and explain your situation.
Research Paper: If you are a history major who has already completed the Pro-seminar, you have the option of choosing to write a 12-15 pp. research paper on some aspect of the environmental history of the United States. If you chose to write a research paper, that will take the place of three of the short papers required for each book (in other words, it will count for 20% of your grade). You must notify me in writing of your intent to write a research paper by February 19.
Class trips: There will be two Saturday trips for this class. These trips are required. I understand, however, that some people have legitimate commitments that preclude their attendance at a trip outside of class. If you cannot make this class trip, please meet with me as soon as possible so that we can work out an alternative assignment.
Grading Breakdown:
Reading quizzes/participation: 15%
Mid-Term Examination: 20%
Short Papers: 40%
Final Exam 25%
Any modifications to this schedule will be announced in class.
January 29: Introduction to class
January 31: Lecture: What is Environmental History?
Read: Introduction to Organic Machine
February 3: Required class trip to Furnacetown. Depart at 9:30 am
from the Guerreri Center Parking Lot. Return by 12:00 pm.
Make Up Assignment
February 5: Lecture: US history according to Environmental History
February 7: Discussion: Organic Machine completed and paper due
February 12: Lecture: Adam Smith, Marx, and history
Read: Dust Bowl pp. 1-99
February 14: Video: What’s to Blame for the Dust Bowl?
Read: Dust Bowl pp. 99-138
February 19: Lecture: The Environmental Management State
Discussion: Dust Bowl, completed (including epilogue AND afterword)
February 21: Discussion: Dust Bowl, and paper due
February 26: Lecture: The Age of Dams
Read: Acts of God Introduction
February 28: No class. Get ahead on your reading!
Read: Acts of God, pp. 1-79
March 5:
Lecture: The West and the Welfare State
Read: Acts of God, pp. 79-148
March 7: Discussion: Acts of God, completed
March 12: Discussion: Acts of God, and paper due
Read: Environmental Inequalities, pp. 1-59
March 28: Lecture: Cities, Sprawl, and residential segregation
Read: Environmental Inequalities, pp. 60-110
April 2: Lecture: Pollution and Progress I
Read: Environmental Inequalities, pp. 110-135
April 4: Lecture: Pollution and Progress II
Read: Environmental Inequalities, pp. 135-182
April 9: Discussion: Environmental Inequalities, completed
April 11: Discussion: Environmental Inequalities, and paper due
American Empire
April 16: Lecture: American Empire and Natural Resources
Read: Blood and Oil, preface to p. 55
April 18: The Math of Oil: Worksheet due in class on April 23
Read: Blood and Oil, 56-112
April 23: Discussion: Blood and Oil, completed
April 25: Discussion: Blood and Oil, and paper due
The Environmentalism Movement
April 30: Lecture: A global view of the rise of environmentalism
Green Revolution pp. 1-70
May 2: Discussion: Green Revolution, completed
May 5: Class trip to Assateague National
Seashore. Leave at 10:00 am, return by 2:00 pm
Make up Assignment for Assateague
May 7: Discussion: Green Revolution, and paper due
Read: The future of environmentalism (The Death of Environmentalism)
May 9: Catch up Day – and hope assignments
May 14: Review of course themes for final
Final Exam, Monday May 21, 1:30-4:00
Writing Across the Curriculum: Writing across the Curriculum is a nationally recognized initiative that is designed to improve students’ learning through encouraging different types of writing in all university courses. This course is committed to this program, and will use the following tools:
1.) You will be required to refine your note-taking skills in class
2.) Your examinations will be essay based. These essays will require you to think broadly about the primary themes of the course, and to marshal specific evidence in support of an argument.
3.) You will be required to do short writing assignments in-class and at home to allow you the opportunity to think through some general course questions.
4.) You will write six papers/book reviews, and will have the option of writing a more extensive research paper.