Thursdays, 6:10-9:00 p.m.

Spring 2005

Dr. Peter Thorsheim

Office: 136 Garinger; tel. (704)687-4874

Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1-2 pm, and by appointment

E-mail: pthorshe@uncc.edu

Center Pivot Irrigation System near Mount Shasta, California

Overview

This course explores the enormous increase that has occurred since the onset of the industrial age in humanity’s ability to use technology to alter the environment, and the ways in which various people have perceived these changes and either condemned or welcomed them. The primary focus of the course will be the ways (intentional and unintentional) in which technology transformed the cities, fields, and forests of the US and Europe during the past two centuries, but we will also examine the impact of technology in other places and on the earth as a whole. Readings, class discussions, oral presentations, and short writing assignments will prepare you to research and write a major paper based on primary and secondary sources.

Required Books (available for purchase; all except Josephson are also on reserve)

Cronon, William. Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West. Norton, 1992.

Guha, Ramachandra. Environmentalism: A Global History. Longman, 2000.

Josephson, Paul. Industrialized Nature. Island Press, 2002.

Nye, David E. America as Second Creation. MIT, 2004.

Stradling, David. Smokestacks and Progressives. Johns Hopkins, 2003.

Additional short required readings will be announced or distributed in class.

Recommended Book (available for purchase)

Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004.

Expectations

The more dedication and energy you bring to this course, the more you will gain from it. In our interactions with each other, I look forward to an atmosphere of mutual respect and constructive criticism. You are expected to complete all assignments before class on the dates indicated, take notes, and participate in discussions. Attendance is mandatory. If you have special needs that need accommodation, it is your responsibility to discuss them with me as soon as possible. You are responsible for understanding and following the UNCC Code of Student Academic Integrity: http://www.uncc.edu/policystate/ps-105.html. Plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty will result in an F in this course and possible additional penalties.

Grading Scheme

Class Participation (20%). Based on your attendance and participation in discussion.

Weekly Journal (20%). Each week that there is reading assigned you are to bring to seminar a brief typed reflection (no more than two double-spaced pages long) on the assigned reading. You may omit a journal on two weeks of your choice without penalty, so a total of ten entries is required. Although entries should connect directly with a specific reading assignment, their purpose is not to summarize it. Instead, you should use each journal entry to respond to the reading, ponder questions that it raises for you, or relate it to previous classes or readings.

Paper Proposal and Preliminary Bibliography (10%). In approximately two well-crafted pages, you will introduce your proposed research topic, explain the key questions that you hope to answer, and discuss the sources that you intend to use. Your preliminary bibliography should include at least 5 primary sources and 5 secondary sources from scholarly history books or journals.

Peer Critiques (10%). You will write a critique of approximately two double-spaced typed pages about two other students’ draft research papers. Your critiques should discuss the paper’s thesis, organization, evidence, style, documentation of sources, and argument. For your feedback to serve a constructive purpose during the author’s revision process, it should focus primarily on issues that need further work. Please bring two copies of each critique to class.

Draft Research Paper and Bibliography (10%). Minimum of 6 double-spaced pages, including footnotes and bibliography.

Revised Research Paper and Bibliography (30%). You will write a research paper of 12-15 pages on an instructor-approved topic. The purpose of the paper is not to provide a chronicle, but to use evidence in support of a particular interpretation. Your paper must use an extensive range of both primary sources and scholarly secondary sources, and you must properly footnote every source that you use. It is the policy of the History Department to submit all final papers for courses at the 4000 level to automatic plagiarism detection. To receive credit for the final paper, you must not only turn in two paper copies of it to the instructor, but also submit an electronic copy of your paper as a Microsoft Word email attachment.

SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS

13 Jan Introduction (watch the film Naqoyqatsi [2002])

20 Jan Interpreting the Past Technologically and Environmentally

Cronon, William. “Using Environmental History.” In Major Problems in American Environmental History, 2d ed., edited by Carolyn Merchant. Boston, 2005. [handout]

Stine, Jeffrey K., and Joel A. Tarr. “At the Intersection of Histories: Technology and the Environment.” Technology and Culture 39 (Oct. 1998): 601-40. [E-Journal available]

Worster, Donald. “Doing Environmental History.” In Major Problems in American Environmental History, 2d ed., edited by Carolyn Merchant. Boston, 2005. [handout]

27 Jan CLASS MEETS IN ATKINS LIBRARY 273

Nature and Culture (Cronon, 5-54; Josephson, 1-14; Nye, 9-42)

3 Feb Forests (Josephson, 69-129; Nye 43-90)

10 Feb Canals and Railroads (Cronon 55-93; Nye, 147-203)

Paper Proposal and Preliminary Bibliography Due

17 Feb Mills (Nye, 91-146; Cronon, 148-206)

24 Feb Animals (Cronon, 207-59; Josephson, 197-253)

3 March City and Country (Cronon, 310-69; Josephson, 131-96)

10 March No Class (Spring Break)

17 March No Class (instructor at a conference; use time to work on final paper)

24 March Early Environmentalism (Guha, 1-62; Stradling, 1-60)

31 March Air (Stradling, 61-191)

7 April Water (Nye, 205-59; Josephson, 15-68)

14 April Presentations on Research Papers

Draft Paper and Bibliography Due (3 paper copies)

21 April Presentations on Research Papers

Peer Critiques Due (bring 2 copies of each to class)

28 April Environmentalism in the Twentieth Century (Guha, 63-145)

3 May Final Class Meeting (Josephson, 255-63; Cronon, 371-85; Nye, 261-302)

10 May Final Paper Due (put two paper copies in Dr. Thorsheim’s History Department mailbox and send him one copy as an email attachment)