ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

ACL587

Course Code: ACL587
Semester: -
Theory+Practice: 3 + 0
ECTS: 5

Course Type

Elective Course

Course Level

Master's Degree With Thesis

Year of Study

Semester

ECTS

Name of Lecturer(s)

Assistant Professor Tarık Tansu Yiğit

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

Analyze primary environmentalist texts and comprehend key concepts regarding nature and human interactions.
Gain insights into issues of equity and (in)justice in the context of modern environmental challenges as represented in American literature and culture.
Analyze the cultural and historical interconnectedness of environmental entities.

Mode of Delivery

Prerequisites

Recommended Optional Programme Components

Course Description

This course explores the natural world through historical, cultural, and literary lenses, examining environmental shifts and their impact on human beings and more-than-human beings, the influence of human activities on nature, and the evolving perceptions of nature. Covering major themes such as capitalism, industrialization, urbanization, colonialism, warfare, ecological consciousness, and environmental activism, the course provides a framework for understanding the diverse representations of nature with a particular focus on the American context.

Course Contents

WEEK	TOPICS
1^st Week	Course introduction
2^nd Week	What is Environmental History? How does it Matter in Our Life? J. Donald Hughes, What is Environmental History, Chapter 1-2; "What is Environmental History?" https://nature.berkeley.edu/departments/espm/env-hist/studyguide/chap1.htm, Further reading: W. Cronon, "Uses of Environmental History;" W. Cronon, "A Place for Stories, Nature;" J. R. McNeil, "Observations on the Nature and Culture of Environmental History;" Richards, John F. "Climate and Early Modern World Environmental History" in The Unending Frontier: An Environmental History of the Early Modern World (58-88).
3^rd Week	Visions of Nature. Andrea Borghini, "The Idea of Nature" https://www.thoughtco.com/the-idea-of-nature-2670631, Philip Sutton, "Modern Ideas of Nature and Environment," in Nature, Environment and Society, Raymond Williams, "Ideas of Nature" in Problems in Materialism and Culture.
4^th Week	Human Impact on the Environment (case study: "Discovery" of Americas). Nathan Nunn and Nancy Qian, "The Columbian Exchange: A History of Disease, Food, and Ideas;" Alfred W. Crosby, "Virgin Soil Epidemics as a Factor in the Aboriginal Depopulation of America," in Germs, Seeds, and Animals; A.W. Crosby, Columbian Exchange; W. Cronon, Changes in the Land; Thomas M. Wickman, Snowshoe Country: An Environmental and Cultural History of Winter in the Early American Northeast; The Columbian Exchange Reading: Mancall, 45-61, 112-132, 140-148; Judith Carney, "African Rice in the Columbian Exchange."
5^th Week	Sublime Landscapes & Romantic Visions (American Context). Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature; W. Cronon, "The View from Walden," in Changes in the Land; Kusserow, Karl, et al. Nature?s Nation: American Art and Environment; Alexis de Tocqueville, American Wilderness.
6^th Week	Natural Resources Management/Preservation and Parks. David Stradling, ed., Conservation in the Progressive Era
7^th Week	Landscape Ethics and Environmental (In)Justice. Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac, 137-141, 237-264. Richard Schroeder et al, "Third World Environmental Justice," in Society & Natural Resources.
8^th Week	Midterm
9^th Week	Animal Studies. Mary Norton, "Going to the Birds: Animals as Things and Beings in Early Modernity," in Early Modern Things; John R. McNeill, "How the Lowly Mosquito Helped America Win Independence" (Zocalo Public Square).
10^th Week	Burial Grounds as Green Urban Spaces. Grete Svensen, "Between Romantic Historic Landscapes, Rational Management Models and Obliterations "Urban Cemeteries as Green Memory Sites;" Hatice Yılmaz, et. al, "The Role of Aşiyan Cemetery (İstanbul) as a Green Urban Space from an Ecological Perspective and its Importance in Urban Plant Diversity."
11^th Week	Gender Dynamics and Environmental Roles. Caroline Merchant, "Earthcare: Women and the Environment" (article). Stefan L. Brandt and Ruben Cenamor, "Introduction," in Ecomasculinities: Negotiating Male Gender Identity in U.S. Fiction.
12^th Week	Industrial Revolution/Industry. Rob White, "The Industrial Revolution and Its Environmental Impact;" "The Environmental Consequences of the Industrial Revolution," edited by Steven Kreis; Jared Diamond, "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed," Timothy Mitchell, Carbon Democracy & Machines of Democracy (1-42)
13^th Week	Environmentalism/Activism. Rachel Carson, Silent Spring (selections), Documentary Discussions: "Before the Flood" (2016) dir. Fisher Stevens- available on YouTube.
14^th Week	City Planning. Timothy Beaties, Green Cities of Europe (Project Presentations)
15^th Week	Make-Up
16^th Week	General Revision

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

	LO1	LO2	LO3
K1
K2
K3
K4
K5
K6
K7
K8
K9
K10
K11
K12
K13