Environmental History 1 - Before 1800 - An Original History Class
This is a 5-week course introducing a new way to study United States History and World History - Environmental American History.
Class Experience
US Grade 9 - 12
Intermediate Level
This class will teach about environmental history before 1800. No previous knowledge about history, science, or the environment is necessary to enjoy and learn from this course. Environmental history is an original way of studying history that includes studying plants, animals, weather, climate, disease, and the attitudes of people toward nature. All of these things affect history, and this class will help students understand how they do so. I decided to offer this class because there are...
Students will learn how the environment has influenced history. They'll understand what the Columbian Exchange is, and why it is the single most important event in the creation of the modern world that we all live in, biologically speaking. We'll learn some of the ways that Native Americans managed their environment prior to and after the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. We'll also discuss how the environment played a role in the interactions between European colonists and Native Americans. Finally, we'll explore some of the ways that the modern economic systems used throughout the world were influenced by events involving the environment during the 1700s. All of this will be done at a level of detail appropriate to teenage learners.
My PhD from the University of Arkansas includes a specialty in Environmental History. I was taught there by Elliott West, among the most decorated professors of Environmental History in the United States. I also taught a more complex and longer version of this course at the college level for several years during the 2010s.
Homework Offered
We will have one book for our class, and will read one or two chapters from it for each week. This will be our main source of discussion. The book is Ted Steinberg, Down to Earth: Nature’s Role in American History.1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
I do not plan to issue homework outside of reading the book, but will have some study questions to help students focus on the main points of each chapter that we read.Grades Offered
Learners only need the class book, which is Ted Steinberg, Down to Earth: Nature’s Role in American History.
There is little in this class that should require parental guidance. We will discuss how various diseases have caused significant death and suffering in history, which might be unsettling to some learners. The class has virtually no political content.
Our class book, as described above, is Ted Steinberg, Down to Earth: Nature’s Role in American History. Other key sources include books by Alfred Crosby about the Columbian Exchange. Crosby is the godfather of Environmental History and has been studying this topic for over 50 years. Other notable historians whose books I call upon include Elliott West, Dan Flores, Andrew Isenberg, William Cronon, Jared Diamond, and Charles Mann, all of whom have written one or more excellent books on environmental history during this era.
Available times
Pacific
Meet the teacher
Hello Outschool parents and students. My name is Rob Bauer, and I teach history classes. I’m a former college history professor who decided to share his expertise with the Outschool community. Eventually, I plan to offer history classes across the...
Group Class
$45
weekly or $225 for 15 classes3x per week, 5 weeks
50 min
Live video meetings
Ages 13-18
2-12 learners per class
