World II:Water/Climate History – 43119 – HIST 008 – 13/14
Professor: Douglas McRae
One of the principal ways that humans experience (and will continue to experience) the contemporary climate crisis is through interactions with water. Changes in ocean levels, patterns of precipitation and the frequency and magnitude of flooding, drought and other environmental catastrophes all speak to the mediating role of water between climate and society. What can study of the history of water and human societies tell us about climate change? More importantly, how can it help us confront the climate crisis currently unfolding on a global scale? This seven-week module in the Climate Change Core Pathway addresses these questions by focusing on some of the ways that environmental histories of water and climate intersect. Through readings, discussions, writing exercises, and presentations we will explore ways to think about the historical relationship between climate, water and people while also exploring the ways that local hydrological transformations relate to global climate processes.
