Focus: The Environmental History of Minnesota

This version of "The Land in American Experience" will focus on the environmental history of Minnesota: how people have interacted with the Minnesota landscape through time. It will explore some of the many ways the land that is now the State of Minnesota has been perceived, represented, and altered by its inhabitants and visitors over the last three centuries. We will begin by examining the discipline of environmental history, the concept of "place," and the Minnesota landscape as both real and imagined. We will then consider the First People of Minnesota, asking how they modified and understood the land. We will also consider the cultural encounters of these Native American residents with European American immigrants through an examination of the fur trade, the Dakota Conflict of 1862, and the plowing of the prairie. We will then investigate some of the ways Minnesotans have attempted to protect the state's forests, Boundary Waters, and prairie landscapes for future generations, for recreation, and for wildlife. Finally, we will consider the impacts the Twin Cities and their surrounding suburbs are having on our lives today. We will read work by a range of writers, including Paul Gruchow, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Sigurd Olson, and we will also watch a number of excellent videos. Requirements include a journal of your own interactions with a piece of land and a final paper on the environmental history of a place of your choosing.

Class URL: http://www.agricola.umn.edu/rhet1315/fall05/
Class time: 40% lecture, 60% discussion
Work load: 75 pages of reading per week, 25 pages of writing per semester, 4 quizzes, 2 papers, 1 journal, 1 final project
Grade: 70% written reports or papers, 20% quizzes, 10% participation
Exam format: Quizzes: various formats

Liberal education requirements: This course fulfills the liberal education requirements for "Cultural Diversity Theme" and "Other Humanities Core."

Degree requirements: This is a required course for the Minor in Sustainable Agriculture offered by the College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences.