HI-224 Environmental humanities - Historical and Social Perspectives

The course is connected to the following study programs

• Bachelor's Programme in History
• Advanced Teacher Education level 8-13, 5-year Master's Programme

Teaching language

All teaching will be in English if there are non-Norwegian speaking students present. Students may write their semester papers and their exam in English or Scandinavian. The core reading list will be in English. A minor section of the reading list may offer a choice between English and Scandinavian texts.

Recommended prerequisites

60 Credits of humanities/social studies at university level or one year of relevant subjects from teachers training. Students must be able to access the course content and participate in the teaching activities in English.

Course contents

The course will bring together students from different scholarly disciplines to engage with humanities perspectives on major present day environmental challenges on global and local level, both as historical processes and in everyday lives. Students will be challenged to develop and refine their environmental literacy and their understanding of historical change, by exploring historical, literary and conceptual perspectives on human - environment relations. Among the topics covered are environmental poisons, climate change, extinction, consumption and waste, environmental justice, but also themes like hope, care and environmental citizenship.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge

Upon completion of the course students will

• have acquired basic insights into environmental humanities as a multidisciplinary field of knowledge and research area of high relevance for approaching present day global and local challenges to the environment and to human health

• have developed competent understanding of the central perspectives, topics, concepts in the field

• be able to explain and discuss humanities perspective on, and contribution to, environmental research, knowledge and capacity for environmental care, considerations and justice

Skills

Upon completion of the course students will

• have expanded and deepened their environmental literacy

• have developed and are able to demonstrate subject knowledge through student-active and student-interactive teaching and learning

• be able to engage in respectful, multi-disciplinary discussions of ways to know and rights to know about environmental impacts of human activities

• be able to identify and explain the relevance of UN sustainability goals in relation to environmental humanities perspectives

• be able to carry out and present an academic investigation into relevant primary sources

General competence

Upon completion of the course students will

• understand the value and relevance of environmental humanities perspectives for human insights into society, communities and everyday life

Examination requirements

The compulsory attendance requirement of 80 % must be met.

Teaching methods

The teaching will alternate between lectures and seminars and involve a high level of student engagement and student-interactivity. Each week there will be one day of teaching, consisting of two times two-hour session with a two-hour student activity in between. The teaching will involve field trips, and may on these occasions require more time flexibility. Students will meet and engage with researchers and get hands-on experience with active research projects. The students will use basic skills in information gathering including historical archives. They will organize, analyze and present their findings from original historical sources. Students will be expected to work through the tools provided at Canvas. Achieving the learning outcomes will require full time participation in the learning activities throughout the course. Thus there is an obligatory 80% attendance requirement. The exam tasks assigned will reflect the work methods developed and practiced in the course. Expected workload 270 hours.

Evaluation

The person responsible for the course decides, in cooperation with student representative, the form of student evaluation and whether the course is to have a midway or end of course evaluation in accordance with the quality system for education, chapter 4.1.

Offered as Single Standing Module

Yes, if there are places available.

Admission Requirement if given as Single Standing Module

Higher Education Entrance Qualification.

Assessment methods and criteria

1. One-week home examination. Individual investigative exam paper (3500 words) where students can choose from a list of thematic inquiry questions provided at the start of the exam. The paper counts 70 % towards the final grade.

2. Two-hour written individual examination under supervision on 5 questions from the course content. Counts 30 % towards the final grade. Both exams must be passed.

Exam questions will be given in English. Students may write their exams in English or Scandinavian.

Graded assessment.