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CS92PROD
What Is Nature?
HIST 155
Spring 2016
Section: 01  

This course explores the ideas and realities of nature through the lenses of history and biology. One of the English language's most complex words, "nature" carries an enormous amount of historical and cultural baggage, has many meanings and senses, constitutes the ostensible object of study of the sciences, is intertwined with the histories of human culture and artifice, is at the heart of political debates about resource use and economic development, and so much more. In readings, conversations, observation activities, film nights, field trips, and written work, we will examine both the concept and the physicality of nature by approaching it from the perspectives of history and the natural sciences. We will consider such questions as: What exactly is and isn't nature? Who studies nature and how? Are humans part of nature? Who decides what is "natural"? Is "natural" good? Does nature have inherent value? How have humans thought about and interacted with nature through time?
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS HIST
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: None
Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above

Last Updated on MAR-29-2024
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