College Seminar - Non-Western History (103-7-22)
Topic
Climate Change and Civilizations
Instructors
Akinwumi O Ogundiran
Meeting Info
Harris Hall L05: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
Instructor: Akinwumi Ogundiran
Climate change is a hot-button topic today. The cumulative effects of extreme weather patterns and their short- and long-term impact on contemporary communities and nations worldwide are topics of intense discussion and debate. Climate change is not a new thing. It has defined the earth and human history. We won't be here without mild and intense climate changes. So, what's different about this new phase of climate change? How did past societies manage and cope with climate change? What were the consequences of climate change on past societies, from subsistence farmers and transhumance pastoralists to city-states and empires? In seeking answers to these questions, students will read, present, discuss, analyze, and debate interdisciplinary literature dealing with the impacts of climate change on the cyclical rise and fall, stress and rejuvenation, and growth and decline of several civilizations. Food and water (in)security, conflict and cooperation, peace and war, invention and innovation, migration, state/empire formation and collapse, uprising and revolution, and disease and wellness are some of the events and outcomes linked to past climate changes. We will examine these topics across the globe, from the Roman Empire to French Revolution, Ancient Egypt to Great Zimbabwe, Yoruba Empires in West Africa to the Maya kingdoms in Central America, among others. The class will explore the sources of resilience and fragility in those societies and how and why they responded to climate change the way they did. What are the lessons for our contemporary world, including our very own Midwestern United States?
Learning Objectives
Critical thinking and analysis of literature on climate history and past societies
Evaluation Method
papers, essays, group work, presentation, in-class discussion
Class Notes
Concentration: Global
Class Attributes
WCAS College Seminar