An Ecological History of Humanity (UNIB10003)

An Ecological History of Humanity is essential for students interested in the ecological crises facing our planet in the Age of the Anthropocene. Taught by a geographer, a zoologist, a microbiologist and an historian, it is an interdisciplinary exploration of our complex relationship with the environment past and present. This is deep history with a purpose, aiming to help you understand how ecology has been transformed through human behaviour, and to figure out a response to the problems this has created.

Our journey starts with the Big Bang, before exploring how life on earth developed, which, after a few billion years, lead to the dominion of the human species. Particular attention will be paid to the past 150,000 years and the impact human societies have had upon ecology. The major areas covered include: the transition from hunter-gathering to settled agricultural societies; the way diseases and society have interacted (including the major plagues in human history); the impact of industrialisation and globalisation upon the biosphere; the emergence of an ecological way of thinking; the political responses to the environmental crisis; and, thinking about how to achieve a sustainable future.

We also offer students, if they wish, the exciting opportunity of engaging with sustainability-based learning experiences outside of the university.