BMET 27A86 - The Environmental History: The Enlightenment's Legacy in North American Environmentalism

This course explores the Enlightenment's legacy in North American environmentalism, examining it from both philosophical and scientific standpoints. Initially, our focus will be on selected texts from Buffon's Natural History (1749-1789), highlighting themes pivotal to Environmental History. Through in-depth analysis of these texts, students will explore topics such as the history of the earth, geological time and epochs, human impact, the economy of nature, and species degeneration. In this first part of the course, although Buffon's works are the primary focus, students will also be exposed to ideas from French Enlightenment thinkers such as Diderot, Maupertuis, De Maillet and Le Roy, thereby deepening their understanding of the notion of a “Green Enlightenment”. We will then examine the contributions of George Perkins Marsh and Henry David Thoreau, studying the rise of environmental thought in the United States during the 19th century, and discussing themes like irreversible human impacts, sylva utopia, and the interconnection among living beings. As the course advances, students will engage with Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic theory and conclude with an analysis of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, which marked the dawn of the modern environmental movement. By the end of the course, students will have acquired a comprehensive understanding of the historical evolution of critical concepts that inform today's environmental discourse and sciences.

Dario GALVAO

Atelier

English

Autumn 2024-2025

Oral participation (discussing, reading, etc.) (10%) Oral presentation (25%) Short text commentary (25%) Final essay (40%)