Spring 2026
Ecological History of the Globe
Dates: February 02, 2026 - May 20, 2026Day/Time: Monday; Wednesday 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM EDT
Level: 100-Level
Instructor: Al-Quds Bard College
This course will focus on the history of humankind’s relationship with the environment. It uses the words “environment” and “ecology” to refer to the nonhuman components of the natural world. This course situates power at the nexus between culture, politics and ecology by exploring the interaction between different eco systems, human cultures and lifestyles. The course then will expand to questions of environmental conflicts, uses of natural resources, the politicization of nature and landscape, and the environmental effects of mass migrations. As a case study, this course will study ecology in Palestine using methods of ethnographic research to interrogate the situation of the “ecological” within the framework of the colonial present.
Credits: 4 US / 8 ECTS