Environmental Debates: People, Places and Culture

This course will explore the multi-faceted dimensions of human interaction with diverse environments in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. Students will develop an understanding of the origins of environmental concerns and current debates in these regions from pre-European contact to the present day; focus on topics as broad as the peopling of the Pacific and the challenge of climate change to selected issues, such as the impact of mining, clean energy futures, our vulnerability to natural disasters, and increasing urbanization; and examine the intersection of culture and nature.