HIST/MENA 443: Environmental History of the Middle East

How have humans interacted with the varied environments of the Middle East:  deserts, oceans, mountain slopes, river valleys, grasslands, farmlands, cities, ports?  How can we study those interactions, with what sources and methods?  How have they been affected by changes in climate or technology?  What is the impact of the many conquests and colonialisms that have swept over the region up to the present day?  How do Middle Easterners view their own environment, how do they understand nature?  What are they doing now to preserve their environments from destruction?

Course Credits
3