Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | HIS-2270-VO01 - Society & Environment in History

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Ananda Forest
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Philip Crossman

General Education Requirements

VSCS Humanistic Perspectives

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

An exploration of the response to environmental challenges by various societies in history and why societies fail and perish, or succeed and survive.

Essential Objectives

1. Identify the challenges in managing environmental resources.
2. Describe strategies employed by societies that survive environmental challenges.
3. Discuss social and cultural adaptation to environmental conditions and challenges.
4. Investigate the environmental and social causes of various communities' collapse.
5. Analyze the relationship and interaction between society and environment in the development of sustainable communities.
6. Evaluate social economies as a cause of environmental deterioration.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

HIS-2270-VO01 Link to Textbooks/Resources Information for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

-Readings from three amazing, groundbreaking texts: Collapse by Jared Diamond;The End of Growth by Richard Heinberg; andThe Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert. Get ready to hold on to your hats!

-Lectures

-Class discussion

-Movies

-Presentations of student projects

We live in a time of breathtaking change. We are constantly bombarded by conflicting accounts of almost everything you can think of. Is it all 'fake news'? What is going on?

Many are frightened by the world around them. Some despair. Some bury their heads. In this class, we will take an unflinching look at the world as it is today, going beneath the churn and froth of headlines and tweets to closely examine the forces really at work in and on the world, forces that too few are talking about.

We will start by taking a historical perspective, looking at previous societies that have risen and fallen in order to understand the natural life cycle of all things. In particular, we will examine how societies relate to their physical environments and how this relationship plays a determining role.

We will then take a closer look at our own society to see, beneath partisan hype and media hysteria, what we should truly be concerned about and why we should have profound hope.

Evaluation Criteria

Class participation 20%

Weekly journals 20%

Midterm 30%

Independent project 30%

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity