A History of Nature

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

170 hours

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject discusses central topics in human understandings about their environment in the Western world, particularly over the last 500 years. As Europeans began to venture out of their continent in the 15th century, they discovered new environments that challenged their received wisdom about themselves and their relationship to nature. Modern Science with the inherent idea of a mastery over nature is an outcome of this process. We will trace how in this history different interpretations of 'nature' have shaped science and have been shaped by science in return, including topics such as taxonomy, gardening, theories of life, and the rise of environmentalism. This subject should be of interest to students who would like to learn more about the origins of the environmental sciences, the dominance of scientific understandings of nature, and our ongoing attempts to live within a changing environment.

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

• demonstrate knowledge of changes in the understanding of nature that have occurred in the western world over the last 500 years;
• demonstrate knowledge of the explanations given by historians for these understandings;
• demonstrate understanding for the complex cultural and social developments that have contributed in this process;
• develop an understanding of key scientific and philosophical concepts;
• develop an evidence-based opinion on the sustainability of our relationship with nature;
• conduct independent research including the appropriate use of primary and secondary sources in mounting an historical argument;
• develop effective communication and presentation skills (written and oral), and the ability to collaborate constructively within the classroom;
• demonstrate ethical integrity in written work and classroom activities

A group poster equivalent to 1000 words, 25% (due in the teaching period), a take home test equivalent to 1000 words, 25% (due at the end of the subject), and a research essay 2000 words, 50% (due 31 January 2015).

Hurdle requirement: students must attend a minimum of 75% of tutorials in order to pass this subject. Regular participation in tutorials is required. Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day; after five working days late assessment will not be marked. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Subject readings will be available online and fromthe bookshop.

Donald Worster, Nature's economy: a history of ecological ideas. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 1994

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.