Enviromental History
Course code
AIG6106.HT
old course code
Course title in Estonian
Keskkonnaajalugu
Course title in English
Enviromental History
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2026/2027 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2026/2027 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Brief description of the course
Environmental history forms part of the environmental humanities, a new and rapidly developing field that examines the human place in history from an environmental perspective and makes room in history for other species. Students learn to identify and critically interpret sources suitable for environmental research and become familiar with methods used to investigate the environment in the humanities. The course pays particular attention to crossing boundaries between different humanities disciplines and between the humanities and natural sciences. Lectures provide an overview of the development and current state of research in Estonian and European environmental history and the environmental humanities. Seminars examine the differences, common ground and principal research directions of environmental history and the environmental humanities. Excursions introduce sites and objects associated with the environmental humanities in Estonia and provide opportunities to meet researchers in the field.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- is familiar with the development, principal concepts, methods and research directions of environmental history and the environmental humanities;
- analyses environmental change and questions of sustainability in historical perspective, taking account of different temporal and spatial scales;
- applies knowledge and approaches from the environmental humanities to the interpretation of contemporary social and individual environmental issues;
- understands the possibilities and limitations of interdisciplinary work and plans research combining approaches from different disciplines.
- is familiar with the development, principal concepts, methods and research directions of environmental history and the environmental humanities;
- analyses environmental change and questions of sustainability in historical perspective, taking account of different temporal and spatial scales;
- applies knowledge and approaches from the environmental humanities to the interpretation of contemporary social and individual environmental issues;
- understands the possibilities and limitations of interdisciplinary work and plans research combining approaches from different disciplines.
Teacher
Ulrike Plath
Study programmes containing that course