Dr. Oyeula-Caycedo
| The objective of this course is to create a solid foundation in the study of the theories and methods in historical ecology today. This will be accomplished by evaluating the new trends that have driven historical ecology in the last ten years. This new approach demands an interdisciplinary view. The first part of the class will focus on the different epistemological approaches. We will look at the kinds of questions asked and the methodologies employed to answer them. The last part of the course will place emphasis on case studies where historical ecology has been employed to understand long-term regional dynamics of the relationship between humans and the environment. We will examine the theoretical and methodological relationship of historical ecology to biology, geography, and geology as well as to history. We will look at why historical ecology is a powerful approach to evaluating critical theories that range from biology to history. We will look at how the theories are evaluated and what factors favor their success or abandonment. |