Tuesdays, 10am-12pm
This new course will survey the history of North America’s wildlife and human ecology from Pleistocene times to the present. Major themes will include: the Ice Age megafauna of woolly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, giant sloths, bears and condors; pre-Columbian Indian nations; early 19th century biologists and scientists ; recent wildlife extinctions, and the 20th century conservation movement from Teddy Roosevelt to Rachel Carson. It will conclude with current conservation challenges and the growth of new initiatives, groups and strategies. The course will include use of films, lectures, readings, fieldtrips and guest lecturers.