In this course we will explore the complex dynamics of environmental history, cultural history, and marine conservation on the Monterey Peninsula and environs. Our major focus of study will be the relationships between climate, biophysical environment, and human civilization at key stages of the region’s modern development. We will read and discuss a variety of works by historians, novelists, poets, and scientists on the complex historical dynamics of different regional groups, from the indigenous inhabitants of the region to various settler groups. Emphasis will be placed on the twentieth-century historical context, when the sardine fishery and canneries competed for predominance with tourism. We will go on numerous field trips to such places as the Elkhorn Slough, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Point Lobos, and Asilomar Beach. Readings will include sections from the following books of local significance: The Death and Life of Monterey Bay, by Palumbi and Sotka, Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, Kroeber’s Ishi Between Two Worlds; Chiang’s Shaping the Shoreline; Ulanski’s The California Current, and Ricketts’ Between Pacific Tides. (This course is for students enrolled in the Middlebury Climate Semester Program (January-May) and will be taught on the Monterey campus.) (Approval Only) AMR, HIS, LIT