Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

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IEPG9501A-S25

Marine Environmental History
Use CRN 22173 to REGISTER. /

Thoughtful, just, and effective conservation and management of coastal and open ocean marine environments require an understanding of the history of marine populations. In order to advocate for the restoration or conservation of Monterey Bay, for example, or analyze changes due to fishing, coastal development, and sea level rise, we need a baseline and a collective understanding of what we mean when we talk about a healthy marine ecosystem or discuss stewardship or “saving” a marine space. In this course we will explore how scholars across disciplines try to piece together historical baselines. As we examine historical fishing methods and how policies and technologies have influenced depletion or abundance, we will discuss which human communities have recorded marine environmental history and how we might ensure that Indigenous knowledge and the environmental expertise and long experience from marginalized communities have genuine voices in forward-thinking management by way of historical information. We will read such studies as The Unnatural History of the Sea, by Callum Roberts; The Mortal Ocean, by W. Jeffrey Bolster; and various article-length studies. AMR, HIST
Course Reference Number (CRN):
22174
Subject Code:
IEPG
Course Number:
9501
Section Identifier:
A

Course

IEPG 9501

All Sections in Spring 2025 - MIIS