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Unit of study_

AMST2607: Climate Change: Problems, Possibilities

2025 unit information

Combining American history, literature, and politics, this unit examines environmental changes within and beyond the United States. It considers how different perspectives on land management, human needs, and state policies can inform the various uses of natural resources. From buffalo to agri-business, railroads to oil wells, Standing Rock to Three Mile Island, the unit uses a variety of sources to think about how people have understood their relationship with the environment. The unit asks questions about food and water supplies, conservation, urban planning, and the complex roots of the present climate emergency.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

DVC (Research)

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit United States Studies Centre
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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12 credit points at 1000 level in American Studies or 12 credit points at 1000 level in History
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Identify and comprehend how various interests and decisions in the US have changed land, water, and species over time.
  • LO2. Use primary sources (including written, oral, material, data-driven, and digital sources) and secondary sources to understand ways Americans have understood their relationship with the environment.
  • LO3. Explore and explain the significance of historical and political context to the present climate emergency with attention to historical transitions and persistent patterns.
  • LO4. Analyse aspects of environmental change through the lenses of race, gender, and class, both in terms of decision makers and in terms of the effects of those decisions.
  • LO5. Compose research questions and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a compelling position in response to those questions.
  • LO6. Reflect on how our understanding of the way patterns of production and consumption have changed might inform best approaches to the climate crisis.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Remote
Semester 2 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

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