Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2026 - HIST 377 BLS1

Environmental History (4)

Class Number: 5426

Delivery Method: Blended

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 6, 2026: TBA, TBA
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units, including six units of lower division history.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines the reciprocal influences between humans and nature through time. Topics may include settlement, agriculture, technology, politics, urbanization, science, and conservation. Students with credit for GEOG 377 may not take this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

This is a flipped course. Lectures are prerecorded, meetings to discuss lectures and readings are synchronous online. Exams are in-person on the Burnaby campus. This course studies the reciprocal relations of humans and nature across North America from contact to the present. The books put these tales in conversation with other parts of the globe, exploring how nature, humans, and technology have shaped historical and geographical experience over the last 400 years. As an upper-division course, GEOG 377 contributes to student comprehension of the social, cultural, and ecological factors shaping human events across time. The course blends lectures, primary documents, and secondary texts. Discussions and exams focus on the big themes. The two five-page papers should analyze two sequential, pre-selected document sets that are available through Canvas

Topics: class, colonialism, culture, markets, urbanization, technology, energy, and consumption

Mode: Lectures are prerecorded; weekly quizzes and discussions occur during the normal meeting time each week. The two papers are submitted via Canvas. The two exams will be held in-person at Burnaby campus.

Grading

  • Midterm 31%
  • Paper 25%
  • Quizzes 15%
  • Final Exam 29%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Mark Kurlansky, Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World (1997)

Sidney Mintz, Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History (1985)

John Soluri, Banana Cultures: Agriculture, Consumption, & Environmental Change (2005)

Ray Hilborn & Ulrike Hilbor, Overfishing: What Everyone Needs to Know (2012)

Primary docs available online via urls, SFU’s Electronic Journals, and Canvas


Department Undergraduate Notes:

Learn more about studing History at SFU:

History areas of study


Why study History?

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.