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Instructors: Dr. Heli Huhtamaa
Event type:
Exercise
Org-unit: Dept. 02 - Institute of History
Displayed in timetable as:
Übung NG 1
Subject:
Crediting for:
Hours per week:
2
Language of instruction:
Englisch
Min. | Max. participants:
- | 25
Official Course Description:
The anthropogenic global climate change is posing severe challenges for human well-being today and in the imminent future. The magnitude and extent of these challenges are likely unparalleled in the human history. However, Earth’s climate has varied and changed in the past, although commonly on smaller temporal and spatial scales. By studying how these historical climatic changes have influenced humans in the past, we may gain valuable small-scale analogues how to cope and mitigate with the larger challenges of the future change.
This course provides an overview of the climate variability in the last 1500 years and their human consequences. We will learn why climate has altered over this period and how we know about these changes. By investigating several case studies from 500-2000 C.E. Europe, we will learn variety of approaches to critically assess the role of climate in human history. We will evaluate, for example, how climatic changes may have been intertwined with mortality crises, violent conflicts and persecution of minorities in the European history. Finally, we will discuss how the examples from the past and the approaches learned in the class can help us to understand better the future climate-society relationships.
Learning goals and course format:
The main goals are 1) to learn how to critically employ climate data and 2) to understand the complexity of climate-society interactions, when studying the human consequences of climate in the past.
As the course is taught in English, which is the dominant language in the climate-related scientific fields, class participation will also advance students’ English language reading, writing and oral communication skills. Possible linguistic errors and mistakes (written or oral) will not affect the course marking.
The course consists of exercises, presentations and discussion of relevant texts. Exercises with climate data and tools allow students to gain basic skills to employ climate data in historical research. Scientific journal articles and book chapters, which will be presented and discussed by the students, will familiarize the participants into the ongoing scientific debates and controversies regarding the role of climate in human history. Each participant will present a designated key reading over the semester. There will be no final exam or written assignments.
Course requirements:
Ability and readiness to read and discuss texts in English and active class participation. The course is recommended for MA students in History or for MSc students in Environmental Sciences (or related fields).
Course materials:
The reading material will be interdisciplinary and announced and provided at the beginning of the course.
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