Exam #2 – take-home assignment


Please reflect on the following, and write an essay of about 500-750 words (2-3 pages) on one of the following questions:


1. The environmental historian William Cronon has argued that the environmental development of any one region cannot be read in isolation from other regions– an ecosystem is best defined in terms of its broader interrelations with distant markets, institutions, and influences. In what ways does Richard White's The Organic Machine illustrate this thesis? How do these relationships change over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries?


2. In our class discussions of conservation policy through the twentieth century, we have used organizing terms such as "utilitarian" and "ecological" to describe the beliefs and commitments of major historical actors. How well, and in what way, do these terms apply to critical issues in environmental policy in the 1940s through 1960s, including Rachel Carson's work on pesticides, the rise of the environmental movement, and emerging concerns about environmental issues in urban areas?



Due date: please have this assignment completed by Tuesday, May 23rd.