Description
We are so familiar with extinction that it is hard to imagine a world where nothing was believed to be extinct. Yet, the idea of extinction is modern. Up until the eighteenth century, well-known losses, such as the Mauritian dodo, were attributed to human actions. In the later eighteenth century, research on fossils helped establish the notion that extinction was both endemic and widespread in earth’s history.
This shift quickly underpinned new ideas about loss and endangerment in the modern world. In the twentieth century, the rise of ecology and conservation movements in the 1960s and 1970s created a new awareness of anthropogenically-induced species loss. In the present day, scientists are racing to resurrect lost species through de-extinction. Meanwhile, we are witnessing a new era of activism with the emergence of Extinction Rebellion. This module will be a broad introduction to the history of different ideas about extinction, and their relevance to histories of empire and the environment from the late 18th century to the present day.
By the end of the module students should be able to:
- analyse and explain key events and historical processes relevant to the subject under scrutiny (including analysis of primary evidence where appropriate);
- compare and evaluate the main scholarly views on the subject under investigation;
- work with an appropriate degree of learner independence to explain and analyse the material under scrutiny;
- summarise, synthesise and evaluate in writing themes across a wide range of diverse material.
Assessment
- 2 x 2500 word essays (50% each).