• Conservation and Resource Studies social science requirement or area of interest requirement.
• L&SBreadthRequirements.
• History major.
• Other majors.
• Fulfills American Cultures requirement.

• Goals
• Learn to read and think critically about history.
• Appreciate American cultural diversity.
• Relate environmental history to current events.
• Discussion Sections
• Pick one question to focus on.
• Try to speak each week.
• Participate in list-serve for extra credit.

• Choose a chapter from the textbook.
• Create a project from the chapter topic.
• Must have historical context.
• Must have environmental content.
• A good way to explore another culture.
• Give a 5 minute (max) presentation in section during the week of your chapter.
• Examples:

8. Chesapeake Letter:Janice Dean

9. Phillis Wheatley’s Poetry:Karen Manwaring

12. Great Plains: John Deere Plow; Oregon Trail model

13. Urban Pollution: Chitra Chandran and Heather Janes

15. Gold Rush Sluice Box: Carmella Campbell

16. American Cultures

• Why is there a requirement?
• California’s multicultural population growing.
• CA total pop. 2000: 34.6 million; 2020: 45.5
• Prop 209, 1996. No racial or gender pref.
• U.C. Berkeley’s multicultural population:
• Freshman class:‘97, ‘00, ‘01, '02, '03. State Population: 1998
• African-American: 7.3%, 3.9%, 3.8%, 3.7%, 3.5% 6.7
• American Indian: 0.7%, 0.3%, 0.5%, 0.5%, 0.6% 0.06%
• Asian-American: 40.4%, 44.8%, 40.2%, 39.9%, 40% 11.5%
• Chicano/Latino: 13.3%, 9.3%, 10.5%, 12.1%. 12.2% 30.8%
• White: 28.2%, 30.6%, 29.9%, 33.9%, 32.9% 50.1%
• Other (foreign, d.t.s.):10.1%,11.3%,15.6%,9.9%,10.8% 0.8%

• What is the requirement?
• Courses must be integrative and comparative and address theoretical and analytical issues relevant to understanding race, culture, and ethnicity in American history and society.
• Must take substantial account of groups drawn from at least three of the following: African-Americans, indigenous peoples of the U.S., Chicano/Latinos, and European Americans.

• American cultures classes may also satisfy other requirements.
• Address majority and minority cultures within society.
• Look at interactions and influences among the three groups chosen.
• How have various cultural traditions and experiences shaped American experience as a whole?

• Will take substantial account of three cultures: Native American, African American, and European American
• Minor account of Asian American and Hispanic/Chicano experiences; mainly in California & west
• Why these three as major cultures?
• This course covers Native American times to the present
• Indian, black, and European cultures have long history.
• Little knowledge of env. history of others over this time

• European Americans (especially men) were and still are the dominant culture shaping American history. It’s changing!
• Native and African Americans are shaped by and often oppressed by the dominant culture.
• We want to understand their experiences and their contributions to American culture as a whole.

• Almost everyone teaching American Cultures courses was socialized in one culture and must try to interpret two other cultures.
• Almost all students are in a similar position.
• This is challenging, difficult, and open to misinterpretations.
• The goal is to break down stereotypes; gain understanding and appreciation of other American cultures and their histories.

• Texts: Major Problems in American Environmental History, 2nd edition (2005).
• On Reserve: Atlas of American History.
• Reading: One chapter each week in M.P.
• Documents: Primary sources (voices of people living in past times).
• Hard to find documents by minorities and women; most written by Euramerican men.
• Other sources: songs, pictographs, stories, poems, account books, diaries, film, video.
• Essays: Written by people living today.