History U | American Environmental History

American Environmental History

This History U course introduces the history of human interactions with the environment in the United States, focusing on the history of political, social, cultural, and economic forces that have structured relationships with nature.

 

Course Instructor: Professor Catherine McNeur, Portland State University
Eligibility: High school students

 

Image: Henry Wellge and Northern Pacific Railway Company, Yellowstone National Park, Milwaukee, WI, 1904 (Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division 2010593277)

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Map of Yellowstone National Park

  • History U

  • Free for high school students

Course Description

This History U course introduces the history of human interactions with the environment in the United States, focusing on the history of political, social, cultural, and economic forces that have structured relationships with nature. Organized chronologically, the course covers topics that range from water and waste to food and fuel. We will address large questions about the underpinnings of Americans’ relationships with their environment by looking at a variety of case studies. By the end of the course, you will have a stronger understanding of not only how humans have dealt with environmental issues in the past but also the historical background for modern environmental issues.
 

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The views expressed in this course are those of Dr. Catherine McNeur.

Content

  • Twenty-four video sessions led by Professor Catherine McNeur
  • Links to optional resources
  • Short quizzes to review your knowledge
  • A certificate of completion for 12 hours of course time

How to Access

  1. Click Log In and either log into your account or click the Sign Up link on the login screen to create an account.
  2. Click the Register Now button and complete the order form.
  3. After registering, you may access your course by signing in and visiting your My Courses link under My Account.

Course Introduction

 

Alona Whitebird Medina explains what you will learn in this course.

About the Scholar

Catherine McNeur, Associate Professor of History, Portland State University

Catherine McNeur is an associate professor of history at Portland State University and the award-winning author of Taming Manhattan: Environmental Battles in the Antebellum City (2014). Her book Mischievous Creatures: The Forgotten Sisters Who Transformed Early American Science (2023) uncovers the lives of Margaretta Hare Morris and Elizabeth Carrington Morris, two unsung pioneers whose discoveries helped fuel the growth and professionalization of science in antebellum America. McNeur’s expertise is nineteenth-century American environmental history, but she teaches broadly in public history, the history of food, and urban history as well as United States history.

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