Waterworlds (ILAS 399 / ENVS
450)
This course explores water in two
senses. First, we look at water as a window into social worlds,
using cross-cultural case studies. Though water has the same material properties
around the world, people have developed myriad customs, tools, and ideologies
for encountering, appreciating, and controlling it. Second, water is a resource
under threat, and we will use this cross-cultural investigation to think more
creatively about solutions to water scarcity, pollution, and unjust
distribution. Seminar-style course includes interdisciplinary readings, films,
and field trip(s).
