School Of Humanities And Communication ArtsCatastrophe: The Environmental History of the Ancient WorldWestern Sydney University Unit Code: 102835.1
Discipline: HISTORY
Student Contribution Band: 4
Level: 3
Credit Points: 10
Equivalent Units
102492 - Catastrophe: The Environmental History of the Ancient and Modern World
Unit Enrolment Restrictions
Successful completion of 60 credit points of study in currently enrolled course.
About this Unit
This unit examines past human interactions with the environment with its primary focus on the ancient Mediterranean and Near East between 2000 BC to 1600 AD. Case studies include Sumer, the lost civilisations of the Sahara, Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Maya and later European colonial empires. Students will assess, evaluate and synthesize data drawn from environmental history to analyse how the limits of natural resources constrain civilisations. The unit asks how catastrophic collapse of civilisations informs the sustainability of our own societies. Key topics will be soil fertility, deforestation, desertification, and climate change from ancient times to the Anthropocene.
Courses| 1651.8 | Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Primary) | CURRENT |
| 1652.9 | Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Secondary) | CURRENT |
| 1655.9 | Bachelor of Arts (Dean's Scholars) | CURRENT |
| 1696.4 | Bachelor of Communication | CURRENT |
| 1706.4 | Bachelor of Arts | CURRENT |
| 1708.5 | Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Birth - 5/Birth - 12) | CURRENT |
| 1736.2 | Bachelor of Communication (Dean's Scholars) | CURRENT |
| 1808.3 | Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Social Science | CURRENT |
| 1818.3 | Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Business | CONTINUING |
| 1818.4 | Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Business | CURRENT |
| 1822.3 | Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Primary) Dean's Scholars | CURRENT |
| 1823.5 | Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Secondary) Dean's Scholars | CURRENT |
| 1842.2 | Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Creative Industries | CURRENT |
| 2804.1 | Bachelor of Business (Pathway to Teaching Secondary) | CONTINUING |
| 2804.2 | Bachelor of Business (Pathway to Teaching Secondary) | CURRENT |
| 3654.3 | Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology/Bachelor of Arts | CURRENT |
| 3763.1 | Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts | CONTINUING |
| 3763.2 | Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts | CURRENT |
| 6005.3 | Diploma in Arts/Bachelor of Arts | CURRENT |
| 6017.4 | Diploma in Arts/Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Birth-5/Birth-12) | CURRENT |
| 6019.2 | Diploma in Arts/Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Primary) | CURRENT |
| 6021.4 | Diploma in Arts/Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Secondary) | CURRENT |
Specialisations