This program will combine marine science and maritime history to explore how oceans and major rivers have shaped our collective history. The history of exploration, colonization, trade and exploitation have been shaped by access to the ocean, control of the coastal resources and sailing technology. In this program we will examine the importance of the ocean from both a historical context and the scientific understanding of the realm that comprises 70% of the planet’s surface but constitutes almost none of its habitable surface for humans. We will explore questions that include: what if we explored histories in terms of bodies of water rather than nation states? what are resources? how have people, the water and peoples' interactions with water changed over time?
This program will emphasize scholarly exploration in history and science, with learning research methods as a foundation to deeper understanding. Unpacking the who, what, how and why of knowledge in history and science will be a theme in this program. From plankton nets to filtering information from archival materials, we will find greater complexities in time and space by peering into phytoplankton and pouring over words. Students will be assigned classwork in the form of lab notebooks, essays, and guided history research assignments. Historical topics will include the Transatlantic slave trade, European colonization of the Americas, the US colonial settlement of the Pacific Northwest, and 21st-century globalization of trade; we will navigate complex histories of the Atlantic, the Pacific and some of the major rivers that flow into those oceans. Students will integrate historical analysis, readings from creative, historical and scientific literature about relating to the ocean, local and museum field trips, and laboratory explorations in topics relating to marine science.
Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:
7 - Introductory topics in Marine Science (with Laboratory)
4 - Topics in Maritime History
3 - Introduction to Historical Research
Registration
Academic Details
$80 fee covers museum admission ($30) and a required lab fee ($50)