Sarah S. Elkind, Ph.D.

Environmental, urban and political history of the United States

Department of History
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-8147

(619) 594-0930

Office Hours, Fall 2001: 1:00pm to 3:00pm Wednesdays

Course offerings, Spring 2002

History 450W The Writing of History : War and the Environment

Given recent events, it seems appropriate to examine the causes and consequences of international conflict. So, this semester, we will investigate and compare war and nature. We will examine the role of natural resources in international conflicts past and present, and we will evaluate the direct and indirect impacts of warfare on the natural environment. Early in the semester, each of you will chose a specific topic from the environmental history of war to research. Required readings will provide background and models for understanding the environmental history of war. Assignments and class discussions will help you evaluate which of these models best explains the your topic. This combination of researching facts and evaluating possible explanations of those facts is doing history. At the end of the semester, you will present your findings to the class.

History 540 Environmental History of the United States

Americans have described their continent as both a promised land and a dangerous wilderness, an opportunity for an egalitarian society and for the expansion of private property. Federal and state policies have distributed land, timber, water and minerals in order to protect both individual settlers and large corporations. This course will examine the many contradictory ways in which Americans have viewed their land, and how these perceptions have been translated into private and public development decisions. Through monographs and independent research, we will question the political, cultural, economic and technological influences on the American landscape.
Blackboard for History 540

History 410: American History for Teachers

This course is designed especially for future teachers. Course lectures and assignments will review major topics, events and problems in American History since the Civil War. Our discussion of these events will emphasize not only mastery of the facts themselves, but will also explore how to present and explain these ideas to secondary school students, and how to develop a coherent picture of US history for secondary school students. This course is required for most students seeking secondary certification in social studies.
Blackboard for History 410

Course offerings, Fall 2001:

History 450W The Writing of History :

During this semester, we will investigate and compare the origins of current environmental problems world-wide. I have two goals for this semester: 1) to introduce the political, social and economic influences on resource policy, and 2) to practice doing history through individual research on and group discussion of water quality issues in the San Diego area. Early in the semester, each of you will chose a specific San Diego water quality problem to study throughout the term. Required readings will provide several explanations of how environmental crises develop. Assignments and class discussions will help you evaluate which of these models best explains the origins of San Diego water pollution. This combination of researching facts and evaluating possible explanations of those facts is doing history. At the end of the semester, you will present your findings to the class and to the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, and as a group, we will discuss the most important causes of the environmental crises facing the world today. The Water Quality Control Board will use your research on the history of San Diego waterways as a basis for water pollution control planning, federal grant applications, and annual reports.
Blackboard for History 450w

History 540 Environmental History of the United States

Americans have described their continent as both a promised land and a dangerous wilderness, an opportunity for an egalitarian society and for the expansion of private property. Federal and state policies have distributed land, timber, water and minerals in order to protect both individual settlers and large corporations. This course will examine the many contradictory ways in which Americans have viewed their land, and how these perceptions have been translated into private and public development decisions. Through monographs and independent research, we will question the political, cultural, economic and technological influences on the American landscape.
Blackboard for History 540

History 630 Directed Readings in US History: Environmental History of the United States

This graduate seminar will examine the many ways Americans have viewed, used, and interpreted nature. The syllabus includes a selection of exemplary works in Environmental History, and readings selected by the students in the seminar.

Future courses:

    Water
    The Environment and the City
    The Problem of Wilderness
    The City and the Country in Film
    Southern California's Environment

Publications:

Bay Cities and Water Politics: The Battle for Resources in Boston and Oakland, 1880-1930, University Press of Kansas, 1998.

Public Works and Public Health: Reflections on Urban Politics and Environment, 1880-1925, in Essays in Public Works History, no. 19, Public Works Historical Society, 1999.

"Engineering the Natural World: Los Angeles, the Presidentís Water Resources Policy Commission of 1950 and the Triumph of Localism," in Los Angeles and the Environment, ed. by Greg Hise and William Deverell, University of Pittsburgh Press, under contract.

"Public Oil, Private Oil: The Tidelands Oil Controversy, World War II and the Control of the Environment," in The Way We Really Were: The Golden State in the Second Great War, ed. by Roger Lotchin, University of Illinois Press, 2000.

"Building a Better Jungle: Growth, Reform and Public Works in American Cities, 1880-1930," Journal of Urban History, 24:1 (1997).

"Industry and Water Distribution in California: The East Bay Municipal Utility District, 1920-1930," Environmental History Review, 18:4 (1994).

"Belle Isle Marsh: Environmental Education in an Urban Park," New England Journal of Environmental Education, 4:1 (1989).

Past courses and links:

History 410: American History for Teachers

This course is designed especially for future teachers. Course lectures and assignments will review major topics, events and problems in American History since the Civil War. Our discussion of these events will emphasize not only mastery of the facts themselves, but will also explore how to present and explain these ideas to secondary school students, and how to develop a coherent picture of US history for secondary school students. This course is required for most students seeking secondary certification in social studies.
Blackboard for History 410

History of Contemporary Environmental Crisis

During this semester, we will investigate and compare the origins of current environmental problems world-wide. I have two goals for this semester: 1) to introduce the political, social and economic influences on resource policy, and 2) to practice doing history through individual research and group discussion. Early in the semester, each of you will chose a specific environmental crisis to study throughout the term. Required readings will provide several explanations of how some environmental crises develop. Assignments and class discussions will help you evaluate which of these models best explains your environmental crisis. This combination of researching facts and evaluating possible explanations of those facts is doing history. At the end of the semester, you will present your findings, and as a group, we will discuss the most important causes of the environmental crises facing the world today.

The information on this page represents that of Sarah S. Elkind and not necessarily that of San Diego State University. Sarah S. Elkind takes full responsibility for the information presented.