Environmental History of India

Semester and Year Offered: Winter Semester 2019

Course Coordinator and Team: Dhirendra Datt Dangwal

Email of course coordinator: dhirendra[at]aud[dot]ac[dot]in

Pre-requisites: none

Objective: The objective of this seminar course is to train students in

1. Locating primary sources of environmental history.
2. Using primary sources from archives.
3. Collecting non-archival sources.
4. Conducting field works for collecting primary sources.
5. Reviewing literature on a particular theme of research.
6. Writing research paper based on primary sources.

Course outcomes: On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Indentify primary sources for their research.
2. Identify a research question by reviewing the existing literature.
3. Develop skill of writing a well argued research paper.

Brief description of modules/ Main modules:

Being a seminar paper, which has no taught components, there are no modules. But there are broad themes/areas on which students do their research work. These are

1. Colonial Forest policy and its impact on communities in any part of the country.
2. Community management of resources in colonial and post-colonial period
3. Study of any wildlife sanctuary with historical perspective
4. Any urban environmental issue like water, sanitation, pollution: taking case study of any city or town
5. Study of any environmental movements

Assessment Details with weights:

It has only two components: written part (75 per cent weightage) and presentation (25 per cent weightage). The written part tests student’s ability to identify primary sources, collect and use them and finally write a well argued research paper. The presentation is to test how student is able to defend his or her research work.

Reading List:

There is no fix reading list as readings are decided on the basis of topic chosen by the student.