This course is a two-semester survey of world historical geography designed to demonstrate how history has often turned on geographic circumstances and to show how history and geography have interacted to help determine present-day ways of life.
H 107 concentrates on developed nations, while H 108 is given over to an analysis of undeveloped and developing areas. While emphasizing historical development within geographic contexts, the course also includes the economic, cultural, and geologic forces that make geography an essential discipline for understanding human potential and limitations. As it shows how humanity has exploited and often damaged its environment, the course also tries to show the necessity of worldwide ecological responsibility. (H 107, Fall; H 108, Spring)