Students will learn important environmental consequences of human actions in world history--from the climate changes caused by hunting large mammals to extinction, then the greater impacts of the transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers and city-dwellers. The technological revolutions in transportation of the 20th century will be featured as an important driver of acceleration of environmental change that is heating up the Earth.

Edward Simmons has an M.A. and  Ph.D. in history from Vanderbilt University. He teaches American and World History at Georgia Gwinnett College, in Lawrenceville, GA, where he has been instrumental in organizing an annual conference on current environmental issues. 

Important information will be derived from 3 books by award-winning environmental and world historian J.R. McNeill (Something New Under the Sun, an environmental history of the 20th century; The Great Acceleration, a history since 1945; and The Webs of Humankind, a world history text showing human environmental impact as a constant feature of world history) and The Human Planet by British scientists Simon Lewis and Mark Maslin. Environmental websites and YouTube videos will be recommended for student use to learn more after the class.