To address environmental challenges, we don't just need to understand the science behind how the world is changing. We also need to understand how the relationship with our environment is shaped by human behaviour, beliefs, values and structures. Studying how human interactions with the natural environment have changed over time, and how those interactions have been explored in culture, is essential to tackling contemporary environmental concerns.
This interdisciplinary master's combines the study of environmental history with that of literary texts concerned, in various ways, with the environment, while also reaching into other relevant disciplines including philosophy and anthropology. In addition, the programme offers an international perspective, exploring interactions between cultures and environments from across the world. Teaching methods include field trips and workshops as well as seminars and one-on-one tuition, while innovative assessment design encourages collaboration between students and enables them to develop interests through practical projects (such as filmmaking and exhibition design) as well as more traditional essays.