Contested Grounds:  U.S. Cultures and Environments Throughout the history of the United States, Americans have created a complex set of meanings pertaining to the environments (wild, pastoral, urban, marine) in which they live.  From European-Native contact to the present, Americans’ various identities, cultures, and beliefs about the bio-physical world have shaped the stories they tell about “nature,” stories that sometimes share common ground, but often create conflicting and contested understandings of human-environment relationships.  In this course we will investigate these varied and contested stories from multi-disciplinary perspectives in the humanities—history, literature, and religion--and will include attention to race, class, gender, and environmental justice.

Making History: An Introduction to Digital Humanities Methods Digital sources and methods have transformed the practice of history.  In this half-credit course students will explore how new methods shape both scholars' access to and understanding of historical sources and stories about the past.  Students will work in groups to create an original digital history project.  With a focus on United States History, topics will include data, databases, the United States census, digitized and transcribed archival sources, podcasts, digital images, photographs, and maps.  Students will learn the strengths and pitfalls of various methods, think critically about digital sources and versions of the past, and gain skills for future projects across the curriculum.  No previous experience required. 1.5 hr. sem. Does not count as a 100-level course for the HIST major

American Environmentalisms After 1960 In this course we will examine the emergence of multiple threads of environmentalism in the United States since 1960. We will examine popular media portrayals of the environment in crisis through critical analysis of photographs, advertisements, and popular magazines, and environmentalism on college campuses. We will pay particular attention to emerging criticisms of environmentalism for both its failures to address issues of social inequality, particularly those of class and race, and its threat to conventional ideas of economic growth and prosperity. Student work will include essays, independent and group research projects, and collaborative digital projects.

United States Environmental History: Nature and Inequality In this course we will study the interactions between diverse groups and their physical environments to understand how humans have shaped and in turn been shaped by the material world.  Topics include:  ecological change with European conquest; industrialization and race and class differences in labor, leisure, and ideas of “nature”; African American environments South and North; the capitalist transformation of the American West, rural and urban;  Progressive conservation and its displacement of Native Americans and other rural groups;  chemical- and petroleum-based technologies and their unexpected consequences; and the rise of environmentalism and its transformation by issues of inequality and justice.

Community-Engaged Environmental Studies Practicum In this course students work in small groups with one of a variety of partners and organizations to complete a semester-long, community-engaged project. Project themes vary by term and typically focus on local and regional environmental issues that have broader application. Projects rely on students’ creativity, interdisciplinary perspectives, skills, and knowledge developed through their previous work. The project is guided by a faculty member and carried out with a high degree of independence by the students. Students will prepare for and direct their project work through readings and discussion, independent research, collaboration with project partners, and consultation with external experts. The course may also include workshops focused on developing key skills (e.g., interviewing, public speaking, video editing). The project culminates in a public presentation of students’ final products, which may various forms such as written reports, policy white papers, podcasts, or outreach materials. (Open to Juniors and Seniors)

History of the American West This is a survey of the history of the trans-Mississippi West from colonial contact through the 1980s. It explores how that region became known and understood as the West, and its role and meaning in United States history as a whole. The central themes of this course are conquest and its legacy, especially with regard to the role of the U.S. federal government in the West; human interactions with and perceptions of landscape and environment; social contests among different groups for a right to western resources and over the meanings of western identity; and the role of the West in American popular culture.

Writing History In this course students discuss historical methods and writing strategies to create convincing historical narratives. With the approval and guidance of the professor, students complete a 20-25-page research paper based on primary and secondary sources. Students take this course in the fall of their junior year or with permission in the spring.  If students are away for the entire junior year, they can take the course in the fall of their senior year. 3 hr. sem.

The New West: From Reagan to Burning Man The U.S. West since 1976 has been transformed by economic, social, political, and environmental forces. Immigration, amenity tourism, climate change, globalization, technology, political change, and economic booms and busts have remade a region once defined by isolated rural communities, extractive industries, “natural landscapes,” and filmmakers’ imaginations.   In this course we will draw from history and politics to make sense of conflicts over public lands, water, fire, energy, Native sovereignty, racial inequality, rural gentrification, urbanization, and sprawl. Short papers will culminate in a historical policy brief on current challenges in the West.

Vermont Life’s Vermont: A Collaborative Web Project Students in this course will work collaboratively to build an online history project aimed at a wide audience.  Since 1946, Vermont Life magazine has created particular images of the landscape, culture, and recreational possibilities in the state.  Our goal will be to construct a website that examines the evolution of these images and the meaning of the state over time, paying particular attention to consumerism, the environment, tourism, urban-rural contrasts, local food movements, and the ways that race, class, and gender influence all of these.  The course is open to all students and requires collaborative work but not any pre-existing technological expertise.

Kathryn Morse

Reviews and ratings for Kathryn Morse at Middlebury College.Kathryn Morse teaches Contested Grounds, Making History Digital Mthds, American Environmentalisms and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Kathryn Morse good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Prof. Morse is very intelligent and her teaching style is engaging. In this class, there weren't many large grades except a few essays. There were daily discussions about the readings. Everything was very interesting and learning about the History of Vermont specifically was nice since we're in Vermont. Prof. Morse was great! I recommend taking this class!

This was the best course I took this semester. Morse is INCREDIBLE. Her enthusiasm for the course material is contagious and she is so accommodating. I thought this course was challenging but I enjoyed doing the homework so that I could participate in class the next day.  

Love this course. Every student interested in ES history should take classes with Morse. She's a super fair grader and super passionate about teaching about human interactions with the surrounding environment, how human behavior shapes the environment, and how the environment shapes human behavior. 