Required Readings

Ruddiman, W.F. (2013) The Anthropocene. Annual Review of Earth & Planetary Science, 41:45-68. doi: 10.1146/annurev-earth-050212-123944

Prescott, Susan L. & Logan, Alan C. (2017) Down to Earth: Planetary health and biophilosophy in the Symbiocene Epoch. Challenges 8(2), 1-22. DOI: 10.3390/challe8020019.

Read any TWO of the articles below. Select articles that deal with different aspects or issues regarding the Anthropocene.

Bowden, Gary. (2017) An environmental sociology for the Anthropocene Epoch. Canadian Review of Sociology 54(1), 48-68. 10.1111/cars.12138.

Braje, T. (2015) Earth systems, human agency, and the Anthropocene: Planet Earth in the human age. Journal of Archaeological Research 23(4), 369-396.

Butzer, K. (2015). Anthropocene as an evolving paradigm. Holocene, 25(10), 1539-1541. doi:10.1177/0959683615594471

Castree, N. (2015). The anthropocene: A primer for geographers. Geography, Summer 2015, 66-75.

Corlett, R. T. (2015). The anthropocene concept in ecology and conservation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 30(1), 36-41. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2014.10.007

Datry, Thibault; Boulton, Andrew J.; Bonada, Nuria; Fritz, Ken; Leigh, Catherine; Sauquet, Cric; Tockner, Klement; Hugueny,m Bernard; and Dahm, Clifford N. (2018) Flow intermittence and ecosystem services in rivers of the Anthropocene. Journal of Applied Ecology 55(1), 353-364. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12941.

Gignoux, C. R., Henn, B. M., Mountain, J. L., & Bar-Yosef, O. (2011). Rapid, global demographic expansions after the origins of agriculture. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(15), 6044-6049.

Gowdy, J., & Krall, L. (2013). The ultrasocial origin of the anthropocene. Ecological Economics, 95(0), 137-147. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2013.08.006

Haines, Andy. (2017) Addressing challenges to human health in the Anthropocene Epoch -- An overview of the findings of the Rockefeller/Lancet Commission on Planetary Health. International Health 9(5), 269-271. DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihx036.

Hazen, Robert M., Grew, Edward S., Origlieri, Marcus J. & Downs, Robert T. (2017) On the mineralology of the Anthropocene Epoch. American Minerologist 102 (3), 595-611. DOI: 10.2138/am-2017-5875 (Before you reject his one, it deals with the many new synthetic "mineral-like" compounds that have come into existence due to human activities -- 208 of them.)

Lewis, S. L., & Maslin, M. A. (2015). Defining the anthropocene. Nature, 519(7542), 171-180. doi:10.1038/nature14258

Lorimer, J. (2012). Multinatural geographies for the anthropocene. Progress in Human Geography, 36(5), 593-612. doi:10.1177/0309132511435352

Pearce, F. (2013). The anthropocene's ancient unfolding. New Scientist, 218(2915), 10-11.

Rickards, L.A. (2015) Metaphor and the Anthropocene: Presenting humans as a geological force. Geographical Research 53(3), 280-287.. doi:10.1111/1745-5871.12128

Robinson, N. A. (2012). Beyond sustainability: Environmental management for the anthropocene epoch. Journal of Public Affairs, 12(3), 181-194. doi:10.1002/pa.1432

Smith, B.D. & Zeder, M.A. (2013) The onset of the Anthropocene. Anthropocene 4, 8-13.

Szerszynski, Bronislaw. (2017) Gods of the Anthropocene: Geo-spiritual formations in the Earth's new epoch. Theory, Culture, Society 34(2-3), 253-275. DOI: 10.1177/0263276417691102.

Walker, M., Gibbard, P. & Lowe, J. (2015) Comment on "When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary is stratigraphically optimal" by Jan Zalasiewicz et al. Quaternary International 383(204-207)

Zalasiewicz, J., Waters, C. N., Williams, M., Barnosky, A. D., Cearreta, A., Crutzen, P., et al. (2015). When did the anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal. Quaternary International, 383, 196-203. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.11.045

Class Preparation - Unless otherwise instructed always post a copy of your class preparation materials to the weekly discussion board

Please read the instructions for Assignment 1 before you prepare for class this week. As you will see, in Assignment 1 you have to develop and support a thesis regarding the role and importance of some specific aspect or components of population growth, urbanization, technological change, or globalization in the onset of the Anthropocene. We will use the class preparation this week to help you organize your thoughts for Assignment 1. For Assignment 1, you will need to read and use some of the articles about globalization, urbanization, population and technology that are listed under the "Additional Resources" for weeks 2 and 3. Start that process now. I want you to complete three steps.

Step 1. Develop one thesis statement about the relationship between some aspect of each of the four "drivers" of change that we have discussed and the overall thesis of the Anthropocene Epoch that human dominance of the planet has created planetary level changes in geophysical and biological processes.

Step 2. State at least three supporting arguments for each of your theses.

Step 3. Select one of your theses that you would consider using for Assignment 1 for discussion in a small group setting in class where you will ask your colleagues to provide additional ideas and criticisms of your thesis and the logic and evidence you present in your supporting arguments. You will need to explain to your colleagues why you selected the thesis/arguments.

Additional Resources

Abrams, M. D., & Nowacki, G. J. (2015). Exploring the early anthropocene burning hypothesis and climate-fire anomalies for the eastern U.S. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 34(1), 30-48. doi:10.1080/10549811.2014.973605

ALLENBY, B. (2015). Climate redux: Welcome to the anthropocene. Issues in Science & Technology, 31(3), 37-39. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=aph&AN=102017299&site=ehost-live

Barau, A.S. & Ludin, A.N.M. (2012) Intersection of Landscape, Anthropocene and Fourth Paradigm. Living Reviews in Landscape Research 6, 1-22. URL: http://www.livingreviews.org/lrlr-2012-1 doi:10.12942/lrlr-2012-1

Beach, T., Luzzadder-Beach, S., Cook, D., Dunning, N., Kennett, D. J., Krause, S., et al. (2015). Ancient maya impacts on the earth's surface: An early anthropocene analog? Quaternary Science Reviews, 124, 1-30. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.05.028

Braje, T. (2015) Earth systems, human agency, and the Anthropocene: Planet Earth in the human age. Journal of Archaeological Research 23(4), 369-396.

Braje, T.J. & Erlandson, J.M. (2013) Human acceleration of animal and plant extinctions: A late Pleistocene, Holocene, and Anthropocene continuum. Anthropocene 4, 14-23.

Butzer, K. (2015). Anthropocene as an evolving paradigm. Holocene, 25(10), 1539-1541. doi:10.1177/0959683615594471

Castree, N. (2015). The anthropocene: A primer for geographers. Geography, Summer 2015, 66-75.

Certini, G. & Scalenghe, R. (2011) Anthropogenic soils are the golden spikes for the Anthropocene. The Holocene 21(8) 1269 -1274 doi: 10.1177/0959683611408454

Corlett, R. T. (2015). The anthropocene concept in ecology and conservation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 30(1), 36-41. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2014.10.007

Dow, G. K., & Reed, C. G. (2015). The origins of sedentism: Climate, population, and technology. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 119, 56-71. doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2015.07.007

Dukes, P. (2013). Big history, deep history and the anthropocene. History Today, 63(11), 4-5.

Gignoux, C. R., Henn, B. M., Mountain, J. L., & Bar-Yosef, O. (2011). Rapid, global demographic expansions after the origins of agriculture. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(15), 6044-6049.

Gills, B. K. (2015). Global development in the anthropocene. Globalizations, 12(5), 824-827. doi:10.1080/14747731.2015.1062290

Gowdy, J., & Krall, L. (2013). The ultrasocial origin of the anthropocene. Ecological Economics, 95(0), 137-147. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2013.08.006

Helmus, M. R., Mahler, D. L., & Losos, J. B. (2014). Island biogeography of the anthropocene. Nature, 513(7519), 543-546. doi:10.1038/nature13739

Laparidou, S., & Rosen, A. M. (2015). Intensification of production in medieval islamic jordan and its ecological impact: Towns of the anthropocene. Holocene, 25(10), 1685-1697. doi:10.1177/0959683615594470

Lewis, S. L., & Maslin, M. A. (2015). Defining the anthropocene. Nature, 519(7542), 171-180. doi:10.1038/nature14258

Lightfoot, K. G., & Cuthrell, R. Q. (2015). Anthropogenic burning and the anthropocene in late-holocene california Sage Publications, Ltd. doi:10.1177/0959683615588376

Lorimer, J. (2012). Multinatural geographies for the anthropocene. Progress in Human Geography, 36(5), 593-612. doi:10.1177/0309132511435352

Paredis, E. (2011). Sustainability transitions and the nature of technology. Foundations of Science, 16(2), 195-225. doi:10.1007/s10699-010-9197-4

Pearce, F. (2013). The anthropocene's ancient unfolding. New Scientist, 218(2915), 10-11.

Piperno, D. R., McMichael, C., & Bush, M. B. (2015). Amazonia and the anthropocene: What was the spatial extent and intensity of human landscape modification in the amazon basin at the end of prehistory? Holocene, 25(10), 1588-1597. doi:10.1177/0959683615588374

Rick, T.C., Kirch, P.V., Erlandson, J.M. & Fitzpatrick, S.M. (2013) Archaeology, deep history, and the human transformation of island ecosystems. Athropocene 4, 33-45.

Rickards, L.A. (2015) Metaphor and the Anthropocene: Presenting humans as a geological force. Geographical Research 53(3), 280-287.. doi:10.1111/1745-5871.12128

Rivera-Collazo, I. (2015). Por el camino verde: Long-term tropical socioecosystem dynamics and the anthropocene as seen from puerto rico. Holocene, 25(10), 1604-1611. doi:10.1177/0959683615588373

Robinson, N. A. (2012). Beyond sustainability: Environmental management for the anthropocene epoch. Journal of Public Affairs, 12(3), 181-194. doi:10.1002/pa.1432

Rosen, A. M., Lee, J., Li, M., Wright, J., Wright, H. T., & Fang, H. (2015). The anthropocene and the landscape of confucius: A historical ecology of landscape changes in northern and eastern china during the middle to late-holocene. Holocene, 25(10), 1640-1650. doi:10.1177/0959683615594241

Seddon, A.W.R., Mackay, A.W., Baker, A.G., Birks, J.B. et al. (2014) Looking forward through the past: Identification of 50 priority research questions in palaeoecology. Journal of Ecology, 102, 256-267 doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12195.

Smith, B.D. & Zeder, M.A. (2013) The onset of the Anthropocene. Anthropocene 4, 8-13.

Walker, M., Gibbard, P. & Lowe, J. (2015) Comment on "When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary is stratigraphically optimal" by Jan Zalasiewicz et al. Quaternary International 383(204-207)

Wolkovich, E. M., Cook, B. I., McLauchlan, K. K., & Davies, T. J. (2014). Temporal ecology in the anthropocene. Ecology Letters, 17(11), 1365-1379. doi:10.1111/ele.12353

Yusoff, K. (2013). Geologic life: Prehistory, climate, futures in the anthropocene. Environment & Planning D: Society & Space, 31(5), 779-795. doi:10.1068/d11512

Zalasiewicz, J., Waters, C. N., Williams, M., Barnosky, A. D., Cearreta, A., Crutzen, P., et al. (2015). When did the anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal. Quaternary International, 383, 196-203. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.11.045