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Rochester's rivers, lake, and waste: teaching local environmental history using water case studies
Kristina Chomiak1, David Connell1, Devin Cooley2
1Environmental Sciences Program, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, USA.
Water History
|December 15, 2020
Summary
Students explored local water history by researching Rochester, NY, focusing on water quantity, quality, and pollution. This approach enhances environmental history education and teaching of local water issues.
Area of Science:
- Environmental History
- Water Resource Management
- Undergraduate Education
Background:
- An upper-level undergraduate course on environmental history focused on the Laurentian Great Lakes.
- Student research centered on the Rochester, NY area, examining water-quantity, quality, recreation, and pollution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explain an approach for researching and writing micro-histories of local water issues.
- To present five case studies of micro-water histories from the Rochester, NY area.
- To discuss the application of this approach to other interdisciplinary water courses.
Main Methods:
- Students conducted research and wrote micro-histories.
- The course focused on the Laurentian Great Lakes and the Rochester, NY area.
- Five specific micro-water history cases were presented.
Main Results:
- Student research highlighted various aspects of local water history, including quantity, quality, recreation, and pollution.
- The presented cases offer insights into the historical relationship between communities and their water resources.
- The approach was found to be applicable to other interdisciplinary water courses.
Conclusions:
- The pedagogical approach of micro-water histories is effective for undergraduate environmental history courses.
- Lessons learned can inform future teaching of local water history.
- Incorporating previous findings enhances the understanding of evolving water issues.
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