Merrimack Valley: Regional History

In this interdisciplinary course, we will examine the ecology, geology and human history of the Merrimack River. We will be asking the question, what is the role that the physical world plays in human society? How have people influenced the natural world? And, what does it mean to know a place well.

We will begin at the present time, taking stock of the current environmental health and ecological settings of the river and studying present day Lowell and Lawrence and the immigrant groups that define their cultures.  We will then look back at three distinct periods in history (Industrial, Colonial, and pre Colonial).  With each period we will study the technological innovations and the influence of the river on human behavior.  Additionally we will read literature of the time period that connects with the natural setting.