The Population Problem: Conservation, Eugenics, and Food in the Twentieth Century
| Module title | The Population Problem: Conservation, Eugenics, and Food in the Twentieth Century |
|---|---|
| Module code | HIH3431 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 60 |
| Module staff | Dr John Lidwell-Durnin (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 10 | 10 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 18 |
|---|
Module description
What did eugenics have to do with the rise of the environmental movement, and what did environmentalism have to do with birth control and reproductive rights? These three crucial movements of the 20th century: eugenics, environmentalism, and birth control, were entangled in what was often referred to as ‘the population problem.’ This module explores the activism, writing, and lives of those people who believed that over-population was the greatest crisis to ever face humanity, and will challenge you to think about how the past of these movements continues to impact and shape our future.
During the twentieth century, the world’s population grew by roughly five billion people. Even prior to this rise, the fear of over-population was a potent political force: the first so-called ‘Neo-Malthusian Conference’ in 1878 invited representatives from all countries to discuss how nation states could control population growth. While these fears belonged to people everywhere, the authority to address the population problem very often fell into the hands of scientists: statisticians, biologists, plant breeders, zoologists— all had a say on how the modern state could best manage its population while preserving natural resources and providing ample food for all.
The establishment of nature reserves and the scientific advancement of agriculture were often promoted by scientists and politicians alike as essential responsibilities of the modern government. Today, we (rightly) recognise eugenics as abhorrent—but in the first half of the twentieth century, many conservationists and agriculturalists also advocated eugenic policies and population control measures in countries from Japan, to India, and China.
The sources module will introduce you to a range of scientific and popular sources for the period and how fears of over-population shaped the machinery of the modern state in the twentieth century. We’ll be reading works by the leaders of the birth control movement, including Annie Besant, Margaret Sanger, and Marie Stopes—and we’ll also be exploring the eugenic thought of early environmentalists like Madison Grant, as well as the radical ecology of the 1970s. You’ll be working with a *wide* arrange of source material: everything from science fiction novels, to bad 1970s dystopian films, to the material history of the birth control movement, to the eugenic posters and propaganda of the 1920s and 30s, and also the underground newspapers and radical magazines of second-wave feminism and deep ecology. Along the way, we’ll be working to understand just how much of 20th century history was driven by a deepset fear of over-population.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will adopt a global framework, considering primary sources and case studies from Japan, China, India, as well as materials from Europe and America. Students will be introduced to popular science books, speeches, reports, statistical enquiries, film, instruments, maps, and illustrations. You will be expected to evaluate the reliability of these sources, as well as to explain their significance within the wider context of the subject.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Identify the different sources available for the study of the history of the conservation movement.
- 2. Understand and explain the key political, social, cultural and economic developments during the rise of eugenics.
- 3. Critically evaluate a diverse and complex range of sources relating to Malthusianism.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Analyse closely original sources and to assess their reliability as historical evidence
- 5. Understand and deploy relevant historical terminology in a comprehensible and sophisticated manner
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Select, organise and analyse material for written work and/or oral presentations of different prescribed lengths and formats.
- 7. Present complex arguments orally.
- 8. Present an argument in a written form in a clear and organised manner, with appropriate use of correct English
- 9. Through essay development process, demonstrate ability to reflect critically on your own work, to respond constructively to feedback, and to implement suggestions and improve work on this basis
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
• Malthusianism and birth control in Britain and America
• The history of first-wave and second-wave feminism, and its relationship to fears of over-population
• The development of the conservation movement in America
• The global history of eugenics (including focus on Japan, India, and China)
• The rise of ecology
• Postwar debates over environmentalism and food production
• The history of the one-child policy in China
• The history of sterilization in India and Japan
• The birth of radical environmentalism in America
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 520 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 80 | 40 x 2hr seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 520 | Reading and preparing for seminars, coursework and presentations |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written work | 500-1000 words | 1-9 | Oral / written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | 0 | 30 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 70 | Portfolio of THREE or FOUR pieces of written work, totalling 8000 words. At least one of these pieces will require students to engage with primary source material in a sustained and detail manner. | 1-6, 8, 9 | Oral and written |
| Individual presentation | 30 | Individual, oral presentation. 20 minutes, + 10 minutes leading discussion, + supporting materials [equivalent total word count: 3000 words] | 1-8 | Oral and written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio (Portfolio of THREE or FOUR pieces of written work, totalling 8000 words. At least one of these pieces will require students to engage with primary source material in a sustained and detail manner.) | Portfolio (8000 words) (70%) | 1-6, 8, 9 | Referral / Deferral period |
| Presentation (Individual, oral presentation. 20 minutes, + 10 minutes leading discussion, + supporting materials [equivalent total word count: 3000 words]) | Written transcript (2000 words + 1000 word supporting materials) (30%) | 1-8 | Referral / Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
The re-assessment consists of a 8000 word portfolio of source work, as in the original assessment, but replaces the individual presentation with a written script that could be delivered in such a presentation and which is the equivalent of 20 minutes of speech plus supporting materials (3000 words)
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Some ideal reading to prepare for the seminar :
• *A. Bashford, Global Population: History, Geopolitics, and Life on Earth (Columbia University Press, 2014)*
• D. Kevles, In the Name of Eugenics: Genetics and the Uses of Human Heredity (Knopf, 1985)
• T. Robertson, The Malthusian Moment: Global Population Growth and the Birth of American Environmentalism (Rutgers University Press, 2012)
• J. Spiro, Defending the Master Race: Conservation, Eugenics, and the Legacy of Madison Grant (University of Vermont Press, 2009)
• N. L. Stepan, The Hour of Eugenics: Race, Gender, and Nation in Latin America (Cornell University Press, 1991)
| Credit value | 60 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 30 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 31/01/2025 |
| Last revision date | 31/01/2025 |
