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The Population Problem: Conservation, Eugenics, and Food in the Twentieth Century (Sources)

Module description

During the twentieth century, the world’s population grew by roughly five billion people. Even prior to this population 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 the 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, in countries from Japan, to Colombia, to America.

The sources module will introduce you to a range of scientific and popular sources for the period, while the co-requisite context module explore how fears of over-population shaped the machinery of the modern state in the twentieth century.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module will adopt a global framework, considering primary sources and case studies from Japan, South Africa, Peru, Colombia, 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 development of the conservation movement in America
• The global history of eugenics (including focus on Asia and South and Central America)
• The rise of ecology
• Postwar debates over environmentalism and food production

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

The re-assessment consists of a 4000 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 25 minutes of speech (2,500 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.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• 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)
• C. Otter, Diet for a Large Planet: Industrial Britain, Food Systems, and World Ecology (Chicago University Press, 2020)
• 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)

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=14203

Key words search

Conservation, Eugenics, Environmentalism, Ecology, Food, Science, Malthus