| Faculty Advisor |
Christopher Heselton
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|---|---|
| Contact Email | cheselton2@unl.edu |
| Website | |
| Advisor College: |
Arts and Sciences
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| Potential Student Tasks |
Responsibilities include investigating how people have shaped and been shaped by the environment over time. Students will learn how to find and evaluate historical sources, summarize readings, analyze maps and environmental data, and help build research databases. No prior experience with Chinese history is required, but would be beneficial. Students will work closely with the faculty mentor, participate in regular research meetings, and share their discoveries through presentations and written reflections. Depending on student skills and strengths, this may include:
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| Student Qualifications |
Curiosity about how people interact with the environment and how historical decisions continue to shape societies today. Interest in topics such as environmental change, migration, social inequality, sustainability, global history, or public policy. Strong reading, writing, and critical thinking skills, or a willingness to develop them through research. Ability to work independently, stay organized, and pay attention to detail when reviewing sources and managing research materials. Interest in learning how historians use evidence, maps, documents, and data to answer important questions about the past and present. No prior experience with historical research, environmental studies, Chinese history or Chinese language is required, but are certainly very welcome (especially Chinese language). Students from any major are encouraged to apply. The project may be of particular interest to students in History, Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Global Studies, Geography, Anthropology, Political Science, Sociology, Asian Studies, Economics, English, and related fields. |
| Training, Mentoring, and Workplace Community |
As a research mentor, I view undergraduate students as collaborators in the research process rather than simply assistants. Many students join research projects with little or no prior experience, and I am committed to helping them develop the skills and confidence needed to succeed in both research and college more broadly. My goal is to create a supportive environment where students feel comfortable asking questions, sharing ideas, and learning through practice. Students will receive hands-on training in historical research methods, including how to find, evaluate, organize, and interpret different kinds of evidence. We will meet regularly to discuss research findings, address challenges, and connect the project's historical questions to larger contemporary issues such as climate change, migration, environmental justice, and sustainable development. Students will also have opportunities to develop professional skills in writing, communication, critical thinking, and project management that are valuable across many careers and academic disciplines. I recognize that first-year students are often balancing coursework, jobs, family responsibilities, and the transition to college. I strive to be flexible with scheduling and can accommodate a combination of in-person and remote research activities when appropriate. Because much of the work involves reading, note-taking, database organization, and source analysis, many tasks can be completed remotely. I am especially committed to supporting students who may be new to research, including first-generation college students and those who are still exploring their academic interests. No prior knowledge of Chinese history or environmental history is expected. What matters most is curiosity, reliability, and a willingness to learn. I want students to leave the experience not only with new research skills but also with a stronger sense of belonging in the university community and greater confidence in their ability to contribute to meaningful scholarly conversations. |
| Available Positions |
1
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This project explores the environmental history of Yancheng, a coastal region in eastern China with one of the most dynamic coastlines in the world, where human activity and not natural processes have spent nearly 2,000 years trying to control rivers, coastlines, and wetlands. Yancheng but its story raises questions that matter around the world today: How does long-term human, state, and economic interest shape the environment and ecology over thousands of years? Who benefits from these changes, and who bears the costs? What happens when attempts to control nature create new problems? How does the reshaping of the environment follow the reshaping of social and economic relationships in the long-term?
Using historical records, maps, and environmental evidence, we investigate how governments over long spans of history redirected rivers, built salt-production industries, and reclaimed land from the sea. These projects transformed the coastline and created economic opportunities, but they also contributed to flooding, soil damage, difficult working conditions, and migration. Over time, many local residents were forced to leave in search of better lives elsewhere. This created exploitative environmental and social relationships that mirrored one another.
This research connects environmental change, labor, migration, and social inequality across centuries. It shows that today's challenges, such as climate adaptation, environmental justice, and the impacts of large-scale development projects, have deep historical roots. Students involved in this project will learn how historians use evidence to understand the relationship between people, power, and the environment, while contributing to conversations about sustainability and social justice that remain important both globally today.