HIST 211-01, The Ancient Mediterranean, Fall 2011

Abstract

Drawing together the histories of Europe, Africa, North and South America, this course explores Atlantic World History in the early modern period. Even before the voyage of Columbus in 1492, the Atlantic Ocean was a zone of interaction and a powerful connector between the people, plants, animals, and microbes. This course examines the Atlantic world through the experiences of the men and women who inhabited it from the mid-15th century to the 19th century. The transatlantic slave trade and the slave labor drove an economic engine that tied together different continents. The unforeseen and, for many, tragic consequences of this process of cultural exchange lie at the heart of this class. Topics will include the destruction and reconfiguration of indigenous societies, the migrations of Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans, independence movements, slavery, and different strategies of accommodation, resistance, and rebellion.