HIST 127 The Expansion of Europe (Not offered 2006-2007; to be offered 2007-2008) (W)
This course investigates the expansion of European power and influence over
much of the rest of the world from the late Middle Ages to the mid-nineteenth
century-the early period of European Imperialism. Specific topics will vary,
but include the development and initial expansion of medieval and Renaissance
Europe, the discovery and conquest of the New World, the struggle with Islam
for command of the seas, the establishment of European influence in the East
and Far East, the slave trade, the invasion of North America, and the initial steps
toward hegemony in the Middle East and Africa. Students will investigate the
ways in which individual personality, religiosity, greed, critical first contacts, and
cultural misunderstandings and prejudices combined with important aspects of
the Military, Scientific, and early Industrial Revolutions to establish European
hegemony on a world-wide scale during this early period of European
Imperialism.
Format: seminar. Evaluation will be based on five short written exercises and
one research paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 19). Preference will be given to first-year
students, and then sophomores, who have not previously taken a 100-level seminar.
Groups B and D