HIST 105(S) The Expansion of Europe

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. Evaluation will be based on five short written exercises and one research paper. Enrollment limited. Preference to first-year students. Groups B and D

Hour: WOOD