In the minds of most Americans, the history of "colonial America" is synonymous with the history of the thirteen Anglo-American colonies that would eventually become the United States. Images of Puritan settlers and Virginia planters dominate the popular perception of European colonialism in North America. That most of North America was actually claimed by French, Spanish, and Dutch colonists often remains unexamined. This course is designed to expand our understanding of European colonialism in North America through a comparative study of the origins and development of the British, Spanish, French, and Dutch North American empires. Each week, we will read and discuss a combination of primary and secondary sources related to a particular theme. Our themes will include: the early rhetoric of European exploration and colonization; the variety and complexity of European-Indian relations; colonial systems of government; religious and secular institutions; colonial slave systems; gender and race relations. In addressing these themes our objective will be to probe the distinctiveness of each European colonial system and to assess the extent to which Europeans, Indians, and uprooted Africans shared a common history during the early modern period. Format: seminar. Evaluation will be based on class participation, weekly response papers, a research proposal, and a long research paper. No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15 (expected: 8-15). Preference to History majors. Groups A and D

Hour: AUBERT