An introduction to Atlantic history and the study of the various socio-cultural, political, economic and material relationships which came to link Europe, Africa, and the Americas; their formation, mutual influence and impact, and, in some instances, transformation or dissolution. Principal themes will be how historians study premodern American peoples; why, and to what extent, many of these peoples were conquered by Europeans; European interactions with (changing) Native American and African societies; the rise of slavery and racism; the varied consequences for early modern European societies of global expansion.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Develop their ability to think historically. That is, they will learn how we go about comprehending the past; explaining change and continuity over time by evaluating different types of primary source (i.e. surviving texts and artefacts that are potential historical evidence).
2. Practise articulating their understanding of the past and be able to explain how their own understanding relates to the wider historiography as well as present-day concerns.
3. Expand their knowledge of the consequences of the so-called “discovery of the New World” for Europeans, Americans, and Africans, and its ramifications for globalization, a process often said to define modernity.
4. Gain research experience in early modern political and/or socio-cultural history.

Tutorial Participation: accounts for 10% of the final grade. [Learning Outcomes's 1, 2]

Topical Essay: 2,000 words and worth 35% of the final grade. [Learning Outcome 3]

Students will be free to select their topic from among the first 6 tutorials for the
course. Essays will typically be due 1-2 weeks after their discussion at tutorials.

Research Essay: an essay on an approved question, 3,000 words
and worth 45% of the final grade. [Learning Outcome 4]

As this task takes the place of a final exam it will be due in the first week of the scheduled examination period.
To recognize and reward the process behind this assessment, the better of the two
essays will be apportioned an additional 10%.

On-campus. Lectures streamed via DLD audio, and Web video as available.

Two 1-hour lectures and one 1-hour tutorial session per week. Students should
expect to devote an additional 7 hours per week to work on their assessment.

12 units of History (HIST) courses.  Courses ANCH1013, ANCH1014 and EURO1004 all count as HIST courses for this purpose.

If you are having difficulty enrolling, please contact the convenor of the course for a permission code.

HIST1205

A Reading Brick will be compiled.

Preliminary reading:

A. Taylor, American Colonies. The Settling of North America (2002); T. Benjamin, The Atlantic World. Europeans, Africans, Indians and Their Shared History, 1400-1900 (2009), N. Canny & P. Morgan, eds., The Oxford Handbook of the Atlantic World (2012).

A. Taylor, American Colonies. The Settling of North America (2002).

Contact course convener for further details.

Recommend up-to-date browser and the following software: word-processing (for .doc, .rtf, or .pdf creation); Adobe Acrobat (reader for .pdfs); RealPlayer or iTunes (for listening to lecture audio); Quicktime or Windows MediaPlayer (for viewing lecture video).