Humanities Courses, Undergraduate Programs at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies - Northwestern School of Professional Studies

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HISTORY 250-A : Global History: Early Modern to Modern Transition

Description

This course will explore global history in the early modern era, which lasted from approximately 1500-1800. While the Industrial Revolution is typically regarded as a significant moment of global transformation, much of the social, economic, cultural, and political groundwork for that moment was laid in this earlier period. We will explore transformations such as the rise of European naval power and of proto-capitalism, while also examining important developments in Asia, Africa, and the Americas before and during the rise of European imperialism. We will closely examine the consequences of increasing interconnectedness, seeing how the exchange of goods, ideas, microbes, and technology impacted people and landscapes around the world. Through these inquiries we will develop a rich understanding of the contingency of global history, acquire new perspective on familiar events by examining them through a global lens, and challenge simplified narratives that postulate the inevitability of Western ascendency in the 19th century.