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HISTORY 200-0 : New Introductory Courses in History:World Travel Before Steam (New Introductory Courses in History:World Travel Before Steam)

Description

Long before steamboats and railroads interconnected the world in the nineteenth century, travelers embarked on perilous voyages across overland and maritime routes to reach faraway destinations and communities. Whether compelled to travel due to captivity and enslavement or driven by missionary zeal, official business, curiosity, a sense of adventure, or in search of better opportunities and livelihood, how did they experience travel, and what insights can we glean from their impressions of the foreign and unfamiliar places, people, animals, practices, cultures, and objects they encountered? Did they experience a sense of home away from home?

In this course, we delve into pre-modern travel accounts, from the famous travelogues of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta to the lesser-known accounts of a Turkish war captive in Europe and a Persian ambassador to Thailand. We will analyze how gender, ethnicity, religion, language, and culture influenced their travel experiences and choices.