HIST1003
10 units
1000 level
Course handbook
Description
This early modern History of the Atlantic World surveys the history of this region including western Europe, Africa and the Americas from pre-Columbian times, through European discovery and settlement to the founding of new, distinctly modern republics (including that of the United States) from the late eighteenth century into the early decades of the 19th century. Using a combination of case studies and themes, this course explores the world that Europeans, Africans and native peoples forged together from the late 15th century to the founding of the modern era.
Availability
Not currently offered.
This Course was last offered in Semester 1 - 2023.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the course students will be able to:
1. Summarise the development of the 'Atlantic World' from the mid fourteenth century to the mid nineteenth century.
2. Evaluate historical documents concerning the history of the Americas, Europe and Africa.
3. Identify key research documents and reflect on their research capacities.
4. Present arguments in written form.
Content
The course will begin with the worlds that native people and Europeans lived in before their collision in 1492 and the decades after. This will include a study of European society and ideas of the 'other' as well as the native peoples of the Americas including the Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilisations. It will explore the first colonial settlements in this 'new world' as well as the engagement between Indigenous people and Europeans, natives and newcomers. The course will then follow the development of the Iberian empires and the arrival of the British, Dutch and the French in the seventeenth century as well as the development of Atlantic slavery and the production of commodities. The course will then follow major themes in the eighteenth century by exploring such ideas as slavery and warfare, social life, culture and trade. The course will then survey the nascent independence movements of this 'Atlantic World' including that of the 13 colonies of America and the foundation of modern republics. The course will end with the increasingly fractious polities of the Americas in the early nineteenth century and the coming of civil war in the early to mid Nineteenth century.
Assessment items
Presentation: Podcast
Essay: Essay
Quiz: Quiz
Online Learning Activity: Online Learning Activity
Course outline
Course outline not yet available.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.