The University of North Carolina at Greensboro HIS 207-03 and HIS 207-03D

Global Trade and Cultural Interaction in the Pre-modern World Course Syllabus

Spring 2016

Contact Instructor: James Findley, Ph.D. Email: jwfindle@uncg.edu Course Description This course explores global trade and cultural interaction in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe between 1200 and 1800. Topics covered include trade, religion, the Columbian Exchange, empire building, slavery, and foodways. Learning Objectives

• Use a historical approach to analyze and contextualize primary and secondary sources representing divergent perspectives

• Use evidence to interpret the past coherently in writing • Find, interpret, and evaluate information on diverse cultures • Describe interconnection among regions of the world

• Use diverse cultural frames or reference and alternative perspectives to analyze issues

• Analyze historical duration, succession, and change in terms of human agency and larger systems or structures

• Conduct original research by investigating and interpreting primary and secondary sources.

• Use evidence based reason to interpret the past coherently while developing and presenting an original argument in writing

Required Reading All required reading is posted on Canvas. You do not have to buy a textbook. Secondary Sources

• Ira Berlin, “From Creole to African: Atlantic Creoles and the Origins of African-American Society in Mainland North America,” The William and Mary Quarterly, 53, no. 2 (Apr. 1996): 151-288.

• Jack P. Greene, Susan Dunn, Franklin W. Knight, and Jaime E. Rodríguez O., “Revolutions: The Great Transformation,” in The Atlantic World in the Age of Empire eds. Thomas Benjamin, Timothy Hall, and David Rutherford (Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001), 203-245).

• Robert W. Strayer, Ways of the World: A Brief Global History. Volume 2: Since 1500 (Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013), 383-565.

Primary Sources

• Anon., Codex Borgianus (Mexico, 15th century). • Galileo, “Letter to Castelli,” Galileo, The Galileo Affair: A Documentary History

ed. and trans. by Maurice A. Finocchiaro (Berkley CA: University of California Press, 1989), 49-54.

• Huili, Xuanzang, Marco Polo, and Ibn Battuta, “Considering the Evidence: Travelers’ Tales and Observations” in Robert W. Strayer, The Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources vol. 1, 2nd ed. (Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013), 344-354.

• Alvise da Cà da Mosto, Jean de Léry, and Canastego, in Timothy J. Shannon, “Into the Atlantic Crucible” in Atlantic Lives: A Comparative Approach to Early America (New York: Pearson Longman, 2004), 6-25.

Required Viewing

• Guns, Germs & Steel Part I: Out of Eden (PBS, 2005) • Racism: A History Part I: The Colour of Money (BBC, 2007)

Communication Communication will be conducted via UNCG email. Having an active UNCG email account and checking it regularly is required. Do not hesitate to email if you have a question or concern about the class or an assignment.

Graded Assignments

Week to complete

assignment Assignment name When Due Weight

1 Syllabus and Writing Tips Quiz 1/15/16 5%

2 Guns Germs & Steel Rough Draft 1/19/16

5%. Graded pass/fail. No or full credit

earned

2 Guns, Germs & Steel Final Paper 1/22/16 10%

3 Medieval trade questions Midterm --

5 Atlantic crucible and

MesoAmerican religion questions

Midterm --

6 Ira Berlin Paper 2/19/16 20% 7 Racism questions Midterm -- 8 Midterm 3/4/16 20%

10 Chocolate 3/18/16 5% 14 Galileo Paper 4/15/16 10% 15 Revolution questions Final -- 16 Final Exam TBA 25%

Extra Credit An extra credit opportunity will be announced. Students should be prepared to make a short video and upload it via Canvas. The videos will be due during Week 11. Writing Tips There is a document entitled Writing Tips available for download on this course’s Canvas page. You are required to read the Writing Tips and follow it when completing written assignment. Week 1 January 11 – January 15 Lecture Topic

• Class introduction Viewing

• Guns, Germs & Steel Part I Assessment

• Syllabus and Writing Tips quiz • Write rough draft of GGS paper

Week 2 January 18 – January 22 No class January 18th, MLK day Lecture topic

• How to write for this course Viewing

• Guns, Germs & Steel Part I Assessment

• Turn in rough draft of paper by Tuesday • Final draft by Friday

Week 3 January 25 – January 29 Lecture topic

• Medieval trade Reading

• Chinese in India, selections from Xuansang and Huili • Europeans in China, selection from Marco Polo • Arabs in West Africa, selection from Ibn Battuta

Assessment • Answer medieval trade questions

Week 4 February 1 – February 5 Lecture topic

• Crises and Recovery in Afro-Eurasia Reading

• Strayer, 383-404 Week 5 February 8 – February 12 Lecture Topic

• The Columbian Exchange Reading

• Strayer 404-416, 425-434 • Into the Atlantic Crucible

Assessment: • Atlantic Crucible and MesoAmerican religion questions

Week 6 February 15 – February 19 Lecture Topic

• Sugar and Slavery Reading

• Strayer, 438-441; 477-487 • Ira Berlin, From Creole to African

Assessment • Berlin paper

Week 7 February 22 – February 26 Watch

• Racism a History Part I: The Colour of Money Assessment

• Racism a History questions Week 8 February 29 – March 4 Assessment

• Midterm Exam Week 9 March 7 – March 11 Spring Break No Class Week 10 March 14 – March 18 Lecture Topic

• Chocolate, Sassafras & Unicorns Assessment

• Chocolate image assignment Week 11 March 21 – March 25 Spring Holiday March 25, no class Assessment

• Extra credit opportunity Week 12 March 28 – April 1 Lecture Topic

• Commercial links between the Americas, Europe and Asia Reading

• Strayer 459-477 Week 13 April 4 – April 8 Lecture topic

• Global religions Reading

• Strayer 491-511 Week 14 April 11 – April 15 Lecture topic

• Science Reading

• Strayer 512-524 • Galileo Letter to Castelli

Assessment • Galileo paper

Week 15 April 18 – April 22 Lecture Topic

• Revolutions Reading

• Strayer 535-551 Assessment

• Revolution question Week 16 April 25 – 29, Prepare all your work, double check, triple check, rewrite, improve Assessment

• Final Exam TBA