Empires and Borderlands

Focuses on colonialism and imperialism from the 15th century to the 21th century from the perspective of colonized peoples. Through course readings, discussions, lectures, and research presentations, students evaluate how various societies functioned pre/post European arrival—from Australia to Papua New Guinea to countless sites on the continent of Africa and southeast Asia to the Americas. This course engages how the rural world is very much a part of the imperial drive that has shaped a modern planet as well as how humans shape their identities on the rural borderlands of empires. This course introduces students to important aspects of place studies, demography, political economy, and how the study of borderlands can tell much about the human experience, past and present.