HIST 130AModern World History (LEC)

Catalog

HIST 130A - Modern World History This course surveys the major themes and events that have shaped societies across the world since c.1500. In addition to examining major economic and political transformations and upheavals, we will consider the changing relationship between humans and the natural world, as well as the extraction, production, and global movement of commodities such as tea, cotton, and coffee. Students will learn about the emergence of plantation slavery, the industrial revolution, capitalism, decolonization, nationalism, and climate activism among others. Rather than framing the period since 1500 primarily as the "rise of the West," this course takes a de-centered approach, illustrating the multitude of human experiences, cultural and religious practices, technologies, and connections across Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe.