Making of the Pacific World

Catalog description

The Making of the Pacific World, 1700-2000. This course examines the history of the making of the Pacific World, focusing on how people, goods, ideas, and nature moved across the Pacific Ocean. Following transoceanic movements, students will learn the economic, political, and environmental practices that conditioned the interconnection between human and non-human communities. We will pay special attention to the historical experiences of Pacific Islanders and their evolving relationship to Pacific spaces prompted by forces of imagination, violence, globalization, and climate change. The course is divided into three sections. Part I (1700-1850) examines the expansion and integration of the Pacific World through intercultural exchanges, trade, migration, science, and empire. Part II (1850-1945) explores how forces of imperialism and colonialism transformed Pacific spaces and goods, as well as the persistence and resistance of Pacific Islanders. Part III (1945-2000) examines how globalization, capitalism, and climate change created new forms of interconnectedness and interdependence in the Pacific Ocean. Satisfies Depth and Breadth course requirement in the Humanities track of the Environmental Studies major or interdisciplinary minor. Satisfies Cultural Diversity requirement.