Global Empires module (HY51027)

This module provides a comparative study of the major historiography of the Dutch, British, French and Spanish Empires in the Americas and Asia.  Major topics to be studied include:

• patterns of imperial government
• the development of trade and its economic and political implications
• differences between the imperial policies of diverse European powers

Assessment

This module is assessed as follows:

• Five fortnightly journals (30%)
• Essay (70%): 4,000 words

Intended learning outcomes

By the end of the course you will have:

• an understanding of the main themes of research in the history of global empires
• a knowledge of the comparative development of the different colonial systems
• an awareness of some of the theoretical approaches to global and imperial history

Aims

• To enable you to grasp some of the major themes currently being studied by historians of the global European empires
• To offer a comparative analysis of the development of the different European empires in the Americas and Asia
• To examine some of the main theoretical arguments surrounding the colonisation process

Convenor

Dr Matt Graham

Teaching

Students meet weekly in two-hour seminars to discuss a major work of historiography.