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New Introductory Courses in History (200-0-23)

Topic

Global History of Slavery

Instructors

Marcos Abreu Leitao De Almeida
Marcos L. de Almeida is a historian of Early Africa, Slavery and Atlantic History. His research has been supported by the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard, Social Science Research Council, American Council of Learned Societies, and the Society of Presidential Fellows at Northwestern University, among others. His work has appeared in the Journal of African History, Azania, and the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History.

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L06: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

Slavery has been around for millennia but it has meant very different things in different societies. We will look at different examples in different times and places, such as slavery systems in Greece, Rome, Northeastern Africa and West African kingdoms, to ask: What is slavery, and how did very different societies create the status of the enslaved? And how did enslaved men and women experience, and sometimes resist, their condition? From discussions over the legal status of "slave" to the social condition of the enslaved, we will debate the making of a key category of human experience.

Learning Objectives

1) Learning how to think historically about a key category of human experience. 2) Assessing the relationships among slavery and economic and political systems in different times and regions of the globe. 3) Reading primary and secondary historical sources for argument and evidence. 4) Developing your writing style, drawing on reliable evidence and building a coherent argument. 5) Discussing complex, and sometimes polemical, topics in a collegial and precise manner.

Evaluation Method

Learning how to think historically about a key category of human experience.

Assessing the relationships among slavery and economic and political systems in different times and regions of the globe.

Reading primary and secondary historical sources for argument and evidence.

Developing your writing style, drawing on reliable evidence and building a coherent argument.

Discussing complex, and sometimes polemical, topics in a collegial and precise manner.

Class Materials (Required)

All the assigned readings will be uploaded on Canvas

Class Notes

Concentration: Global

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Distro Area