New Introductory Courses in History (200-0-20)
Topic
World Travel Before Steam
Instructors
Jonathan Brack
Meeting Info
Harris Hall L06: Tues, Thurs 11:30AM - 1:20PM
Overview of class
Long before steamboats and railroads interconnected the world in the nineteenth century, travelers embarked on perilous voyages across overland and maritime routes to reach faraway destinations and communities. Whether compelled to travel due to captivity and enslavement or driven by missionary zeal, official business, curiosity, a sense of adventure, or in search of better opportunities and livelihood, how did they experience travel, and what insights can we glean from their impressions of the foreign and unfamiliar places, people, animals, practices, cultures, and objects they encountered? Did they experience a sense of home away from home?
In this course, we delve into pre-modern travel accounts, from the famous travelogues of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta to the lesser-known accounts of a Turkish war captive in Europe and a Persian ambassador to Thailand. We will analyze how gender, ethnicity, religion, language, and culture influenced their travel experiences and choices.
Learning Objectives
In addition to familiarizing students with some fascinating chapters in world history, we will work on sharpening our transferable skill set. This includes: critical thinking and reading, argumentation and debate, and structured, persuasive, evidence-supported writing. By reading and analyzing primary and secondary sources about the history of travel and mobility, we will also practice employing historical context when addressing challenging, unfamiliar texts or ideas that may seem foreign or strange to us.
Evaluation Method
Attendance and participation (includes short responses based on the readings, 10% of grade), in class presentation (10%), midterm essay assignment (35%), final essay paper (45%)
Class Notes
Concentration: European, Asia/Middle East, Africa/ Middle East
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area