2006 Handbooks

This unit of study will explore the origins and rise of the Atlantic World across almost three centuries from the early European encounters with the Americas at the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century. We will chart the impact of European maritime exploration and trade in the Americas and Africa by drawing on economic, technological, cultural and ecological perspectives. Through topics such as the age of exploration, early encounters, imperial expansion, the slave trade, the rise of the plantation economy and rebellions, we chart the develoment of the Atlantic World as a dynamic arena of cross-cultural contact and interaction. We pay particular attention in this unit to understanding the pre-colonial indigenous cultures and societies of both the Americas and Africa to gauge the rise of racially stratified and racially hybrid societies in the New World. We also ponder the historiographical implications of notions of "discovery" from the non-European perspective. On another level, we also look at the ecological and biological impact of these interactions through a detailed study of the Columbian Exchange, and ponder the role of food and disease as global travellers and historical artefacts.