Asian Languages & Civilization 201 - Indian Ocean World History

(Offered as ASLC 201 and HIST 201.) Does history change when we turn our gaze away from nation-states on land and look instead toward people connected by oceans? We explore this question by focusing on the Indian Ocean World (IOW), a vast world region that includes parts of five areas: Africa, Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Thousands of large and small islands are also part of the IOW. Throughout the course, we learn how to think about the IOW both in terms of geography and as a concept. We also question Eurocentric perspectives on this history and explore the diversity of human experiences. Themes include Roman trade with South Asia, travels of Chinese Buddhist scholars in Asia, Islamic empires in the Red Sea, the movement of pilgrims, histories of slavery, and European imperialism in the IOW. Meets twice weekly.

Fall semester. Professor Gomes.

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Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Close analysis of historical evidence, which may include written documents, images, music, films, or statistics from the historical period under study. Exploration of scholarly, methodological, and theoretical debates about historical topics. Extensive reading, varying forms of written work, and intensive in-class discussions.