This year’s World History course will be a survey of the history of the peoples that have inhabited the Americas (from Canada down to Argentina and the Caribbean) starting from prehistory and making our way up to the present day. We will begin by examining the differing theories of how people first came to the Americas, examining the differing archeological and anthropological approaches that have yielded such diverse theories about the origin of human life in the region. Particular themes and time periods, with specific cultures, countries, and/or individuals will be highlighted as a way of accessing larger historical trends.
Special attention will be paid to these original inhabitants and the systems of social, economic, racial, and political control that were established in the Americas following first contact with European settlers at the end of the 15th century. We will look at the colonial systems set up by the Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, and Dutch, with special emphasis placed on the systems of forced labor embodied in the mita, for native populations, and chattel slavery, for kidnapped African populations. We will look at how these racialized hierarchies were challenged in their own times and how their legacies have continued to impact the construction of national identities following anti-colonial independence movements.
We will then move on to examining the system of neocolonialism and imperialism that followed the abdication of European colonial control in the region. The consolidation of the United States’ sphere of influence through policies like the Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary will be tied to subsequent support of authoritarian regimes and ethnic cleansing programs throughout the Americas. Finally, we will embark on an investigation of contemporary discourse around immigration in the Americas, with special emphasis placed on the Chicano history of Southern California.
As this course is a survey of almost 20,000 years of history, students will be tasked with completing independent research projects, presentations, and writing meant to improve their own research skills and educate their peers. A mixture of academic writing, literature, film, visual art, poetry, and primary sources will be used as foundational texts for this course, allowing students to improve their literacy across a variety of mediums.