5 credits
22.5 h
Q1
This biannual learning unit is being organized in 2018-2019
Teacher(s)
Gijs Anne-Sophie; Paonessa Costantino (compensates Gijs Anne-Sophie);
Language
French
Prerequisites
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Main themes
This course is designed to allow students to make their own contributions, including lectures and active participation in seminar discussions.
Aims
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 | Instruction will concentrate on students' choosing historical periods as " case studies ", to be examined in depth based on the theme " Contact and Exchange " [c. Modern Period [3 cr.]]. These thematic areas are to be examined by means of current tendencies in historiography, the identification of problematics and the use of well-known or experimental techniques. |
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
The aim of the course is to familiarise students with historical themes linking several geographical areas during the same time period. We will be studying the conditions and consequences of contact between different cultural contexts, looking beyond their specificities. By fostering an outward-looking approach and a comparative methodology, students will be encouraged to think critically and to become aware of current historiographical, even political, debates.
The first part of the course will involve a study of (Atlantic, domestic and Eastern) slave-trading. Firstly, taking a joined-up history approach connecting the Western, Muslim and Eastern worlds, we will study the world of slave-trading: how the various aspects of the trade worked together, its impact, and the dynamics of abolitionism. We will then examine the political and epistemological aspects of the history of slave trading and slavery, centring our study on the complex relationship between History and Memory.
The second part of the course will analyse the attitudes expressed by writers and scholars from the so-called ‘Islamic oecumene’, from various disciplines (travellers, geographers, ulamas, politicians), down through the ages, when describing and speaking of ‘the Other’. By a critical reading of texts in their historical context, the aim of this course is to explore the mental approach to and ideological discourse on ‘others’ produced by individuals and the socio-political systems which, over several centuries, dominated the Mediterranean and colonised many territories. This approach should enable us to identify the roots of certain issues and debates of interest to contemporary societies since the nineteenth century.
The first part of the course will involve a study of (Atlantic, domestic and Eastern) slave-trading. Firstly, taking a joined-up history approach connecting the Western, Muslim and Eastern worlds, we will study the world of slave-trading: how the various aspects of the trade worked together, its impact, and the dynamics of abolitionism. We will then examine the political and epistemological aspects of the history of slave trading and slavery, centring our study on the complex relationship between History and Memory.
The second part of the course will analyse the attitudes expressed by writers and scholars from the so-called ‘Islamic oecumene’, from various disciplines (travellers, geographers, ulamas, politicians), down through the ages, when describing and speaking of ‘the Other’. By a critical reading of texts in their historical context, the aim of this course is to explore the mental approach to and ideological discourse on ‘others’ produced by individuals and the socio-political systems which, over several centuries, dominated the Mediterranean and colonised many territories. This approach should enable us to identify the roots of certain issues and debates of interest to contemporary societies since the nineteenth century.
Teaching methods
The class sessions will centre on a dynamic, participatory exchange of ideas between students and teacher. The students will be given a detailed plan of the course, a set of core documents, as well as further reading list to broaden their horizons.
Evaluation methods
The oral exam will test students on the material covered in the course and may include the presentation of individual course work based on reading, iconographic or audiovisual documentation. Account will also be taken in the evaluation of students’ participation in the sessions.
Other information
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Online resources
The PowerPoints from the classes, the bibliography and practical information are all available and can be downloaded from the course Moodle platform.
Bibliography
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Faculty or entity
HIST
