Prof. Franziska Seraphim

This Core course surveys the Asian origins of the modern world, from the rise of the Eurasian empire under the Mongols in the thirteenth century to the global colonial context of the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth century.  Along the way, we will challenge common geographical conceptions in historical narratives, such as “East” vs. “West”.  While emphasizing the global conjunctions in history, this approach highlights Asian experiences of the historical forces that integrated yet also divided the world in changing ways: empires and trade routes, religions and cross-cultural contact, urbanization and the constraints of a shared ecological environment. 

Wednesdays and Fridays at 12:00