All courses numbered 500 and above are graduate courses.
Undergraduates need to submit a course permit to enroll.
HIST 630 Early Modern Dutch Empire
Jacobs
Taught as schedule allows (consult the Course Directory)
This one-semester course will focus on the miraculous rise to prominence of a minor and relatively small European country. While still struggling to obtain their independence from Spain, the Dutch within a century managed to found a string of colonies and trading posts encompassing the world: New Netherland, Caribbean islands, Brazil, West Africa, South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Taiwan and Japan. We will examine several important topics in a comparative frmaework: the foundation for expansion, exploration, the organization of colonization, trade and shipping, christianizing efforts, relations with indigenous peoples, and the effect of the encounter with extra–European cultures on the Dutch at home.
Course Syllabus (PDF)
