SIS 200 addresses three questions that are related to the contemporary structure of the global system:
What are the historical processes that have created a world economy with integrated systems of production and trade that now cover the entire globe?
How is it that this economically united world has been repeatedly challenged and undermined by movements that emphasize ethnic, national, political, and cultural divisions?
Through what mechanisms have Europeans and European culture come to maintain a dominant role through various conflicts and crises ever since the sixteenth century?
This course examines these questions from a historical perspective by focusing on selected times, places, and events.
Prior to the sixteenth century, an economic system that was centered in Asia and covered a large part of the globe was formed in the thirteenth century. In the first part of SIS 200, we will study the rise and the fall of this early world system and explain why it was eclipsed in the sixteenth century by a new system that was centered in Europe. The rest of the course is devoted to the study of the growth, expansion, and various economic and political setbacks in the modern world system between the fifteenth and the early twentieth centuries. Through our readings we will also compare the different explanations scholars have advanced to account for the rise and persistence of European domination.
This course uses history to explain economic, political, sociological, and cultural realities of the modern world but it is not a history course. Particular events, dates, and places will enter into our discussions only to the extent that they have had lasting impact on the structure and the subsequent development of the global system.
CLASS FORMAT
SIS 200 will have two major components: lectures, which will be held three times a week (M, W, F), and discussion sections, which will be led by Teaching Assistants on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My lectures will provide an outline of world history in 1250-1914 and focus on distinct periods of intense economic integration that were followed by political fragmentation and clashes. I will also touch on the readings and provide background and clarification of difficult points. In the discussion sections, the TAs will review material from the lectures and the readings and provide the direction you will need to complete the written assignments. In addition, the TAs will be available during their office hours to respond to your questions. I am also available to discuss the course material during my office hours. Our office hours will be posted on the web. You will also be able to use the class website to post questions to your section or to the whole class.