INQ-270 | Exploration and Discovery-Global

Full Title: Exploration and Discovery: How Eight Explorers Connected the World

Topic Description:

Between 1000 and 1500 C.E. explorers fanned out across the globe, sparking a revolution in knowledge and eventually commerce. What were the explorers seeking? What did they find? How did their discoveries change the world? These questions will form the basis of inquiry into the roots of the first global explorations and exchanges of products. We will examine the travels of eight very different explorers, ranging from Leif Erikson in 1000 C. E. to Vasco de Gama in 1498 C. E. The majority of explorers we will study were European, though considerable attention will be paid to the journeys of Ibn Battuta (1300s) and Zheng He (1400s). Each one of those explorations raises questions about the paths not taken by major civilizations of the time, and the consequences of those decisions. By the end of the course students should know not only what was explored in the late premodern era, but also use the class material to reflect on the meaning of exploration and discovery in our own time.

Counts as Global? Yes

Topic Approved: April 2016