Continental history is a cutting-edge approach to the study of early America. One way to explore a continent’s past is to focus on a powerful theme that connected the lives of people living in different places. This seminar will use trendsetting and traditional scholarship on slavery to examine the history of North America between 1600 and 1800. Click here for the syllabus.

This course is designed to help students make sense of the relationship between capitalism and slavery in early America and the Atlantic World before and after the Industrial Revolution. What were the connections between the global countryside and centers of manufacturing? Did profits from plantation agriculture support industrialization? Can slaves be thought of as members of a working class? Were planters capitalists? This course will help you answer these questions and more. Click here for the syllabus.

Pirates were real historical actors on one of the world's most dramatic stages set against the backdrop of a flying Jolly Roger. In this course, we will explore the myths and realities of pirates in order to critically analyze the nature of crime and punishment in the early modern Atlantic world. By the end of the semester, students will be able to explain the deep connections between the rise of capitalism in this part of the globe and the expansion of maritime banditry. Click here for the syllabus.