Atlantic Ocean - Period 2 STEM in Amsterdam Program Fall 2020 Semester - Amsterdam

The Atlantic Ocean is not just an ocean, it is a scientific terrain the contours of which are determined by human interactions within a well-defined geographical and temporal space. The study of the shared history of this space originated after WWII and is fundamentally different from other forms of international history writing by its focus on people, societies and cultures, and the exchange of ideas, goods and language within a space formed by the 'inner sea' that the Atlantic
Ocean becomes in Atlantic history.

The ocean connects Western and Southern Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean and Western Africa and the growing connectivity of these regions has shaped a new world between 1500 and 1850, on the new as well as on the old continent. This world can be considered as 'the Atlantic world' and is studied as one historical area, with one shared history that starts somewhat before Columbus and that continued until the Revolutionary period and the de-colonization process. It is crucial to consider the interactions within this world as a reciprocal phenomenon and not as a historical evolution controlled and dominated by Europeans. A first crucial element of the academic study of the Atlantic Ocean is the reflection on the discipline itself. What is part of 'Atlantic history' and what is not? And why? Because both the genocide on the native Americans and the slave trade have left such an imprint on the history of the Atlantic Ocean, no study of the Atlantic can escape moral and ethical considerations. The negative side of the Atlantic Ocean has had a huge impact on many societies until today. A second element of this course will address not only the history of atrocities, but also attempt to think about ways that historians should deal with them.
A third element is about connectivity. This course will address similarities and shared experience that often have been studied separately. A good example is the period of Revolutions. Rather than discussing separate French, American and Haïtian revolutions taking place at the late eighteenth century, we will look at the concept of 'Atlantic Revolutions' to make connections between formative events across the Atlantic Ocean.

A last element is concerned with those who were essential part of interactions and connections - humans. History all too often focuses on the winners and the big names and we will address the experiences of a wider group of people, scientists, native Americans, Jesuits, adventurers, sailors, Jews, enslaved Africans, explorers, women, runaway slaves, merchants, gold- and diamond diggers and many others who often have remained anonymous but whose experiences have shaped the Atlantic Ocean.

Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.