RFLA 100C 05 and 06 - Pacific Ocean Worlds (CRNs 10753/10754)

This class seeks to understand the place of the Pacific in history over the past few centuries. Over the course of the semester we will cover topics as varied as slavery, migration, social movements, colonialism, and piracy, while pulling readings from history, anthropology, sociology, literature, and geography. We will ask questions about the definition of the Pacific, different types of slavery, the shape of migration and diaspora, and the relationship between people and animals, among others. Central to the course is experimenting with the problem: what does a Pacific approach-and an oceanic approach at that-do for our understanding of the world?