Race and the 18th Century   In Spring 2020, this course will explore British, American, and Atlantic culture of the eighteenth-century – the period that witnessed the rise of imperialism, slavery, and the revolutions that created modern nations and the way we think about race today.  It will discuss the connections between the Atlantic economy, colonialism, and the constructions of the identities that would compose the British Empire and the United States for centuries later.  Here, we will study the histories that document slavery’s relationship to the development of such industries as sugar, rum, tobacco, and shipbuilding.  The course also will examine the period’s theories of race and its racial classification schemes.  Over the length of the semester, readings will include literary works about orientalism, indigenous America, and African identity.  We also will examine abolitionist writing that attempted to counter dominant representations of racial identity and in doing so, explore the development of human rights discourse.  The course will conclude with a reflection on how eighteenth-century racism and slavery helped establish institutions such as Ivy League universities. 

In Spring 2020 this course satisfies the Race requirement for English Majors.

In Spring 2020 this course satisfies a pre-1800 literature requirement for English Majors. 

In Spring 2020 this course may be used to fulfill the English Major Capstone. Fill out a Capstone Declaration form in the main English office. 

May be taken for Honors.  Fill out an Honors Declaration form in the main English office if interested.