Undergraduate Course: Colonies and Commerce: The Economy and Society of British America, 1607-1770 (ECSH10053)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 40 |
ECTS Credits | 20 |
| Summary | The course considers the economic and social development of Britain¿s American colonies between the beginnings of settlement in Virginia in 1607 and the onset of the American Revolutionary crisis in the 1770s.
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| Course description |
The course considers the economic and social consequences of British overseas expansion in the 17th and 18th centuries.
In semester 1, a regional approach indicates the diversity of experience within the first British empire. Attention focuses on the problems of settlement and different strategies for development in the Chesapeake, the West Indies, New England, the Middle Colonies, and the Lower South. Although stocked from the same source, each region develops in distinct ways. While avoiding extreme geographical determinism, a focus on the characteristics of the regional staple in shaping the different patterns of growth and development provides a powerful explanatory tool.
In semester 2, a thematic approach promotes comparison between the regions. Topics include migration, slavery, agriculture, industry, trade, urban life, consumption. The similarity and diversity of conditions makes the exercise both fruitful and interesting. It also underpins an assessment of the significance of colonial expansion and commerce for the British economy.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | Students MUST NOT also be taking
Pre-Revolutionary America (HIST10151) OR
The Economic and Social History of British America, 1607-1770 (ECSH10026)
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Other requirements | A pass or passes in 40 credits of first level historical courses or equivalent and a pass or passes in 40 credits of second level historical courses or equivalent.
Before enrolling students on this course, Directors are asked to contact the History Honours Admission Secretary to ensure that a place is available (Tel: 503783). |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should usually have at least 3 History courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, command of the body of knowledge considered in the course;
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, an ability to read, analyse and reflect critically upon relevant scholarship;
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, an ability to understand, evaluate and utilise a variety of primary source material;
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, the ability to develop and sustain scholarly arguments in oral and written form, by formulating appropriate questions and utilising relevant evidence;
- demonstrate independence of mind and initiative; intellectual integrity and maturity; an ability to evaluate the work of others, including peers.
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Reading List
D. Armitage and M. Braddick, eds, The British Atlantic World, 1500-1800 (2006)
B. Bailyn, The Peopling of British North America. An Introduction (1986)
R. S. Dunn, Sugar and Slaves (1972)
A. Games, Migration and the Origins of the English Atlantic World (1999)
D. Galenson, White servitude and the growth of black slavery in colonial America, JEH (1981)
J. J. McCusker and R. R. Menard, The Economy of British America, 1607-1789 (1985)
P. D. Morgan, Slave Counterpoint. Black Culture in the Eighteenth-Century Chesapeake and Low Country (1998)
L. S. Walsh, Motives of Honour, Pleasure and Profit. Plantation Management in the Colonial Chesapeake
N. Zahedieh, The Capital and the Colonies. London and the Atlantic Economy, 1660-1700 (2010)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Nuala Zahedieh
Tel: (0131 6)50 3836
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Diane Knowles
Tel: (0131 6)50 3781
Email: |
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