MITRA4300 – Global Encounters 1850 - 2010 - Transnational Movements of People, Ideas and Commodities
Course content
While a well-known feature of pre-modern societies, the exchange of goods, people, and ideas greatly accelerated and multiplied over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, though with periods of stagnation and retreat. We now distinguish between a ‘first globalisation’ era in the age of imperialism on the one hand and a second wave which set in after World War II. However, these are only rough markers: different parts of the world did not experience the same patterns and dynamics while segmentation and tighter border controls have been simultaneous developments in many parts for the world.
The course focuses on these nonlinear dynamics and investigates the intersection of the movement of goods, people, and ideas: it thus spans trade history, migration and labour history, consumption, and the global circulation of ideas. And given that all global history is local the course will illustrate large trends by drawing on precise examples.
The course is divided into three major blocks: (A) people and migration, (B) goods and commodities, and (C) ideas. Block A will follow shifting waves of migration - seasonal, labour, exile. Block B addresses the global division of resources, labour, and riches and its entanglement with great power politics, and how this has led to a situation in which social and economic standards differ vastly while at the same time consumerism has increasingly shed national particularities. Block C discusses the dissemination of seminal ideas and their transformation as they traversed borders and geographies.
Learning outcome
After you have taken this course you are expected to:
- have a profound understanding of the multitude of border-crossing movements of people, ideas and commodities during the 19th and 20th century
- be able to make judgments on the specific weight of globalization and segmentation shaping transnational movements in various historical settings and areas.
- apply the knowledge acquired and the methodological framework of transnational history to concrete examples
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
The course is available to all students accepted to Modern International and Transnational History (master). Exchange student and students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme. HFM2-MITRA students will be prioritized.
Recommended previous knowledge
A good ability to read and understand English is required for this course.
Teaching
Active participation in class as well as preparation for each meeting is expected.
Students have to submit a book review to qualify for the exam. The assignment is specified on the Canvas page for the course.
Examination
The course is assessed by a term paper of 5,000 to 6,000 words, footnotes included. Bibliography is not included in the word count. The assignment is specified on the Canvas page for the course.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.