European empire: Comparative British and French imperialism

Elective Course

This course will deepen your understanding of European imperialism and the Chinese experience with European imperialism by exploring the broader currents of European imperial expansion from 1800 to 1945. This course emphasizes the British and French imperial missions in two countries: China and Egypt. In addition, French and British imperial expansion in Southeast Asia, Japan, Madagascar, and the Levant (present-day Turkey) will also be considered. Though many European countries participated in Europe’s colonial expansion, this course will focus on the British and French experiences. The main learning outcome of the course is for you to be able to assess critically the European colonial experience and to examine critically its broader political, economic, historical, literary and artistic legacy.