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76213-01 - Seminar: A World of Goods: Commodities in Modern Global History (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Corey David Ross (corey.ross@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This seminar uses the history of various commodities as a lens to explore key themes in world history over the last few centuries – including the growth of global trade, the evolution of capitalism, the emergence of new consumption patterns, and the long-term legacies of empire and resource extraction on the biophysical environment. By looking at the histories of tobacco and cotton plantations, the energy transitions to coal and oil, the complex processes of synthetic substitution of plant-based materials, or the ongoing connections of West African cacao beans to Basel, the course explores how the commodities that underpin everyday life have shaped the world we live in today. |
| Learning objectives | By studying a wide range of commodities (from bulk items to luxury goods to illicit substances), seminar participants will gain a detailed understanding of the ways in which life in modern societies have been - and continue to be - fundamentally shaped by long-distance flows of labor, capital and natural resources. |
| Bibliography | Foundational readings: Arjun Appadurai (ed.), The social life of things: commodities in cultural perspective (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013). Jonathan Curry-Machado et al. (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Commodity History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023). Sven Beckert, Empire of Cotton. A Global History (New York: Knopf, 2014). Sidney Mintz, Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History (New York: Penguin, 1985). |
| Comments | Number of places is limited to 25 students. In case of overbooking, priority will be given to students of the Master's Program in European Global Studies. |
| Weblink | https://europa.unibas.ch/en/ |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 18.09.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 25.09.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 02.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 09.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 16.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 23.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 30.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 06.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 13.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 20.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 27.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 04.12.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 11.12.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Thursday 18.12.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Modules |
Modul: Areas: Europa Global (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Epochen der europäischen Geschichte: Neuere / Neueste Geschichte (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Neuere / Neueste Geschichte (Master's degree subject: History) Module: Europeanization and Globalization (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Module: Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: The Urban across Disciplines (Master's degree program: Critical Urbanisms) Specialization Module Global Europe: Globalized Trade and Business (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Essay (70%) and Presentation (30%) -- to be confirmed |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | University of Basel |
| Offered by | Europainstitut |