“I … hope [students] will gain a new appreciation for imperial history by tackling the subject from an unconventional perspective.”
Jessica Hanser studies the connections, relationships and interactions between Britain and China from 1600 until the First Opium War (1839–1842). She says of her research, “I’m fascinated by the history of global trade in funky plants, i.e. tea, opium, tobacco, coffee, and sugar, as well as cross-cultural encounters between the British and Chinese between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. My current book project is about British involvement in slavery and human trafficking in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea during the long eighteenth century.”
I spoke to her about her upcoming course, HIST 310: The British Empire to 1850. Why should students be excited about this course on the history of empire?
What is your course about?
This course explores the history of the British empire through the lives of famous, as well as lesser-known individuals, from all over the globe. We approach the subject of the British empire from a macro and micro-level perspective, examining the intricate interplay among imperial expansion, globalization, and diverse individuals whose lives became intertwined with the empire in various ways.
Jessica Hanser
What will your students take away from this course (skills, useful knowledge for other work, a new appreciation for the subject matter?)
Students will have the opportunity to improve their close reading and analytical writing skills. I also hope they will gain a new appreciation for imperial history by tackling the subject from an unconventional perspective.
How is the workload distributed? What should students expect in terms of assignments and reading?
Participation will be weighted heavily in this course. Students will also write a historiographical essay, take a midterm exam, and write a short final reflection for the course.
What aspect of the course- a specific lecture, an assignment, a guest lecturer, a film, a certain topic are you most excited for your students to experience?
I’m most excited about reading part of Ron Chernow’s biography about Alexander Hamilton and showing the students the Broadway musical inspired by it. I’m also looking forward to reading part of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park and watching the film.
Give us a cool or weird fact about this historical topic.
Without India there probably would not have been a British empire after 1783.
What’s something interesting about you that your students might not know?
I love musical theater and used to choreograph and perform in tap dance shows on campus during college and graduate school.
Register for HIST 310 here.
Find out more about Jessica Hanser’s work here.
