HIST 4090 - Cross-Cultural Exchange Research Seminar

5 credit hours
We’re using “culture” here broadly in the sense of the production of meaning, but we’re particularly interested in tangible and visible forms of culture. Material culture such as textile, tiles, furniture, photographs and other forms of print culture, cuisine, fashion, film, sports, games, gardens, architectural styles and urban planning are all manifestations of culture, as much as forms of “high culture” such as paintings, classical music and literary works. We will be focusing on patterns of exchange-or cross-cultural influence-through trade, colonialism, missionary work, collecting, travelers’ observations and so on either within Europe or between Europe and Asia.