Studying at York
The Crossroads of the World: Southeast Asia c.1500-1750 - Semester 1 - HIS00154H
- Department: History
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
Module summary
The region we now call Southeast Asia was one of the most dynamic and highly connected areas of the early modern world. It was the unique source of some of the most valuable spices and natural resources, and communities throughout the region produced a wide range of goods for foreign markets, which attracted merchants from across Eurasia and Africa. Long-distance trade increased and diversified in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and intercultural exchange between polities in the region and the wider world intensified. These developments had a number of important political, economic, social and religious consequences. In this module we will explore the fascinating history of this region, examining a wide range of written, visual, and material sources to understand this period of intense political, economic, and religious change. We will uncover the role of polities in this region in this first age of globalisation.
Related modules
Students taking this module must also take the second part in Semester 2.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Module aims
The aims of this module are:
- To introduce students to in depth study of a specific historical topic using primary and secondary material;
- To enable students to explore the topic through discussion and writing; and
- To enable students to evaluate and analyse primary sources.
Module learning outcomes
Students who complete this module successfully will:
- Grasp key themes, issues and debates relevant to the topic being studied;
- Have acquired knowledge and understanding about that topic;
- Be able to comment on and analyse original sources;
- Be able to relate the primary and secondary material to one another; and
- Have acquired skills and confidence in close reading and discussion of texts and debates.
Module content
Students will attend a 1-hour briefing in week 1 and a 3-hour seminar in weeks 2-4, 6-8 and 10-11 of semester 1. Weeks 5 & 9 are Reading and Writing Weeks (RAW). Students prepare for and participate in eight three-hour seminars in all.
Seminar topics are subject to variation, but are likely to include the following:
- Southeast Asia in Global Context
- Region, Place, and Environment in Southeast Asian History
- Sources of Southeast Asian History
- State Formation on the Mainland
- Maritime Southeast Asia: Port Cities and Networks of Trade
- Kingship and Royal Authority
- Social Structures
- The Expansion of Global Exchange
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
For formative work, students will produce a text commentary.
The summative assessment will consist of two parts, to be submitted together:
a) Two text commentaries of 500-750 words; and
b) One 1,500-word essay.
The commentaries comprise 50% and the essay 50% of the overall mark for this module. Summative assessments will be due in the assessment period.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Following their formative task, students will typically receive written feedback that will include comments and a mark within 10 working days of submission.
Work will be returned to students in their seminars and may be supplemented by the tutor giving some oral feedback to the whole group. All students are encouraged, if they wish, to discuss the feedback on their formative work during their tutor’s student hours. For more information, see the Statement on Feedback.
For summative assessment tasks, students will receive their provisional mark and written feedback within 25 working days of the submission deadline. The tutor will then be available during student hours for follow-up guidance if required. For more information, see the Statement of Assessment.
Indicative reading
For semester time reading, please refer to the module VLE site. Before the course starts, we encourage you to look at the following items of preliminary reading:
- Barbara Watson Andaya and Leonard Y. Andaya, A History of Early Modern Southeast Asia, 1400-1839 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015).
- Victor B. Lieberman, Strange Parallels: Southeast Asia in Global Context, c. 800-1830 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003).
- Craig Lockard, Southeast Asia in World History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009).