Studying at York
Cotton, Cattle, and Cocaine: Commodities in the History of the Americas since 1750 - HIS00173I
- Department: History
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
Module summary
The transformation of ecologies by hoof, seed, axe, pick, and drill radically reshaped politics, diplomacy, and economies in the Americas. The cultivation, extraction, and shipping of commodities drove colonial and imperial violence, created new luxuries and addictions, and spurred great movements of plants, animals, humans, and capital. By the mid-20th century, vast “consumer republics” powered both global commerce and the Anthropocene. This module centres on the intertwined histories of the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean through the study of key commodities, examining how they influenced foreign relations, political economy, culture, and environments across the Americas. We will take a comparative approach to understand a variety of primary goods like cash crops (e.g., cotton, bananas, coffee), animal products (e.g., beef, wool, guano), fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil), and drugs (e.g., cocaine, cannabis). We will begin in the 18th century and conclude by looking at commodities in the Americas today.
To better grasp how these commodities have impacted the hemisphere and the world, we will utilise a variety of methods and sources. Our seminars will, of course, consider the economic history of these raw materials, but we will also place them within the approaches and tools of indigenous history, the history of empire, cultural history, and environmental history. Likewise, we will explore a wealth of perspectives and primary source materials including archival records, advertisements, films, manuals, and primary and consumer goods. Beyond examining the documents produced by merchants, companies, producers, and state officials our seminars will focus on the texts and materials created by enslaved workers, campesinos, indigenous peoples, and anti-capitalist activists.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2024-25 |
Module aims
The aims of this module are:
- To provide students with the opportunity to study particular historical topics in depth
- To develop students’ ability to examine a topic from a range of perspectives and to strengthen their ability to work critically and reflectively with secondary and primary material
Module learning outcomes
Students who complete this module successfully will:
- Have acquired a deep knowledge of the specific topic studied
- Have developed their ability to use and synthesise a range of primary and secondary sources
- Be able to evaluate the arguments that historians have made about the topic studied
- Have developed their ability to study independently through seminar-based teaching
Module content
Students will attend a 1-hour briefing in week 1. Students will then attend a 1-hour plenary/lecture and a 2-hour seminar in weeks 2-4, 6-8 and 10-11 of semester 1. Weeks 5 & 9 are Reading and Writing Weeks (RAW) during which there are no seminars. Students prepare for and participate in eight 1-hour plenaries/lectures and eight 2-hour seminars in all.
Seminar topics are subject to variation, but are likely to include the following:
- Fish and Timber
- Cattle and Sheep
- Cotton and Tobacco
- Coffee and Sugar
- Coal and Rubber
- Maize and Bananas
- Cocaine and Cannabis
- Oil and Water
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
For formative assessment, students will complete a referenced 1200 to 1500-word essay relating to the themes and issues of the module. This will be submitted in either the Week 5 or Week 9 RAW week (on the day of the weekly seminar).
For summative assessment, students will complete an Assessed Essay (2000 words, footnoted). This will comprise 100% of the overall module mark.
Summative assessments will be due in the assessment period.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Following their formative assessment 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 the summative assessment task, 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 term 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:
- Beckert, Sven. Empire of Cotton: A New History of Global Capitalism. New York: Penguin, 2014.
- Campos, Isaac. Home Grown: Marijuana and the Origins of Mexico’s War on Drugs. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2012.
- Merleaux, April. Sugar and Civilization: American Empire and the Cultural Politics of Sweetness. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2015.