A course that focuses on displacement as a defining feature of Mediterranean history from antiquity to the present.
4 units
Students enrolled in this course will earn credit for the Pre-1800 AND Regional Focus Core requirements.
Taught by Prof. Upson-Saia
This course focuses on displacement as a defining feature of Mediterranean history from antiquity to the present.
In the first half of the course, we will study a series of case studies of displaced peoples from the ancient Mediterranean: those who were forced from their homelands:
- because of religious or political exile (including, Judeans, political criminals, sexual deviants, and heretics)
- because of natural disaster (including, those stranded by shipwreck or relocated by earthquakes, drought, or famine), or
- because of war (including, prisoners of war, and refugees)
Through these case studies, we will attend to how ancient folks described their experiences of displacement, their expressions of grief and longing for home, their unique vulnerabilities in new communities, as well as the care and hospitality extended to them.
In the second half of the course, we will move forward in time to study the acceleration of displacements in the Mediterranean region within the last decade, and students will engage in a social justice project in collaboration with a humanitarian organization who serves migrants of the Mediterranean!
IMAGE: 2nd century CE Nile ferry boat mosaic, National Museum of Wales (Cardiff, UK). Photo Credit: Mary Harrsch