The Invasion of America: The Native American Response to the European Colonisation of North America, 1492-1763 module (HY31037)

Understanding the responses of indigenous peoples to European expansion, colonisation, and conquest helps us to understand some of the most powerful forces that shaped the modern world.

This module looks at how Native peoples in North America responded to the arrival of Europeans from the era of Christopher Columbus to the era of the American Revolution. It focuses on the ways in which contact with Europeans transformed Native society through forces such as trade, disease, warfare, and missionary activity. It also examines how contact with Native peoples challenged European ideas about race and gender.

What you will learn

In this module, you will:

• learn about the diverse ways in which Native peoples responded to the European colonisation of North America
• explore the cultures of different Native peoples
• work with a range of primary sources
• study the different ways in which forces like trade, disease, religion, and warfare transformed Native American cultures and societies
• examine the differing responses of Native peoples to the arrival of Europeans

By the end of the module, you will be able to:

• understand how diverse forces shaped the diverse responses of Native American peoples to the arrival of Europeans
• reflect on the contrast between Native American and European ideas of race, sexuality, and gender
• analyse the forces that shaped the development of the early American frontier
• explain the different reasons presented by historians for the expansion of European colonies in North America
• consider the difference in European and Native American attitudes towards the natural environment and the land

Assignments / assessment

• essay (30%)
• module blog (30%)
• unseen final examination (40%)

Teaching methods / timetable

• two-hour discussion seminars
• one-hour blog workshops
• pre-recorded presentations