History of the Third World

Poverty and hunger, children out of school and lack of access to basic sanitation or to safe drinking water, high prevalence of HIV infections and child mortality, decline in biodiversity or gender disparity, these are some of the problems that plague the developing world today. Moving away from a Western perspective and bringing to the fore the historical experience of the majority of the world's population, more specifically Africa, Asia and Latin America, this course explores the origins and causes of such problems. From the fifteenth century to the present day, from the era of European sea explorations through to the many manifestations of imperialism and neo-colonialism, this course will analyze the emergence of, and reactions to, a Western-dominated world, as well as discuss issues of international cooperation and the future of North/South relations.