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Dec 15, 2025
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SSCI 354 - Rest vs West: Guns, Pirates, and Modernity
Francis Bacon argued that three inventions paper, gunpowder, and the magnetic compass would change the conditions of things throughout the world. Until recently, historians associated these inventions with the birth of the modern world and reasoned that it propelled the West along a different path. The Rest of the world fell behind and needed Europe to become modern. Ironically, Bacons three inventions were Chinese. This course examines why the paths of the West and the rest diverged between 1400 and 1800, through the perspective of economic, political, and military history.
Prerequisite(s)/Corequisite(s): (Prereq: GE Area 1A and 1B and 1C and 2 with a C- or better)
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
Units: 3
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