SOAN 309: Colonialism & Development
TuTh 1:20-2:35, Alumni 207
Colgate University
 Fall 2004 Professor Thomas Hall
 Office:  408 Alumni, x7083, email:  tdhall@mail.colgate.edu
 OFFICE HOURS:  Tu 2:45-4; W 1:30-2:30 & 5:20-6, Th 12-1, & by appt
Last Updated 8-19-04
WELCOME TO SOAN 309

Obviously, you got here!  This page is to let you know a bit about this course.  If you have questions bring them to the first days.  You can email me, but I will be out of the US until the 29th and will have only sporadic access to email.  If I can I will answer any questions.

The course will be a combination of lecture and discussion.  The goals are to help you understand both how colonialism came about, and its many consequences, and to help you think about possible futures.  In many places, no matter what your belief system, some of your beliefs will be severely challenged.  My point is NOT to convert you to my point of view.  First, because I keep changing it as I get new evidence.  Second, because I already know it so you learning it does not help you our me.  The point of challenging beliefs and values is to enable you to think about yours and decide which you want to keep, which you want to change.  In short, to put you in control.

During the first week of classes I will finalize the schedule and assignments etc.  We will start with the Norberg-Hodge book to raise the issues that this class will address. We will then go to the Bodley book to fill in some of the background.  We will use McMichael and to some extent Wolf to move us into the present..  I will also put some items on reserve both at the library and in the SOAN reading room.  These will be short papers designed to supplement the other readings.

During this time I will get to know what you already know and what you have not encountered before.

If you go back to SOAN 309 as I taught it when I was last at Colgate in 99-00, you will see that this version is substantially different.  It is more like the Social Change [SOC 323] that I taught in 03 at DePauw [which is available on my DePauw webpage], but even here there will be differences.  We will have a midterm, a final, and several kinds of papers.  A few will ask you to integrate our readings.  A few will ask you to apply the readings to the novels.

A good opening question to ponder, is just because the world turned out like it did, did it need to be that way? Could it have been different?  A second question then might be where might the future go?

Send comments or questions to tdhall@mail.colgate.edu
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