This is a 400-level survey course on history and archaeology of piracy, privateering, and sea raiding from ancient times in the eastern Mediterranean, through the Viking Era in the Northern Atlantic, and the advent of piracy in the New World and Caribbean in the 16th to 18th centuries. It includes sections on sociology of contemporary piracy in Africa and the Indian Ocean, and sensationalism of pirate legend and the cultural responses to the influences of the pirate phenomenon, both cinematographic and literary.

Throughout the course, you will be:

1. examining the historic and archaeological record of piratical activities,
2. analyzing the sociology of seafaring communities,
3. evaluating the economic impact of piracy on contemporary societies, including the present,
4. examining the archaeological evidence of pirate ventures in various geographical areas,
5. assessing the sensationalism of pirate legend, and
6. studying cultural responses to the influences of the pirate phenomenon, both musical, cinematographic, and literary.

As a result of these six objectives, you will understand the unique role that piracy has played in the development and promotion of ancient Empires and the Americas from the 15th to 18th centuries. Additionally, you will be introduced to the contemporary (21st century) world of piracy in order to contextualize the role it has played in the early modern world and the development of the modern world-system in many parts of the globe today.

Junior or senior classification 

none

Class Presentations: these should be 15-20 minutes in length (standard conference length) and in a PowerPoint or PDF format. They should be accompanied by a short 1-page handout (can be doublesided) for the class summarizing the presented information and any relevant historical background. All students must provide a bibliography of at least 3-4 academic sources on the last slide of their presentation; 2 of these sources may be from the internet on the condition that the websites are academic in nature and properly cited within the presentation. Presentation (of no less than 15 min) is worth 13pts while the handout is worth 2pts for a total of 15pts (15% of your grade).

There will be two (2) non-cumulative exams based on lecture materials, assigned readings, and class presentations (based on handouts)

Students will select their preferred topics and write a research paper (8-10 pages); the research paper must be relevant to one of the class modules (detailed guidelines will be provided to the students and posted in Canvas).

All written work during this course is formal in nature. The final research (or opinion paper) should be typed in black ink with standard 1” margins and a 12-point font, and uploaded to Canvas. The paper should be between 8 and 10 pages of text in length (excluding a cover page and a final page (or pages) of bibliography). A paper abstract and an initial list of relevant sources (annotated bibliography) must be submitted at least 6 weeks before the paper is due.

If you worry about your writing, I suggest the following text to improve grammar, structure, and argument in English: Strunk, William and E.B. White (1999) The Elements of Style, 4th Edition. ISBN:9780205309023.

• The graded assignments for all students in the course are as follows:

*) Based on the assigned dates for individual students 

This course is structured in a way that acknowledges that students have different learning styles. Each module will have some time devoted to different learning styles: watching, listening and doing. Additionally, the course is structured to allow for more active learning and interaction with the instructor and other students through class presentations and discussions. For example, you will be actively researching materials and sharing it in the class.

Graded Class Participation – The university views class attendance and participation as an individual student responsibility. Students are expected to attend class and to complete all assignments. Please refer to Student Rule 7 in its entirety for information about excused absences, including definitions, and related documentation and timelines. Attendance and participation will constitute 10% of your grade.

Graded Attendance – Attendance will be collected at the beginning of each class via www.PollEverywhere.com – “Exit Ticket” 

• Late assignments will be accepted only up to 3 days past the deadline. 
• Late work will be penalized by one letter grade (or 10%) every day it is late. After the third day, late work will be assigned a zero grade (0%). 
• Exams cannot be re-taken on a different day or time 

Work submitted by a student as makeup work for an excused absence is not considered late work and is exempted from the late work policy (Student Rule 7).