Class Description
When dense forests covered the face of Europe, people reached distant lands traveling on roads that were made not of brick but of water. Many civilizations that shaped Europe into what it is today got their start with a ship docking by a new shore. This course takes the approach of centering historical inquiry not on countries defined by their twenty-first-century political borders but on the areas of cultural and commercial exchange: the rivers Danube and Dnipro and the Pontus, the Great Sea of antiquity, known today as the Black Sea. Just as the Silk Road connected Europe to Asia and allowed multiple cultures along the way to enrich each other and stimulate human development, the waterways at the center of this course enabled contact between different populations and the emergence of new cultural and political forms.
Danube, Dnipro, and the Black Sea are the pivotal waterways that have shaped European history, trade, and culture just as profoundly as the more widely studied Mediterranean. The course traces the empires that rose along their banks, the diverse cultures that flourished in these regions, and the legacies preserved in landmarks and traditions. By examining the political, social, artistic, musical, and linguistic histories tied to these waterways, participants will gain deeper insight into the rich tapestry of civilizations that form the foundation of European culture and its historical connections to Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.
Nina Wieda is an Associate Professor at Northwestern University. Her MA in Nationalism Studies from Central European University and PhD in Slavic Literatures from Northwestern inform her interest in the cultural history of Eurasia. A native of the Caucasus coast just across the Black Sea from Istanbul, she has also taught at Middlebury College.
Interested but can’t make this time work? Check out the other section of this class running on Wednesdays!
(Please note that Section 2 has a smaller capacity than Section 1.)
Materials List
No Required Materials
A Brief Syllabus
- Ancient Foundations
- The Medieval World
- Early Modern Period
- The 17th Century: Power Struggles and Cultural Crossroads
- The Late 17th Century: Pirates, Empires, and Trade
- The 18th Century: Shifts in Power and New Beginnings
Cost and Registration
6 sessions, $270 ($243 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($270), Community Supported ($255), and Sponsor ($285). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
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