Wine: a Global History

Global History ls the most important field in History today. This thematic course in comparative global history uses an essential foodstuff in human history to weave together societies and peoples across time, space, and geography: grapes, in this case the empire of viticulture (wine-making). There are great stories of human history to be told using wine. Its history is a global environmental history: the spread, retreat, and reintroduction of wine across climate zones and distinctive terroir worldwide. Vineyards also record the natural history of grapes and their evolution, the battles with disease and infestation, the chemical processes of wine-making, the impact of technology, and the biochemical and sensory effects of color, texture, taste, and intoxication. The history of wine is also a history of empire, trade, and power. The Spanish conquest of the Americas brought with it Christianity, expropriation, and viticulture. Today migrant laborers from Mexico and Latin America harvest the grapes that find their way from Washington, Oregon, and California as wine. The commercial history of wine is thus a history of labor and social justice as old as time. Wine also records spiritual and aesthetic journeys through human history. And it is a window into today's existential challenges of sustainability and climate change. This course teaches foundational concepts in global history and introductory research skills through which students have the opportunity to complete a guided research project.