The Great Game
HIST 317
Spring 2022 not offered
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The "Great Game" was first popularized by Rudyard Kipling in his classic novel "Kim" (1901), where it referred to spycraft in the service of empire. The term gradually came to refer to the struggle for "mastery" of Asia during the 19th century, mainly between the British and Russian Empires. Nowhere were the effects of this imperial rivalry more pronounced than in Pakistan and Afghanistan. More recently the term has been applied to grand strategy, global geopolitics, and espionage, more broadly in scenarios as wide-ranging as Cold War "containment," the global "War on Terror," the current US "pivot" to Asia, and China's "Belt and Road Initiative."
This seminar will examine the history of the Great Game--as both spycraft and great power rivalry--and its wider geopolitical reverberations. We will also examine an array of Great Game manifestations in popular culture. Readings will combine historical narrative and analysis with film, literature, art, and (yes) games. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS HIST |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (GSAS-MN)(GSAS)(HIST-MN)(HIST) |
Major Readings:
Rudyard Kipling, KIM;
Peter Hopkirk, THE GREAT GAME: THE STRUGGLE FOR EMPIRE IN CENTRAL ASIA;
Priya Atwal, ROYALS AND REBELS: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SIKH EMPIRE.
Additional readings available on Moodle.
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Examinations and Assignments:
5 short response papers (2-3 pages); final research paper 10 pages. Penalty for late submission of work: 1 letter grade per day. Work is considered at least one day late if it is not submitted by the deadline. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Regular attendance and reading of all assigned materials. Active participation in class discussions. |
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