BUS 3233 - The Global Indian Ocean

This course will focus on the ways in which the Indian Ocean has been at the center of world trade - at least until recently - and why it is likely to return to a place of prominence in the decades to come. Reorienting our view of the world towards ocean basins and the countries that surround them will benefit future business leaders in understanding how oceans, rather than nation states, will become powerful economic centers. The course will begin with an exploration of trade and commerce across the Indian Ocean between its major regional powers: South Asia (India), Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Different commodities will be examined such as tea, opium, textiles, as well as soldiers, slaves, and the growth of imperial powers. The course aims to demonstrate the ways in which an ocean may link peoples separated by it rather than be seen as a chasm to be crossed. Thus, the Indian Ocean is a model for emerging and existing ocean regions, from NATO to the Pacific rim states.