BORDERS AND BOUNDARIES

Coordinators: Stephen Baker, Pete Weis

Defining a nation-state and its subnational components requires physical delineation acknowledged by those within and beyond its geographic limits. Establishment of boundaries is vital, and borders and boundaries have often been a key component of history.

This course will discuss boundary formation for our 13 original states and for newer states in which boundaries were formulated before non-indigenous populations settled in them. Then, we will discuss our national borders and the problems engendered by COVID restrictions. Next, we will present pertinent historical and contemporary boundary issues in a survey of examples from all continents. Finally, we will consider map lines delineating seas and oceans for their emerging ecological significance.

All classes are presented by Stephen Baker. Class dates and titles are as follows:

September 20	Demarcating the Seven Original StatesEstablishing the Boundaries of Each Post-1776 Continental State
October 4	Establishing the Boundaries of Each Post-1776 Continental State
October 18	Defining Borders of the United States vis-a-vis Texas, Spanish America, Mexico, and Canada
November 1	Border Issues and Resolutions in Latin America and Africa
November 15	Intricacies of Boundary Conflicts in Europe, Past and Present
November 29	Asian Borders: Interplay of the United Kingdom, India, Russia, and China
December 13	Borders in the Water, on Ice, and in the Air

Other Classes: