Merchants, Markets, and Globalisation
UndergraduateMAQ-MHIX22022026
Course information for 2026 intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 15 Feb 2026
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Start dates
- 23 Feb 2026
- Price from
- $2,245
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- FEE-HELP available
Merchants, Markets, and Globalisation
About this subject
On successful completion, a student will be able to
- Analyse a variety of historical sources, including visual materials, to interpret how early modern people understood their world and shaped their societies.
- Engage with major historiographical debates in early modern history, evaluating competing interpretations and their influence on contemporary understandings of the past.
- Design and deliver an independent project using appropriate historical methods, and communicate findings through diverse media and creative forms.
- Collaborate in group discussions to develop persuasive historical reasoning and deepen understanding of contested historical narratives.
- A week-by-week guide to the topics you will explore in this subject will be provided in your study materials
Globalisation is older than we think. In the European Middle Ages, a network of trade routes connected the Afro-Eurasian landmass, which made possible the extensive travels of Italian merchant Marco Polo and Moroccan scholar Ibn Battuta. In the sixteenth century, these networks expanded to include the Americas, creating the first global economy. This unit traces the long history of global capitalism from its medieval origins to the data-driven on-line commerce of the twenty-first century. It explores how commerce and exchange have developed over the past millennium, considering the ideas, commodities, and political forces that have facilitated and impeded trade. It examines the social, cultural, and environmental impacts of global capitalism. This unit explains how the world economy we live today took shape and why it operates the way that it does.
- Visual Source Analysis (40%)
- Debate (20%)
- Creative response (40%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
This research-intensive university in north-western Sydney offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. With over 44,000 current students, Macquarie has a strong reputation for welcoming international students and embracing flexible and convenient study options, including its partnership with Open Universities Australia.
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- QS World University Ranking 2026, within Australia:
- 11
- Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2026, within Australia:
- 9
Entry requirements
Prior study
You must have successfully completed the following subject(s) before starting this subject:
Others
Pre-requisite-40cp at 1000 level or above
NCCW (2020 and onwards)
MHIS2202 Culture and Society in the Early Modern World
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
UndergraduateMAQ-HIS-DEG
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