Working together in a seminar format, students and faculty will establish an historical, theoretical, and analytical understanding of the birth of capitalism in the crisis of 16th century European feudalism, its rise and consolidation in the late 18th and 19th centuries, the development of the global political economy, and its first structural crisis accompanied by a major burst of imperial expansion in the late 19th century. We will find this topic to be steeped in controversy. Capitalism has transformed the world materially, socially, and ecologically. We will consider the interrelationships among these three categories as capitalism developed and changed through its formative period. Major analytical categories will be imperialism, colonialism, and globalism, the accompanying ecological transformations, and the rise of social classes in support of a resistance to these developments. We will study the rise of liberalism in its historical context, as well as its counterparts, conservatism and socialism. Understanding the trajectory, deep history and logic of historical capitalism will provide students the insights and tools necessary to assess the current historical moment. The program will require close and careful reading and discussion as well as considered and well-grounded writing. Our work will be conducted at an upper-division level, so students should have significant experience in close analytical reading, critical thinking and research writing.