This course will examine the development of British imperialism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In the first half of the course, students will examine the expansion of the British Empire by focussing on British activity in particular geographic areas (principally, Africa, America, the Far East, the Mediterranean, and Oceania). In the second half of the course, students will examine the historiography of empire with reference to the various themes and tools historians have employed to help them understand British imperialism. These themes and topics will include (but will not be restricted to): colonial governance; economic interpretations of empire; race; gender and sexuality; postcolonial studies; the environment; and identity. The course will encourage students to see British imperialism, and imperialism more broadly, as something that has played a significant part in the creation of the modern world and that continues to impinge on contemporary society.