The course introduces students to the concepts of “culture” and “globalization” with an emphasis on exploring how cultural practices are shaped by border-crossing and other forms of cross-cultural exchange. Specifically, the context of the Americas allows the examination of shared characteristics of early globalization through colonization. The majority of the course then explores the cultural hybridity that results from this process and continues to inform cultural practice in the contemporary period. The size of the “Americas” as a geographic region provides insight into the complexity of “globalization” outcomes that depend upon the diverse economic, social, cultural, and historical contexts in which cross-cultural exchange occurs.