This seminar-style course examines the history and development of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in global context, and as an agent of globalization, from its founding in the mid-16th century to the early 21st century and the era of a Jesuit pope. Emphasis is on how Jesuits may have both effected change and themselves been changed in their interaction with diverse peoples and cultures around the world. Reading and discussion of primary sources, as well as key examples of
recent work on these topics. In the past 25 years or so, Jesuits have become a very hot topic in scholarly research, and we will consider why and how this is so. Sources to include both written texts as well as visual materials such paintings or photographs.