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The Pacific Islands - more than a dozen small states arrayed across the vast Pacific Ocean - are increasingly being courted by the United States, China, and other major powers, and are in turn seeking to use their geopolitical leverage to secure commitments to address the crisis of sea-level rise that threatens their prosperity or even territorial existence. This course explores the history and cultures of this contested region, from World War II to the present; examines the ways in which Pacific Island states have collectively lobbied international institutions to advance climate mitigation and adaptation; and analyzes the U.S.-China and China-Taiwan dynamics in the region that are drawing attention to the Pacific Islands as an emerging zone of great power competition.