| Unit name | Slavery |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HIST10046 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Stone |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Slavery has shaped individuals, communities and nations for centuries with profound and enduring consequences. Evidence of unfree forms of labour exists in some of the earliest historical records, and today there are thought to be more people in bonded labour in the world than there have been at any point in the past. The word ‘slavery’, however, is most often associated with the Atlantic system, and the millions of Africans who were transported and enslaved in the European colonies in the New World between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. This unit will focus on the distinctive racialised form of slavery, which developed in the Americas, whilst also setting it in a global and trans-historical context.
The unit engages with four key aspects of slavery: the development of Atlantic slavery; the lived experience of enslaved people in the Americas; abolition and emancipation; and legacies and memories of slavery. It will ask: why did slavery become the predominant form of labour in the early Americas? To what extent was this a result of ideas of ‘race’? What forces shaped the way enslaved people were treated? How can we recover the experience of those who were enslaved? How and why was slavery brought to an end? Did slavery cause the Industrial Revolution in Britain? Should reparations be paid to the descendants of enslaved people? How has slavery shaped modern race relations? How should we memorialise slavery?
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Classes will involve a combination of long- and short-form lectures, class discussion, investigative activities, and practical activities. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis. This will be further supported with drop-in sessions and self-directed exercises with tutor and peer feedback.
1 x 2500-word Essay (50%) [ILOs 1-4]; 1 x Timed Assessment (50%) [ILOs 1-4]
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HIST10046).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
