Unit name | Slavery and the Modern World (Level I Lecture Response) |
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Unit code | HIST25003 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | I/5 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
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 existed throughout human history, and indeed even today there are thought to be more slaves in the world than there have been at any point in the past. Naturally, though, most people associate the word ‘slavery’ with the millions of Africans who were transported as slaves to the European colonies in the New World between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. While focusing primarily on this dark chapter of the development of the modern world, this unit will also seek to take a comparative approach: examining slavery on a global and trans-historical scale. Looking at slavery in societies as diverse as ancient South America, early modern Africa, and modern day Britain, we will ask what exactly ‘slavery’ is, and why it grew to an unprecedented scale at the dawn of the modern world. We will discuss a range of questions which still have significant political ramifications today: Why did transatlantic slavery develop? Were English indentured ‘slaves’ a viable alternative? What were the connections between modern theories of ‘race’ and the development of slavery? Did slavery fuel the British ‘Industrial Revolution’? Did it under-develop Africa? Why was slavery eventually abolished? What are the legacies of slavery?
Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to demonstrate:
Weekly:
1 x two-hour interactive lecture
1 x one-hour workshop
1 x 3000 word essay (50%) and 1 x 2 hour exam (50%)