| Unit name | Rebels, Runaways, and Revolts: Agency, Resistance, and Slavery in the United States |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HIST20129 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Wallace |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Slavery in the United States was a system of racial oppression that was designed to brutalise, dehumanise, and exploit generations of enslaved persons of African descent. More than 12 million Africans were forced across the Atlantic and into the Americas, with an estimated five percent enslaved in Mainland North America. The enslaved population increased rapidly: from 700,00 in 1790 to nearly 4 million in 1860. This unit examines the agency of enslaved persons in the United States from the early Republic throughout the antebellum and Civil War years, to the legal abolition of slavery in the United States. How did enslaved men and women respond to conditions within slavery, and to the cultural, economic, political, and social impact of the system – how did they compromise, disarm, and untangle notions of white supremacy, slavery, and the laws upholding both? Who were the enslaved fugitives and runaways advertised in American newspapers, and who were the women and men labelled rebels and revolutionaries by enslavers? How did outward expressions of Black agency and self-actualization challenge the socio-political and racial ordering of slave societies and white racialised notions of their body and personhood? This unit explores how the agency of enslaved persons communicated discontentment and resisted and challenged the structures of US slavery.
This unit therefore aims to:
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Identify and analyse key themes in US History and US slavery.
2. Understand and use historical methods specific to the study of US and transatlantic slavery.
3. Discuss and evaluate the historiographical debates that surround the topic.
4. Understand and interpret primary sources and select pertinent evidence in order to illustrate specific and more general historical points.
5. Present their research and judgements in written forms and styles appropriate to the discipline and to level I.
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.
Summative Assessments:
1 x 3500-word Essay (50%) [ILOs 1-5]
1 x Timed Assessment (50%) [ILOs 1-5]
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. HIST20129).
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.
