To conduct a detailed investigation of the development of Slavery in North America from settlement to emancipation;

To understand the development in the historiography of American slavery from the 19th to the 21st century;

To explore key moments in the history of western philosophy, disclosing the extent to which this history participates in the production of the concepts of race and racisms;

To explore a variety of sources, methods and theories as applied to understand the development of a race-based system of slavery in North America;

To explore a variety of sources, methods and theories as applied to understand the experience of the enslaved.

(LO1) An ability to read, analyse and reflect critically and contextually upon primary sources.

(LO2) An ability to read, analyse and reflect critically and contextually upon secondary evidence, including historical writings and the interpretations of historians.

(LO3) Recognise and explain the particular issues and debates associated with the history of slavery in the Americas and demonstrate the specific ability to cope with the methodological issues surrounding concepts of race and involuntary servitude.

(S1) Confidence, independence of mind, responsibility, organisation and time-management.

(S2) The ability to work collaboratively and to participate in group discussion

(S3) Gathering, analysing and organising information, including online and digital resources.

(S4) Structure, coherence, clarity and fluency of oral expression.

(S5) Structure, coherence, clarity and fluency of written expression

The module is taught in seminars totalling 33 hours. There is a three-hour seminar every week. The first hour will be a lecture and response style discussion of key themes and historiographical trends in the history of American slavery. This will allow students to gain a conceptual understanding that enables them to apply critically paradigms generated by historians and social scientists, some of which are at the forefront of debates over slavery in North America and comparative slave studies. The following two hours of the seminar will be spent reviewing classic texts and primary sources. By the application of advanced historiographical methods of research, students will be able to piece together the narrative of slavery and the debate surrounding how slavery and race have evolved over time. To compliment the key historiographical reading, each week students will gain an in-depth familiarity of a variety of case-studies and primary source materials related to slavery and the slave experience in 18th and 19th century North America. Material will include diaries and memoirs, account books, newspaper advertisements and reports, government and legislative records, visual sources, written and record oral testimonies, narratives, documentaries and films.

The majority of teaching will be delivered face-to-face on campus. Online delivery will be used to complement the on-campus delivery and where technology affords a better learning experience.

Seminar:
There is a 3-hour seminar every week. The first hour will be a lecture and response style discussion of key themes and historiographical trends in the history of American slavery. The following two hours of the seminar will be spent reviewing classic texts and primary sources.

Self-Directed Learning:
Independent study consists of preparation for seminars, using the assigned source materials and the secondary and critical literature. It also consists of preparing the module’s coursework assignments. Students are also expected to locate and assess primary and secondary historical material of their own choosing for the module assessments, and are given guidance in the module handbook and in seminars accordingly.