Newcastle University

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This module explores slavery in the ancient, modern and early modern and modern periods. It is global in scope, introducing students to the experience and practise of slavery in Europe, Africa and the Americas. It will provide insight into the ideologies, practises and social structures that helped constitute the many different forms of slavery in these multiple eras and regions, and explore as far as is possible the lived experiences of slaves themselves.

Outline Of Syllabus

Will include some of the following:

Slavery in Classical Rome
Slavery in Africa
The Transatlantic Slave Trade
Caribbean Slavery
Slavery in Brazil
Slavery in the United States
Plantation Slavery: History and Archaeology
Abolitionism in Europe and the Americas

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

Students will on completion of the module be equipped to adopt a comparative approach to different forms of slavery across a range of historical eras. They will be able to grasp complex debates about the definition of slavery, and to understand how ideas of race and gender informed the practise of slavery. Students will also develop an awareness of the different ways of studying slavery. They will come to understand how archaeology can serve as a tool to recover slave experiences and chart the slave trade, as well as coming to appreciate comparative methodologies and the merits of Diachronic analysis.

Intended Skill Outcomes

Development of students’ critical skills in research, critical reading and reasoning, sustained discussion and appropriate presentation of the results.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures - impart core knowledge and an outline of the knowledge that students are expected to acquire and they stimulate development of listening and note-taking skills.

SEMINARS encourage independent study and promote improvements in oral presentation, interpersonal communication, problem-solving skills, research skills and adaptability.


All lecture content is recorded, and therefore available for consolidation or (if a student cannot attend) as a supplement to being present.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Submitted work develops key skills in research, reading and writing and assesses intended knowledge and skills outcomes including independent thinking and the ability to critically evaluate the concepts and sources introduced in the module. Assessment I (Digital Humanities) encourages students to engage with scholarly resources beyond books, and to consider how data are collated and presented, and how scholars can use these resources. The essay allows students to focus in more depth on an aspect of the module: they must use data from at least two time periods and geographic zones, thereby broadening their knowledge and learning how to compare and contrast data from different periods. The formative assessment scaffolds for Assessment 2, a 2000 word essay. The seminar readings and allied quizzes support the Assessment 2 essay questions. The quizzes help students to develop critical thinking skills, and give them confidence in terms of articulating their learning in class.

Study-abroad, non-Erasmus exchange and Loyola students spending semester 1 only are required to finish their assessment while in Newcastle. Where an exam is present, an alternative form of assessment will be set and where coursework is present, an alternative deadline will be set. Details of the alternative assessment will be provided by the module leader.

General Notes

N/A