Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay 2000 Words | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Open Exam 2000 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 2000 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Open Exam 2000 Words | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Express an understanding of key historical developments in the United States of America from 1808 onwards and how the African-American community has shaped and experienced these changes.
Engage with the many historiographical debates relating to the black experience and the role of race in the history of the United States of America.
Demonstrate an understanding of the range of sources available for historians working in this period, as well as their limitations, and analyse them effectively.
Write effectively on particular aspects of the African-American experience and American history using an excellent range of secondary and primary sources.
Brief description
This module examines the black experience in the United States, from the early days of the republic to the present. It will explore a range of key events in the history of this nation through the eyes of the African-American population such as the era of slavery, the Second World War, or the civil rights movement. This module will also address the internal developments and changes in the black community, analyzing these through a study of historiographical debates and primary sources.
Aims
To explore a major theme in modern American history.
Content
1: Introduction
2: African Americans in the Early Republic
3: Slave Culture and Community
4: Chattel Slavery
5: Slave Resistance and Rebellion
6: The American Civil War
7: Emancipation and Reconstruction
8: The Age of Jim Crow
9: Dawn of the 20th Century
10: The First World War and the Great Migration
11: The “New Negro” and the Roaring Twenties.
12: The Great Depression
13: The Second World War
14: The Civil Rights Movement I
15: The Civil Rights Movement II
16: Black Power, Militancy and Nationalism
17: Race and Racism After the Civil Rights Era
18: African-Americans in the 21st Century and the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Seminars:
1: Studying the African-American Experience
2: Slave Narratives and Black Agency
3: Racialized Violence and White Supremacy
4: Demonstrations and Protests
5: Conceptualizing the Civil Rights Era
6: The Limits of Post-Racialism
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Co-ordinating with others | Students will be expected to play an active part in group activities (e.g. discussions in seminars) and to learn to evaluate their own contribution to such activities. |
| Creative Problem Solving | Students are expected to note and respond to historical problems which arise as part of the study of this subject area and to undertake suitable research for seminars and essays. |
| Critical and analytical thinking | Students will develop the ability to analyse relevant sources and critically discuss the secondary material. |
| Digital capability | Students will be encouraged to locate suitable material on the web and to apply it appropriately to their own work. Students will also be expected to word-process their work and make use of Blackboard. These skills will not be formally assessed. |
| Professional communication | Written communication skills will be developed through the coursework and written examination; skills in oral presentation will be developed in seminars but are not formally assessed. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5