Course Catalogue

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While there has been a surge in historical and archaeological research related to the African diaspora, the interdisciplinary study of historical and archaeological methodology of the Black Atlantic is less familiar in British universities. The course focuses on how archaeology contributes to historical studies of slavery and the post-emancipation era. Archaeology can complement or contradict primary sources or provide new nuanced insights into Black lifeways rendered silent in the archives. The course takes thematic approaches to the African diaspora in predominantly English-speaking North America and the Caribbean from the 17th to 19th centuries, including gender, race, identity, religion, and ethics in relation to the material record.

1 x 1hr lecture and 1 x 1hr seminar weekly over 10 weeks as scheduled in My Campus. This is one of the Honours options in History and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus.

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into History and Archaeology, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes.

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Research essay (1500 words) - 40%

Black Atlantic Exhibition project (2000 words) - 50%

Oral/Video Presentation: 5-minute Exhibition summary ('elevator pitch') - 10%

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course aims to:

■ Provide an awareness of interdisciplinary methods and intersectional approaches for studying the Black Atlantic.

■ Deepen the learning experience by connecting concepts across two different disciplines on the same topic.

■ Explore how archaeology is practised and presented to the public for understanding past Black lifeways.

■ - Consider how archaeology can be used as a tool for understanding how individuals adapted to and resisted forms of oppression and anti-Black racism.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Evaluate the relevance of archaeology and material culture to historical studies of the African diaspora.

■ Identify and evaluate current issues that impact public understanding of Black experiences during the slavery and post-emancipation eras.

■ Critically assess how enslaved peoples resisted and survived enslavement by analysing and evaluating secondary sources and historical and archaeological primary sources and material culture.

■ Compose sound historical arguments based on independent research for academic and public audiences.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.