Course Catalogue

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This Special Subject considers how Scots operated at the frontiers of Caribbean slavery between the opening of the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). We examine how Scots infiltrated slavery societies in West India colonies subsumed in the later stages of British colonisation. Examining a broad range of historiographical and primary sources, this course assesses settler colonization, the governance of British colonies, contacts with indigenous and enslaved people, mercantile networks, planting and commodities, medical networks, religion, resistance and revolutions, and effects on Scottish society.

Three seminar hours per week over 10 weeks as scheduled in MyCampus. 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 requirement for Honours entry into History.

None

N/A

The standard assessments for this course are:

Semester 1

■ 1000-word seminar paper (10%)

■ 1000-word primary source analysis (10%)

■ 2500-word literature review (30%)

Semester 2

■ 10 minute oral seminar paper (10%)

■ 1000-word primary source analysis (10%)

■ 3000-word research essay (30%)

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:

■ There are no alternatives to the seminar paper, analysis, review, and essay but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions).

■ A recorded presentation, or a written script of equivalent length, or a PowerPoint with substantial notes, or a one-to-one presentation as alternative to oral seminar paper.

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.

This course aims to:

■ Prepare students to identify and analyse a broad range of historical evidence relating to Scottish participation in late 18th and early 19th century British imperialism and colonisation, including textual and non-textual sources 

■ Demonstrate how professional historians identify, classify, store, analyse, and interpret historical evidence which will elucidate the process from research to scholarship

■ Facilitate student-led discussion about historical interpretation related to late 18th century British imperialism and colonisation

■ Support students in developing skills in source criticism, analysis and oral and written argument and the knowledge and confidence to tackle major projects, applicable to further study or working environments

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

1. Summarise debates about the expansion of British imperialism in the West Indies between the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) and the significance of this in the history of modern Scotland

2. Express an understanding of social and economic histories of slavery societies in the British West Indies in this period, as well as methodological approaches to researching minority White groups (Scots) in slavery societies

3. Evaluate a range of historiographical arguments related to British imperialism in the West Indies, including the role of Scots in Atlantic slavery

4. Analyse a broad range of source material (secondary and primary), including different formats (text, image, digital), relevant to the study of settler colonisation and plantation slavery in the British West Indies 

5. Construct effective and well-evidenced historical arguments in written forms.