Course Catalogue

Slavery and Forced Migration in Global Perspective (DL) HIST5210

  • Academic Session: 2026-27
  • School: School of Humanities
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Taught Wholly by Distance Learning: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: No

Short Description

This course introduces students to the history of slavery and forced migration, c. 1400-1900, giving them a solid grounding in a historiography that has become increasingly global and comparative. In a series of weekly online seminars, students will discuss critical pieces of scholarship in the field, paying special attention to the Atlantic and Indian Ocean slave trades, nineteenth-century abolition and the subsequent expansion of indentured labour.

Timetable

10x 2-hour seminars over 10 weeks, accessed online.

Requirements of Entry

Standard entry to Masters at College Level

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

The standard assessments for this course are:

■ Review essay (3,000 words) 70%

■ Book review (1000 words) 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 assessments, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)

 

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

Course Aims

This course aims to:

■ Engage students in current debates on the history of involuntary labour migrations;

■ Explore concepts and methodologies used in the study of slavery and forced migration;

■ Investigate the causes, organisation and outcomes of the overseas movement of enslaved and indentured workers;

■ Enable students to strengthen their skills as independent researchers through critical engagement with primary and secondary source materials, peer-group discussion and written output.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

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

■ Distinguish different ways in which the historical movement of enslaved and indentured workers has shaped the modern world;

■ Appraise current trends in the historiography of involuntary migration;

■ Judge different conceptual and methodological approaches to the study of enslavement and forced migration;

■ Apply rigorous critical analysis to specialised secondary literature and relevant primary sources;

■ Compose an original research question and sound historical arguments based on independent research;

■ Translate research findings in a clear, logical and concise form.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

No exceptions