| Unit name | Literature - Enslavement - Liberation |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL30142 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Forbes |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
n/a |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
n/a |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
n/a |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
This unit is a Transhistorical set-choice. Set-choice units respond to and refine the work established on previous core units, whilst providing a fresh opportunity to develop your interests on a thematic and textual level. The Transhistorical options engage with elements spanning a period from c.1600-present, but with a focus on concepts rather than straightforward chronologies. You will have the opportunity to hone your insight into key developments in the field, engage with different theoretical perspectives, and expand your understanding of different kinds of text. The units are taught by teams of academic staff, facilitating dialogue and collaboration between interests. Students can look forward to an ambitious and engaging unit, that encapsulates many of the possibilities of working at finalist level.
How does this into fit into your programme of study?
The Transhistorical set-choice units are offered in the final year of the English programmes. It is standard practice for single honours students to take one of the choices offered in this category. Joint honours students may take a unit from this category, and / or focus on the Romantic & Victorian and / or Modern & Contemporary set choices in TB1. The units are also available to students on Liberal Arts programmes, and may in some cases also be available to taught postgraduates (MA English, MA Medieval Studies, MA Black Humanities).
Overview of content
This unit examines how transatlantic enslavement has shaped literature and literary studies from 1600 to the present day. It encourages students to engage with contemporary debates which have emerged from the Black Lives Matter movement and the toppling of the Colston statue in Bristol, through developing an understanding of the long history of writing and activism around enslavement. What forms and strategies have writers used to represent enslavement and how effective have these aesthetic strategies been? The unit will compare representations of suffering and sympathy in early abolitionist writing of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with Black autobiographical writing of the nineteenth century, and the neo-slave narratives of the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Drawing on critical writing from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas, we will consider key concepts including race, gender, abolition, memory and resistance. We will examine the centrality of the history of enslavement to the development of Black Studies, Black feminist theory and critical race studies, and ask how popular cultural representations of slavery have, at different historical moments, impacted public attitudes toward racism, Empire and remembrance.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1) Demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of key literary texts and authors of writing about enslavement;
2) Apply thorough understanding of a range of historical, cultural and intellectual contexts to readings of the literatures of enslavement;
3) Discriminate between and analyse different critical perspectives on literatures of enslavement;
4) Demonstrate skills in oral presentation and working in a group as appropriate to level H.
Teaching will involve asynchronous and synchronous elements, including group discussion, research and writing activities, and peer dialogue. Students are expected to engage with the reading and participate fully with the weekly tasks and topics. Learning will be further supported through the opportunity for individual consultation.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ENGL30142).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
