Slavery and Freedom in the British Caribbean Part 1

Module overview

This module explores themes and questions related to the many complex histories of slavery, abolitionism and emancipation. Slavery was once at the heart of the British colonial experience. By 1770, sugar-producing plantations worked by enslaved labourers from Africa had transformed the Caribbean, revolutionised British habits of consumption and lay at the centre Britain's lucrative colonial enterprise.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Understand key debates that have divided historians of slave emancipation
Analyse, interpret and use historical evidence

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

Efforts by slaveholders and their allies to prevent or delay the dismantling of British slave systems
The characteristics of slave societies and plantation economies in the British Caribbean
The role of enslaved people in opposing and resisting slavery
The criticisms of slavery arising in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Critically assess large amounts of complex material
Display effective time management in preparation of class and coursework assignments
Work independently in preparing for class work and written assignments

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

The module is taught via seminars. You will receive a pack of historical documents which will form the focus for weekly group discussions. You will also be encouraged to find additional sources in local libraries. Learning activities include - Reading and private study - Group discussions - Mini-presentations by students

Study time
Type	Hours
Seminar	44
Completion of assessment task	56
Preparation for scheduled sessions	100
Follow-up work	100
Total study time	300

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

The Atlantic Slave Trade and British Abolition, 1760 - 1810; Roger Anstey; 1975.

Caribbean Slavery in the Atlantic World: A Student Reader; Hilary McD. Beckles and Verene A. Shepherd (eds); 2000.

The Antislavery Debate: Capitalism and Abolitionism as a Problem in Historical Interpretation; Thomas Bender; 1992.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Written assignment	50%
Essay	50%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Resubmit assessments	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Written assignment	50%
Essay	50%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External