The British Atlantic World

Module overview

This module focuses on the period between about 1600 and 1800, allowing you to explore the development of the British Empire in the Americas from the founding of Jamestown in 1607 up until the American Revolution and its aftermath. The module takes a broad look at the British colonies in the Americas from Barbados in the south to Newfoundland in the north, examining the development of these colonies and the Atlantic system of which they were part.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Identify and describe the key characteristics of British settlements in the New World
Discuss and identify differences over and time and between settlements in British America
Engage with debates about the development and disintegration of the British Atlantic world
Define and explain the concept of Atlantic history
Analyse the importance of cultural change and continuity for migrants to colonies in British America

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Analyse: think analytically about the material you have located and read
Research: demonstrate that you are able to engage in a programme of independent reading guided by the module convener
Communicate: share your thoughts about your reading in writing, constructing arguments based on evidence.
Manage your own learning and your time effectively, meeting deadlines.

Knowledge and Understanding

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

The cultural transformations and continuities associated with migrations from Europe and Africa to the New World
The diversity of British settlements in the Americas and the different political choices of colonists during the period of the American Revolution
Historiographical debates related to the study of the British Atlantic world
The economic, social and cultural linkages between colonies in the Americas, Europe and Africa
The development of British colonies in the Americas

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods - Lectures - Seminars - Individual consultation on essays Learning activities - Preparatory reading for class discussions - Oral presentations - Group work in class - Analysis of primary sources You will use reading lists provided by the module convener to guide your preparation for weekly seminars. You will be expected to make contributions to seminar discussions based on your preparatory reading.

Study time
Type	Hours
Independent Study	260
Teaching	40
Total study time	300

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Thornton, J. (1998). Africa and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1400 – 1800. Cambridge.

Bailyn, B. and Morgan, P. (1991). Strangers Within the Realm: Cultural Margins of the First British Empire. University of North Carolina Press.

Burnard, T. (2004). Mastery, Tyranny, and Desire: The Anglo-Jamaican World of Thomas Thistlewood and His Slaves, 1750 – 1786. University of North Carolina Press.

Armitage, D. and Braddick, M. (eds) (2002). The British Atlantic World, 1500 – 1800. Palgrave.

Hancock, D. (1995). Citizens of the World: London Merchants and the Integration of the British Atlantic Community, 1735-1785. Cambridge University Press.

Morgan, E. S. (1980). American Slavery-American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia. W. W. Norton.

Steele, I. K. (1986). The English Atlantic, 1675-1740: An Exploration of Communication and Community. Oxford University Press.

Walvin, J (1993). Black Ivory: A History of British Slavery. Fontana.

O’Shaughnessy, A. J. (2002). An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Greene, J. (1988). Pursuits of Happiness: the Social Development of Early Modern British Colonies and the Formation of American Culture. University of North Carolina Press.

Bailyn, B. (2005). Atlantic History: Concept and Contours. Harvard University Press.

Assessment

Assessment strategy

Formative assessment: - Oral presentations - Group work in class The preparatory reading of secondary literature will help you acquire basic knowledge. The oral presentations will involve the analysis of primary sources, secondary literature and historiographical debates related to the seminar topic, helping you to develop your critical thinking. In groups, you will practice analysis of primary sources. In your essays you will demonstrate your capacity to use primary sources and make connections between a source and its context. You will also demonstrate your knowledge of broader issues and your ability to sustain a critical analysis of the set topics.

Summative

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

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	60%
Written assignment	40%

Referral

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

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Written assignment	40%
Essay	60%

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
Essay	60%
Written assignment	40%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External