Last modified: 31 Jul 2023 11:35
'The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.’ So declared African American intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois at the dawn of that era.
In the period since this influential claim was made – and indeed in our own time – Black-led movements have challenged multiple structures of domination (racism, colonialism, patriarchy, capitalism) in the Americas, Africa, and Europe. This module focuses on the intellectual history of these transformative movements using the framework of a “Black Radical Tradition”.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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This module explores the connections between race, resistance, and intellectual production during the twentieth century. It examines contributions to political thought that have emerged from what Paul Gilroy called “the Black Atlantic.” These intellectual movements have influenced many of the most transformative movements in world history in the past century.
The course explores Black engagements with socialism and Marxism, feminism and Christianity. The locations of this intellectual history range from conventional university settings to jail cells, and from California to London.
Though focused on the US, the module encourages students to critically engage with the global history of Black thought. It also encourages students to consider “intellectual history” in expansive terms, asking whether artistic creation or acts of political protest can be considered as modes of intellectual production.
Topics covered on the module will likely include:
This is a history of ideas that have changed our world, and which continue to do so.
| Description | Value |
|---|---|
| Additional library resources may be required to ensure a full range of bibliographic material. | 0.0000 |
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 16 | Feedback Weeks | 19 | |
| Feedback |
Students will complete an exam comprising of gobbet discussions and essay-style questions drawn from material throughout the course. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Draw comparisons, similarities, and differences between a range of intellectuals and movements in the Black Atlantic |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Understand and evaluate historiography around intellectual histories of the Black diaspora and histories of radicalism |
| Factual | Understand | Develop understanding of Black intellectual history, and histories of resistance, during the twentieth century |
| Reflection | Apply | Use effective writing skills to communicate complex historical and theoretical ideas in a clear and engaging way |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 16 | Feedback Weeks | 19 | |
| Feedback |
Students will produce a 3000-word essay, submitted at the same time. Relevant support will be provided. |
Word Count | 3000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Draw comparisons, similarities, and differences between a range of intellectuals and movements in the Black Atlantic |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Understand and evaluate historiography around intellectual histories of the Black diaspora and histories of radicalism |
| Factual | Understand | Develop understanding of Black intellectual history, and histories of resistance, during the twentieth century |
| Reflection | Apply | Use effective writing skills to communicate complex historical and theoretical ideas in a clear and engaging way |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Understand and evaluate historiography around intellectual histories of the Black diaspora and histories of radicalism |
| Factual | Understand | Develop understanding of Black intellectual history, and histories of resistance, during the twentieth century |
| Reflection | Apply | Use effective writing skills to communicate complex historical and theoretical ideas in a clear and engaging way |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Draw comparisons, similarities, and differences between a range of intellectuals and movements in the Black Atlantic |
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