Module manager: Dr Will Rea
Email: W.R.Rea@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module is about aspects of the visual arts of the region south of the Sahara, mostly from Congo/Zaire through West Africa to the Atlantic coast, and thence to the Americas. It explores episodes with which one might begin to write a history of contemporary sub-Saharan African art. Three themes dominate the module: - First, there is the relationship between antiquity and the modern world, the ways indigenous achievement provided the basis for aspects of change and development characteristic of the period to the end of the 19th century. - Second, there is the relationship between 'tradition' and the 20th/21st century, when colonial and primitivist stereotypes are challenged through developments in art and other areas of social practice. - Third, we look at what happens in the African diasporas: what survived the Middle Passage, 'Africa' as a source of new identity. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
On completion of this module you will have gained an understanding of the traditions of African art informing contemporary practice, African history both on the continent and the Diaspora, contemporary cultural production on the continent and in the Diaspora, techniques and methods for the research of African art, and the techniques and methods for comparative art history. On completion you will be able to argue, evaluate and appraise works of 20th Century African art with confidence. You will have gained these skills by following a curriculum, working on long and short form essays and from lectures that are the culmination of years of intense study and research.
On successful completion of the module you will be able to:
1. Evaluate the history and development of modernist art practices in Africa and their relation to European modernism.
2. Evaluate the relationship between modern African art in Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa and the political and social histories of those states.
3. Appraise the Atlantic trade and Diaspora and the subsequent developments of art making practices in the Americas and in Britain.
On successful completion of the module you will be able to:
4. Construct a logical and coherent argument
5. Negotiate an archive or library and develop discriminatory reading practice.
6. Use narrative description of specific works of art to build a coherent critical argument
- Verbal and written fluency in constructing a logical and coherent argument
- Use of audio visual aids
- Participation in group discussions
- Co-ordination and dissemination of a range of historical, contextual visual information
- Using bibliographies and databases.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Seminars | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 180 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
180 hours - bibliographic and Electronic research, Library research away from Leeds (Optional), Essay planning and writing, Museum research (optional).
There is also an optional reading week research trip.
Formative feedback operates as a continuous mode of discursive practice taking place in seminars on a regular basis. Feedback is also provided in a final summative session across the class and in the form of individual meetings with students. The students will also be provided with an opportunity to peer review essay drafts.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay | 60 |
| Essay | Short essay | 40 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team