Module manager: Dr Kimberley Thomas
Email: K.E.Thomas@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module traces historical processes of globalisation through the history of Caribbean slavery and emancipation. Key movements of people, goods and ideas from Africa, Europe and Asia to the Caribbean will be interrogated for their significance in the making of the Caribbean and the modern world. The module will allow you to explore the economics of slavery (and its legacies in Europe); colonial politics; violence in slave societies; rebellions and revolutions (including the Haitian revolution); and significant cultural ideas such as creolisation. With particular attention paid to connections between the Caribbean and the wider world, the module will probe the relationship between local and global processes in the archipelago. To do so, you will be encouraged to engage with existing historiographical debates and to undertake your own research with a selection of primary sources. Content note: to discuss these themes effectively it is necessary for us to read, look at and discuss material which covers some topics which may be challenging for you. These topics include: racist language, racialised depictions of people, violence and gender violence. The module tutor can provide more information on this if required. 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.
The module aims to develop your understanding of the global processes that shaped slavery and emancipation in the Caribbean, as well as the most important historical writings on the period. It will help you build skills in expressing ideas and arguments effectively in group discussions, and assignments and in critical reflection on choice of evidence.
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Identify and articulate the key global processes that shaped slavery and emancipation in the Caribbean.
2. Analyse the significance of the mobility of people, goods and ideas in the making of the modern Caribbean.
3. Assess scholarship on societies in the Caribbean.
4. Effectively examine Caribbean society using primary sources.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
5. Communicate historical interpretation effectively in a range of formats.
6. Critically analyse historical evidence and its context, limitations, and significance.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 2 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Lecture | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 179.6 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20.4 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Essay: you will be invited to attend a 1-2-1 meeting with your tutor to discuss an essay plan and bibliography.
Presentation or primary source essay: you will agree your choice of assignment in advance with the tutor and receive feedback on your approach to this assessed task.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 60 |
| Coursework | Presentation OR Primary source assignment | 40 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
If students choose ‘Presentation’ the resit is a recorded presentation.
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 29/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team