Module manager: Professor Simon Hall
Email: S.D.Hall@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as a discovery module
You will explore African Americans' long and unfinished struggle for racial equality since 1945. As part of this you will investigate the impact of the Cold War on the civil rights struggle, the relationship between nonviolent direct action and Black Power, and the role of the federal government in securing advances for black Americans. Alongside the role of civil rights leaders, particularly Martin Luther King Jr., you will also learn about the importance of ordinary people and grassroots organisations to the black freedom struggle. 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
Via in-depth seminar discussions, wider reading, and examination of primary source materials such as speeches, oral history testimony, newspaper reports, and official documents, you will develop a detailed knowledge and understanding of the strategies employed by the civil rights movement, appreciate the role played by 'ordinary people' in the struggle for racial equality, and be able to evaluate the movement’s successes and failures.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Assess critically the complexity of the struggle for racial equality in the United States since the Second World War.
2. Evaluate the main ways in which historians have interpreted the struggle for African American civil rights.
3. Critically engage with primary source materials from the period and draw out their wider significance.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Construct sophisticated and rigorous arguments, supported by relevant evidence and scholarship.
5. Synthesise and evaluate diverse and sometimes contradictory sources of information.
6. Communicate complex ideas effectively to academic audiences.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Supervision | 2 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Seminar | 20 | 2 | 40 |
| Private study hours | 355.6 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 44.4 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 400 | ||
You will receive informal feedback during in class discussion. Written feedback will be provided on your formative written work, and you will also be able to discuss this with me individually. You will also have the opportunity to discuss the feedback on your assessed essay plan during a one-on-one meeting. There will be time set aside during the seminar programme to discuss the portfolio – and you will also be encouraged to speak to me in person about the component parts of this assessment.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 50 |
| Coursework | Portfolio | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Re-sits will usually take the form of the original assessment.
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