Module manager: Dr Danielle Terrazas Williams
Email: D.TerrazasWilliams@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as a discovery module
The archives of Latin America bear witness to the gendered history and violent legacy of slavery. While slavery existed in the region for nearly four centuries, this module primarily focuses on how slavery shaped Iberian empire in the mid- and late colonial periods. With the unification of the Spanish and Portuguese Crowns in 1580, Spain eagerly exploited Portugal’s well-established ports and networks in West and West Central Africa to enslave and forcibly transport hundreds of thousands of people to its American colonies. With the devastation of indigenous populations in the sixteenth century, Spanish rulers turned to the enslavement of Africans (and briefly to Asians) to fill labour demands in mining, agriculture, domestic service, and the skilled urban trades. Considerable attention will be paid to how slavery affected families, identity development, political orientations, and labour systems through the lens of gendered life experiences. Each week you will work with a variety of primary sources, including colonial laws, royal correspondence, slave narratives, court cases, Inquisition cases, parish records, notarial documents, and photographs. <p>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. </p>
The objective of this module is to interrogate the history of slavery and its gendered experiences in Spanish and Portuguese America and to strengthen knowledge of empire-building in the early modern world. It also aims to challenge meanings of resistance, agency, and domination and, to develop your methodological approaches to written and graphic primary sources, as well as your ability to critique relevant theoretical and historiographical developments.
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of the core stages of the historical trajectory of Iberian slavery in the Americas.
2. Identified, synthesized, critiqued, and constructed advanced historical arguments on the gendered history of slavery in Latin America.
3. Expressed a working proficiency in both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to interrogate sources.
4. Apply fundamental standards and practices of historical study for research, discussion, and assessed work.
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 | ||
In addition to in-class activities, you will have the opportunity to discuss your preparation for both assignments in one-to-one meetings with the module tutor.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 60 |
| Coursework | Primary source analysis | 40 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 28/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team