Module manager: Dr Danielle Terrazas Williams
Email: D.TerrazasWilliams@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
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. 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 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 students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the core stages of the historical trajectory of Iberian slavery in the Americas.
2. Identify, synthesize, critique, and construct advanced historical arguments on the gendered history of slavery in Latin America.
3. Assess historiographical trends and debates on gender and slavery in Latin America.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Critically evaluate primary sources.
5. Engage critically with a range of qualitative methodologies.
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 |
| Seminar | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Private study hours | 179.6 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20.4 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Assessment 1: Mid-way through the semester, you will submit a sample of your analysis. You will receive notes on how to strengthen your analysis and how best to integrate core context.
Assessment 2: Near the end of the semester you will submit a final essay proposal, which will include a working thesis statement, an essay plan (outline of core ideas/paragraphs), a list of secondary sources, and primary sources that will be utilized in the essay. You will receive feedback from the tutor on this.
Additional feedback can be received during office hours during any week of the term.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Source analysis | 40 |
| Coursework | Essay | 60 |
| 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