Course Details in 2024/25 Session

Module Title	LI Option: 1619 and the Making of America: A 400 Year History
School	History and Cultures
Department	History
Module Code	09 38256
Module Lead	Tom Cutterham
Level	Intermediate Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	What most defines the history of the United States? Liberty and freedom; or slavery and racism? At certain times, one seems to dominate the other; at other times it seems as though there is an equilibrium. This module builds off the New York Times' ground-breaking 1619 Project and podcast to ask this very question and to explore a debate very much a part of our current historical moment. The module is fast-paced and covers 400-years of history from the seventeenth century to 2020. From the arrival of the first Africans on the shores of colonial Virginia in 1619 to the emergence of an independent nation of united states to the rise of the Cotton Kingdom and American capitalism; from the Civil War and Reconstruction to industrialisation and Jim Crow; and finally, from the Second World War and Civil Rights Movement to the Black Lives Matter protests rocking American cities in the 21st century. At stake is whether the colonies and the United States could live up to their ideals of liberty and freedom or were they corrupted from the start?
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Analyse and explain key events and historical processes relevant to the subject under scrutiny. Analyse and explain reasons for and implications of these events and processes. Identify the main scholarly views on the subject under investigation. Work with an appropriate degree of learner independence to explain and analyse the material under scrutiny. Communicate explanation and analysis of the subject clearly and effectively in writing.
Assessment
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: S1 = 1 x 3,000 word essay (100%)
Other
Reading List