After Empire: Colonisation and its Legacies
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| MLAC1169 | Modern Languages and Cultures | 1 | 20 | Full Year UK |
- Code
- MLAC1169
- School
- Modern Languages and Cultures
- Level
- 1
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Full Year UK
Summary
The course is divided into two parts, one per semester. Semester 1 addresses the colonial period from 1492 to 1945 (with some reference to the medieval era), semester 2 focusses on independence and after. The course looks at all continents, including polar regions, and all of the key European colonising countries: France, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Britain, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium. What is unique about this course is that it will be delivered by people with both language and cultural competency from across those cultures, giving access to deep cultural knowledge, historical documents, critical perspectives and legacies. The history of slavery and extractivist relations is at the core of the course and is given its place as one of the defining forces of globalisation. Students will study a range of materials (including diaries, novels, travel narratives, histories, ethnographic ideas, political speeches and broadcasts, films, audio recordings, artworks, music) to develop the broad perspective of a multiple process of globalisation, often too hastily presented as monocultural. In addition, they will be able to focus in on particular cultural experiences, for example the regions of Africa, or central America. The structure of the course will allow sections on landmark moments and documents from each cultural sphere of influence to build into a diverse yet identifiable model of hybrid global cultures. In line with current interest in decolonisation (long established as an idea outside of English-speaking cultures), this course both maintains knowledge of imperial histories and offers models for getting beyond them, to show how previously colonised countries are not bound by that history, even if often constrained by it to some extent.
Target Students
Available to students on SHModern Languages degrees. Also available to students on Modern European Studies and History, CMVS and Liberal Arts students.
Classes
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 18 weeks
- One 1-hour lecture each week for 20 weeks
Seminar group to consist of maximum of 20 students
Assessment
- 30% Coursework 1: Commentary, 1000 words (end of semester 1) - Students taking this module as part of Language subject must complete commentary on material in that target language
- 30% Project 1: Comparative project, 1000 words (end of semester 2)
- 40% Exam 1 (2-hour): 2 hour take-home/written exam
Assessed in both autumn & spring semest
Educational Aims
The course develops critical, contemporary and decolonial perspectives on the history of Europe’s colonising of cultures across the world, from the early modern period onward. It also develops understanding, analytical approaches and new forms of cultural expression that have emerged from postcolonial societies. The course thus provides a grounding in a highly significant element of global history, from a range of cultural perspectives. In learning how this period of world history was shaped by encounters with invading European forces, and how many countries emerged from that time but with an inheritance that persists, students will be able to frame other modules and programmes within that context. In working independently to compare different imperial projects, resistances to them and emergent or re-appropriated cultures, students will acquire a sense of the significance and reach of colonisation and ways out of it, such that the course will give them a transferable, ethical and adaptive methodology.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding:
Cross-cultural awareness of colonial and postcolonial histories
Different critical approaches to decolonisation
The recent and current global social, cultural and historical contexts which frame postcolonial social change
Intellectual Skills:
Ability to analyse critical, empirical and ideological texts in English at an advanced level, in reference to texts written in a range of European languages
Development of analytical skills particular to the decolonised study of globalised culture
Ability to develop arguments in discussion and in writing
Making critical use of both primary and secondary materials, including in languages other than English
Ability to engage in independent study and research
Understanding of complex ideas and social practices in their cultural and historical context
Professional/Practical Skills:
Understanding and expressing complex ideas in English and the language(s) studied where appropriate
Working independently to access databases, internet resources and library holdings, and critically evaluating the results of research
Presentation of written work according to academic conventions
Development of own research project within wider framework of the module
Transferable (Key) Skills:
Critical thinking
Oral and written communication
Teamwork
Time management and organisation
Planning and executing a piece of work independently, including project-based work
Effective use of IT as a means of communication