Admission requirements
None
Description
“‘I did that’ says my memory. ‘I could not have done that,’ says my vanity, steadfast. Eventually, memory yields.”— Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil
In this course, slavery in the U.S. will be firmly embedded in a larger, Atlantic World, narrative. The first part of the course will focus on a critical reflection on the difference between the history and the memory of slavery, and the ways that both the history and memory of slavery impacts contemporary contexts in the U.S.
In the second part of the course, students will engage with primary source materials and the contemporary fictionalizations and artistic expressions inspired by these primary sources.
Thirdly, students will examine the role of resistance and rebellion in contemporary remembrances of slavery in the U.S.
Finally, students will examine the (still) contested role of slavery in the American Civil War and the aftermath of emancipation, concluding with a reflection on the role of history and memory in history education and instruction in the U.S. and the Netherlands.
Note: all texts will be read in English (translation).
Course objectives
This course aims to
give students a critical understanding of the ways slavery has been represented, contested and remembered in autobiographical and fictional texts and films in various geographical, language and culture areas as well as in contemporary museum exhibits and other forms of memorialization, with a basic understanding of their historical and cultural contexts.
teach students to critically engage and analyze historical primary source materials in dialogue with secondary source materials and non-scholarly sources, including literary works and films
help students develop their skills to conduct independent research.
help students develop oral and written communication skills (discussion, essay).
Timetable
The timetable will be available on the
website
Mode of instruction
Weekly seminar
Course Load
10 ec = 280 hours
Seminars: 2 hours per week x 12 weeks = 24 hours
Weekly reading assignments =106 hours
Midterm takehome = 20 hours
Writing of final course paper, 3000-3500 words = 130 hours (re-reading relevant texts, collecting research material, researching and reading additional literature, writing of paper)
Assessment method
Weekly in-class quizzes (25%)
Midterm takehome (25%)
Research essay 3000-3500 words (50 %)
Resit: If the final grade is insufficient, only the essay can be rewritten.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used to provide students with specific information about (components of) the course, such as course syllabus, some of the assigned readings, discussion questions, and essay topics.
Reading list
Reading list (books to be purchased)
Olaudah Equiano, The Life of Olaudah Equiano (Dover Thrift Editions; ISBN-10: 048640661X; online text also available on Blackboard)
Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave (Graymalkin Media 2014; online text also available on Blackboard)
Laila Lalami, The Moor’s Account (Vintage)
Toni Morrison, Beloved (Vintage)
Additional readings will be posted on Blackboard (BB).
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable
Contact
Course coordinator is Dr. D. Barthe.
Student administration Van Eyckhof
Remarks
This course is part of the minor Cultural Memory in War and Conflict. Other students can take this course also as an elective, but if the course is over-enrolled, students who are taking the minor go first.