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HS2O58: Black Britain: Race and Migration in Post-war Britain
Module code: HS2O58
Module provider: History; School of Humanities
Credits: 20
Level: Level 2 (Intermediate)
When you'll be taught: Semester 2
Module convenor: Dr Natalie Thomlinson, email: n.thomlinson@reading.ac.uk
Pre-requisite module(s):
Co-requisite module(s):
Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):
Module(s) excluded:
Placement information: NA
Academic year: 2024/5
Available to visiting students: Yes
Talis reading list: Yes
Last updated: 21 May 2024
Overview
Module aims and purpose
This module explores race in post-war Britain. Since the late 1940s, immigration from across the globe has rendered the contemporary United Kingdom a truly multi-cultural society. Partly because of the post-war labour shortage in the UK, and partly because of the poverty and lack of opportunity in many of Britain’s colonies, migrants first from the West Indies (1950s), and increasingly from the Indian subcontinent and Africa (1960s) came in significant numbers, although from the 1960s onwards, a succession of increasingly restrictive immigration acts limited the amount of people arriving. This module will analyse the experiences of migrants. It will examine the political responses of both the white population to migration, and how black communities organised against racism in various civil rights and black power groups. It will ask how black British and ethnic minority identities have developed and explore the politics of blackness in Britain, where, uniquely, many in the Asian community identify as black. Furthermore, it will challenge students to ask how race and ethnicity are discursive constructions rather than biological ‘facts’, how it is that migrants so often came to be posed as a ‘problem’ and examine how such understandings are produced.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:
- Be aware of differing historiographical interpretations of the pattern and causes of this development
- Understand how ideas and events are shaped by their historical contexts
- Organise material and articulate arguments effectively in writing and seminar groups
- Demonstrate familiarity with bibliographical conventions and mastery of library skills
Module content
Session 1 Black People in Britain before 1945
Session 2 The Windrush Generation: 1948 – 62
Session 3 3 The experience of Asian immigrants in the 1960s and 1970s.
Session 4 The African diaspora in the UK
Session 5 Enoch Powell, 'Rivers of Blood' and white reactions to migration.
Session 6 Black political activism, 1960 – 1980
Session 7 Gender and the black women’s movement
Session 8 Anti-racist activism
Session 9: London’s burning: urban unrest in the 1980s
Session 10: Towards a multicultural society? The 1990s onwards
Structure
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching is by eleven one-hour lectures and eleven two-hour seminars over one semester. Within these, the teaching and learning methods will include:
- Lectures
- Structured group discussions in seminars
- Discussion of evidence, team-based exercises, and debates
- Primary source analysis (textual, aural, visual and textual)
- Independent study of scholarly literature
Study hours
At least 33 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.
 Scheduled teaching and learning activities |  Semester 1 |  Semester 2 | Ìý³§³Ü³¾³¾±ð°ù |
---|---|---|---|
Lectures | 11 | ||
Seminars | 22 | ||
Tutorials | |||
Project Supervision | |||
Demonstrations | |||
Practical classes and workshops | |||
Supervised time in studio / workshop | |||
Scheduled revision sessions | |||
Feedback meetings with staff | |||
Fieldwork | |||
External visits | |||
Work-based learning | |||
 Self-scheduled teaching and learning activities |  Semester 1 |  Semester 2 | Ìý³§³Ü³¾³¾±ð°ù |
---|---|---|---|
Directed viewing of video materials/screencasts | |||
Participation in discussion boards/other discussions | |||
Feedback meetings with staff | |||
Other | |||
Other (details) | |||
 Placement and study abroad |  Semester 1 |  Semester 2 | Ìý³§³Ü³¾³¾±ð°ù |
---|---|---|---|
Placement | |||
Study abroad | |||
 Independent study hours |  Semester 1 |  Semester 2 | Ìý³§³Ü³¾³¾±ð°ù |
---|---|---|---|
Independent study hours | 167 |
Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.
Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.
Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.
Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.
Assessment
Requirements for a pass
Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module
Summative assessment
Type of assessment | Detail of assessment | % contribution towards module mark | Size of assessment | Submission date | Additional information |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Written coursework assignment | Essay | 50 | 2,500 words | Semester 2, Teaching Week 9 | |
Written coursework assignment | Essay | 50 | 2,500 words | Semester 2, Assessment Week 1 |
Penalties for late submission of summative assessment
The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:
Assessments with numerical marks
- where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
- the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
- where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
- where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.
Assessments marked Pass/Fail
- where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
- where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.
The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.
Formative assessment
Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.
Reassessment
Type of reassessment | Detail of reassessment | % contribution towards module mark | Size of reassessment | Submission date | Additional information |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Written coursework assignment | Essay | 50 | 2,500 words | During the University resit period | |
Written coursework assignment | Essay | 50 | 2,500 words | During the University resit period |
Additional costs
Item | Additional information | Cost |
---|---|---|
Computers and devices with a particular specification | ||
Printing and binding | ||
Required textbooks | ||
Specialist clothing, footwear, or headgear | ||
Specialist equipment or materials | ||
Travel, accommodation, and subsistence |
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MODULE DESCRIPTION DOES NOT FORM ANY PART OF A STUDENT'S CONTRACT.