Black Studies - MA

Blackness, rooted in Africa and the African Diaspora, underpins the work of Black Studies. However, there have been various ways that Blackness has been understood and mobilised historically and in the present. This module will explore the various political ideologies and movements that have articulated Blackness. Rather than seeing Blackness a single, fixed concept we will explore the dynamic and often contradictory approaches to the idea. Importantly, we will apply these ideas to the present day, asking you to identity your perspectives on how best to mobilise Blackness today. We will also discuss some of the exclusions in Blackness and how to ensure that we are utilising concept that can include and reach Africa and the diaspora regardless of gender, sexuality or disability. This module will underpin much of the content of the degree providing a critical understanding of Blackness.  

Black Studies has two crucial elements. The first is the study of the perspectives, experiences and contributions of Africa and the African diaspora. The second is equally important and is focused on changing the way in which the university operates, rather than simply diversifying the people and contents of the curriculum. Transforming the ways in which research is both understood and done is an essential part of this. In this module you will critique the Eurocentric separation of knowledge from action, which is key to reproducing the exclusions of the ivory tower. Black Studies mobilises a different set of questions than mainstream or traditional academia, not focussed on analysing the problem but solving them by developing, what Robert Staples called the ‘science of liberation’. In this module, therefore, you will explore the philosophy behind this approach and how to do research that is directly connected to the struggles for justice off campus.

This module starts with examining Intersectionality as theoretical and analytical framework. It examines how individuals and groups that are marginalized and oppressed navigate through structural, political, and representational, experiential forms of intersectionality. A key aspect of intersectionality lies in its recognition that multiple oppressions are not each suffered separately but rather as a single, synthesized experience, you will be expected to critically assess your own, others and marginalized group’s lived experiences through undertaking a critical case study approach to examining.   

The main purpose of this module is to examine the ways in which different media attempt to discuss or represent issues of Blackness. The module will draw on case-study examples from a number of different media including television, film, print media and online platforms, to explore current debates through discussion and in-class textual and contextual analysis. Topics covered will include Black studies related issues and other such as; race and ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, poverty, religion, age and nationality. You will be addressing particular contextual issues through critical Black Studies methodological lens.   

I have great respect for the past. If you don't know where you've come from, you don't know where you're going’- Maya Angelou. Making connections between the past and future is the premise of this module. It focuses on the different ways in which Black historiography interrogates a variety of methods and sources to analyze past events, places and peoples within the African diaspora. This module also uses autobiographical/ memoir texts in circa from 18th Century to 21st Century written by Black Scholars. You will be expected to engage with Black scholars to fulfil the long tradition of recording life stories, through narrative, and self-reflection. In doing so, you will be engaging with changing notions of the self in autobiographical and other historical writings from Black scholars in relation to such themes as: race/ ethnicity, colonialism, slavery, gender, sexuality, nationality, citizenship and class.

The Black Studies Project is the opportunity for you to bring together your learning from the taught modules on the master's course. This module, therefore, allows you to bring your knowledge, research skills, and particular interests into one major research project which forms the bulk of semester 3. You will develop and carry out a project of Black Studies research with the support of a supervisor from the course team. In the first semester module Black Studies in Action, you will have put together a proposal for a research project with the intention to carry this out in order to complete this degree course. There are a variety of formats that the Black Studies Project can take but they must engage substantively with stakeholders off campus. You will directly apply your Black Studies learning to a project that engages with wider struggles outside the university.   

The content of the module includes both theoretical and case study overviews that will examine the complex range of abusive behaviours, from coercive control to image based abuse.  We will explore a range of theoretical approaches including individualist, familial/systems and structuralist to strengthen our understanding of these harms.  We will critically consider definitions, what we know/don’t know about the extent of the issue and consider the nature and impact of the harm caused.  We take a holistic approach by considering by the victim-survivor and the perpetrators of harm and what can be done to prevent these forms of violence in society.  We will give consideration to the different cultural social contexts of domestic abuse and sexual violence from childhood through to older age and in doing so you will be encouraged to explore the module content through an intersectional lens and with a trauma informed approach.  

This postgraduate module provides you with an opportunity to engage with some of the key aims of your programme by examining contemporary debates that surround the phenomenon of homicide and multiple homicide, and a range of separate and related forms of violence. You will be given case studies of serial murderers, violent crimes, and harms caused by powerful interests. This will be achieved by focusing on both historical and contemporary cases within both a national and international context. By presenting both a theoretical discussion and real life cases, this module provides an opportunity to develop knowledge and critical understanding of criminology and related disciplines both in theory and in practice.  

Originating at Temple University in Philadelphia, the Inside-Out model of prison education facilitates dialogue and education across profound social differences. University postgraduates (outside students) alongside incarcerated men and women (inside students) learn together on a module undertaken within the prison setting. The module is highly interactive and invites you to take leadership in addressing issues of crime, justice, and social concerns. Equality of status is at the heart of this innovative learning experience, alongside equality of expectation and outcome. Each student, whether inside or outside, undertakes the same learning process and assessment. All students read a variety of literature and engage with a number of reflective tasks. During class sessions you discuss issues in small and large groups, and in the final stages of the module students work together on a class project.   

Medical Law and Ethics is an optional module that forms one of your choices on the programme to provide an introduction for you to the ever-growing body of law, policy and ethics concerned with the global health and some of the ethical dilemmas advances in this field.  

The importance of international criminal law has grown considerably in recent years. Similarly to domestic criminal law, international criminal law aims to prohibit and penalise certain actions when committed by individuals. Unlike domestic criminal law however, the crimes that concern international community are particularly serious: prohibitions such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression involve conduct that is capable of affecting large numbers of the world's population. As such international criminal law is also relevant to study of international human rights, in that it establishes an additional accountability mechanism and protection to some of the most fundamental rights such as life, liberty, and security of the person. 

The module examines the international law relating to refugees and the free movement of people and how that law has been executed in certain municipal contexts. The development and scope of the relevant law will be explored including both ‘mandate’ refugees, ‘statutory refugees’ and regional developments. Relevant international human rights protections will also be examined and their impact on refugee law and the doctrine of non-refoulement. The area of free movement of people will also be examined in an immigration context.