This seminar is an introduction to some dimension of the history of a nation, region, people, culture, institution, or historical phenomenon selected by the respective instructor. Students will come to understand, and develop an appreciation for: the origins and evolution of the people, cultures, and/or political, economic, and/or social institutions of a particular region(s) of the world. They may explore how human encounters shaped individual and collective identities and the political, economic, and social orders of the region/nation/communities under study. Instructors prioritize critical reading, engaged participation, and focused writing assignments.

While British practices of slavery and imperialism have shaped the history of Africans and the African diaspora for centuries this class will focus upon the experience of those who have come to identify as Black Britons during the twentieth century. It will be mostly based on scholarship produced by Black Britons that arose after the uprisings of the 1970s and 1980s, as well as that energized by the movement for Black Lives in the past decade. The class will explore the experience of, and struggles against, the structural forms of racism that were as embedded in Britainn as they were its Empire. Yet, it will also investigate the complex and rich forms of social, economic, political and cultural life created by Black Britons to navigate and make sense of their lives. Our classes will be organized around discussion of the readings and your final grade will be assessed based upon your discussion posts and engagement in class (30 percent), a bibliography of further reading on an area of research interest (30 percent), and a final paper (8-10 pages) that can either be a short research paper or a reflection on the secondary literature. It may also be possible instead of writing a final paper for students to produce a podcast, or a blog that curates a set or oral or visual materials that speak to their historical interests. Instructor bio: James Vernon has taught at Cal for 22 years and in Manchester UK before that. He has a broad set of interests in Britain and its global footprint over the past 300 years. This class revisits one of the first classes he taught in Manchester, and the very first class (and only 103) he taught at Berkeley.

This seminar will open for enrollment on Tuesday, July 19.

Repeat Rules

Requirements class fulfills