Black Lives Matter: Postcolonial and Decolonial Representations (006GR)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

On this module, you'll use postcolonial and decolonial theory to explore visual and material cultures in both historical and contemporary contexts.

Inspired by the legacy of Stuart Hall, the module investigates how Black Lives Matter and examines how the value of black lives and culture has been undermined by prevailing race and racism over time.

You’ll engage with ‘Black Theory,’ a set of authors who address postcolonial and decolonial politics and highlight the costs of imperial and colonial values on black lives. Each lecture will use cultural texts to critically analyse eurocentric perspectives of other worlds, peoples, and places.

The module focuses on visual, material, and narrative cultures through which race and ethnicity are negotiated in everyday spaces, their historical roots, and how these continue to shape everyday encounters and discourses. 

By exploring specific historical and contemporary examples, you'll see how representations of race and racism change over time and in different places.

Teaching

100%: Practical (Workshop)

Assessment

100%: Written assessment (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 20 hours of contact time and about 130 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.