module specification

This module will explore the relationship between London and the people of Africa and the Caribbean, unpacking the socio-economic and political factors that shaped the lives and subcultures often ‘hidden’ within London.
In doing so, it seeks to develop an understanding of the complexities in the lives of those in and around the capital from the African and Caribbean diaspora, whilst also embracing the joys of Blackness that are often undocumented and under narrated which include topics such as music, resistance, migration, and LGBTQIA+ lives.

Students will:
1. Explore how Black British history is woven into the cultural, economic, political and social life of the Capital City.

2. Examine how social, historical and political factors have shaped the experiences of African and Caribbean people in London.

3. Begin constructing their decolonial and critical thinking skills

4. Explore the contemporary cultural production, creativity, resistance, and joy in first, second and third generation African and Caribbean lives in and around London.

The syllabus will explore key historical events that changed the political and social landscape of London. This will include the arrival of the first people of Africa and the Caribbean to London, including slavery and the ‘hidden history’ of the capital. (LO1-5)

More contemporary events will be covered, including African and Caribbean migration to the capital in the 20th Century, unpacking racial and social battles, such as Windrush, gentrification, housing, education and policing. (LO1-5)

Black activism in the 20th and 21st century will be explored, along with the creative cultures and modes of expression that were borne out of and created in response to life in the capital. (LO 1-5)

Teaching consists of a weekly one-hour lecture followed by a two-hour seminar. Lectures will involve a combination of taught lectures, videos and the use of first-hand documents and websites.

During the module seminars will combine a variety of methods including discussion based on pre-set questions, documents, trips and digital resources. Guest speakers may also be involved in seminar discussions or lecture presentations.

Blended Learning will be a key component of the module. Lecture notes and first-hand documents for use in class will be posted on-line, as will web links for academic and archival websites, as well as video links and library resources. Lectures will be delivered live, and recordings will be made available on-line.

Materials for use in-class will be posted at least one week in advance on-line to allow students to reflect on the subject and prepare. Questions for class discussion and assessment tasks will be available from the beginning of the module via the Weblearn site, which will include a list of resources students can use to answer the questions and study the subject in greater depth.

Throughout students will be encouraged to reflect on their learning, employability and skills training.

At the end of the module students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the ways in which African and Caribbean Londoners navigated the racial and socio-political context of historical and contemporary London.

2. To effectively communicate the ways in which African and Caribbean Londoners resisted racist oppression through activism, whilst demonstrating an awareness of the innovative, cultural creations borne out of these communities.

3. To analyse, multi-dimensional, complex narratives of inner-city London living, thinking beyond reductive racialised narratives.

4. To apply critical thinking skills within the framework of decolonisation, looking beyond a colonial lens in participating in and discovering non-traditional modes of learning and assessment.

5. Enhance the capacity to work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time-management, as well as co-operating with other students to achieve common goals.

Throughout the module formative work will be carried out which will focus on the needs of summative assessment, and to enable students to reflect on their understanding of the subject matter and to put in place learning strategies for the module. This will encourage the development of a variety of employability skills including: research involving information retrieval from a variety of primary and secondary resources; analysing and advocating solutions to problems; developing a reasoned argument; exercising critical judgement; communicating effectively; and collaborating with others towards a common goal.

There will be two summative assessments.

For the first summative assessment students will be given a task of creating a digital artefact centred on archiving the present-day experiences of African and Caribbean people in London, investigating and unpacking hidden narratives. Digital mediums used could include Audacity, TikTok, Instagram or blogs, and are subject to discussion with the module leader.

A second summative essay of 1,500 words will provide students with the opportunity to submit a major piece of work of their choosing on a key element of the module.

A student’s final grade will be an aggregate of the two summative assessments.

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/F378B0E3-9577-C24B-8552-0C7E5F6B2C7E.html?lang=en-US&login=1

Audio and Visual:

• Babylon. (1980). [Film] National Film Trustee Company Ltd.
• Dave (2019). Psychodrama. [Streamed] Neighbourhood. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/album/4GrFuXwRmEBJec22p58fsD.
• Dave (2021). We’re All Alone in This Together. [Streamed] Neighbourhood. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/album/6HwzIlrCDq3WF9vMq8meqG.
• GRM Daily (2020). Kano Performs “Teardrops” | Rated Awards 2020. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Onafw36BMIo.
• I May Destroy You, (2020). BBC.
• Small Axe. (2020). BBC.