Postgraduate Course: Early Modern Theories of Slavery, from Grotius to the Enlightenment (c. 1600-1800) (PGHC11147)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgraduate (School of History and Classics) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The subject of this course is the intellectual history of debates on slavery between the early seventeenth and the late eighteenth century, that is, approximately from the 'second scholastic' and the emergence of the 'modern' school of natural law to the American and French Revolutions. One of the central themes of this course will be the variety of early modern conceptions of slavery and of the debates focused on them. The course will explore: The range of meanings of 'slavery' and associated terms, which are used in the period c. 1600- 1800; The relationship between early modern debates about slavery and their intellectual, cultural and political contexts; Methodologies and approaches taken by modern scholars to the intellectual history of slavery; The question of the relationship between textual evidence and historical reality. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the course will have acquired an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the central debates about slavery in a wide range of works on political and moral philosophy, theology, law and political economy of the seventeenth and eighteenth century. In particular, they will:
-Have acquired a comprehensive understanding of the main currents of debate about slavery between 1600 and 1800;
-Be able to analyse early modern philosophical, religious and legal texts concerning slavery independently;
-Have acquired the ability to relate early modern debates over slavery to their specific historical contexts;
-Have developed an advanced understanding of the complex relationship between early modern theories of slavery and particular sources of classical antiquity (such as Roman Law) on which they draw.
Further, they will also be able to:
-Show a sound understanding of central methodological questions of intellectual history, using the example of early modern debates about slavery;
-Set their own historical research agenda in relation to the intellectual history of slavery debates in the early modern period;
-Prepare and present their own work for seminars and workshops;
-Contribute substantially to group discussion;
-Be able to make efficient use of library and IT resources |
Assessment Information
| One essay of 5000 words. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Thomas Ahnert
Tel: (0131 6)50 3777
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Lindsay Scott
Tel: (0131 6)50 9948
Email: |
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