Module overview
In to order address any contemporary global challenge, it is vital that we understand the roots of the problem and its historical context. This module examines human rights and identity by broadly exploring the history of poverty and wealth from antiquity to the present day. It considers how political systems of economic control, such as capitalism and communism, have shaped human history. This module also investigates the post-war human rights movement and explores the contemporary challenges to these rights. Finally, the module takes a broad view of justice and identity by considering race, gender, and sexuality, and exploring the historic and contemporary challenges posed to these identities.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- a wide variety of secondary source material relating to the history of identity and rights, including theoretical frameworks used in the field.
- the history of identity and rights, in particular historic and contemporary challenges posed to identities.
- a wide variety of primary sources relating to the history of identity and rights.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- undertake a thorough critical analysis and assessment of a variety of textual, visual and material culture sources.
- engage with historiography and theoretical frameworks, contributing to the debates relating to the history of identity and rights and its relationship to historic and contemporary challenges.
- apply your developed knowledge, structuring your ideas and research findings into well-ordered assignments.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- research complex historical questions and communicate your findings convincingly and concisely in assignments.
- use to good effect textual, visual and material culture sources, synthesising this material to develop cogent and persuasive arguments.
- utilise and develop your time-management skills.
Syllabus
Topics to be explored on the module may include capitalism, communism, human rights, race, gender.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include lectures and seminars.
Learning methods include close analysis of a range of primary sources and discussion of key themes and ideas.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 12 |
| Seminar | 12 |
| Completion of assessment task | 50 |
| Wider reading or practice | 26 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 50 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Andrew Clapham (2015). Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction. OUP.
Robert C. Allen (2013). Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction. OUP.
Shoshana Zuboff (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for A Human Future at the Frontier of Power. Profile Books.
Charlotte Lydia Riley (ed.) (2021). The Free Speech Wars: How Did We Get Here and Why Does It Matter?. Manchester UP.
Micheline Ishay (2004). The History of Human Rights: From Ancient Times to the Globalization Era. University of California Press.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Written assignment | 40% |
| Essay | 60% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Resubmit assessments | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Written assignment | 40% |
| Essay | 60% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External