The Alchemy of Race and Racism (Spring) (L3125B)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

On this module, you’ll explore how race and racism can be understood, traced and resisted across time, space and social positions.

You’ll examine:

  • key concepts such as race, racialisation and racism
  • examine what these key concepts (have the potential to) do in practice
  • which definitions are more and which are less helpful
  • the political economy of the formation of ideas about race
  • the structural embedding of these ideas within different contexts – including the Americas and Europe
  • the emergence of multiple registers of ‘Otherness’
  • the solidifying of ideas of ‘Whiteness’ and ‘Europeanness’
  • how racism persists and operates today
  • case studies of ‘doing race’ through genetics and ancestry testing
  • the criminalisation of bodies and their movement
  • how racism can be resisted through everyday intimacies and social struggles
  • paradigms of redress, such as reparations and abolitionism.

Teaching

50%: Lecture
50%: Seminar

Assessment

40%: Coursework (Professional log)
60%: Written assessment (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 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 2025/26. 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.

Courses

This module is offered on the following courses: