HI5047 - Migration, Diaspora and the Making of Modern Britain

You will learn on this module through lectures and seminars, in addition to regular student-led engagement with primary and secondary source material. The lectures explore the core themes of the module, and are organised both chronologically and thematically. You will also learn a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of migration and diaspora. This will include different historical approaches but also explore a variety of other disciplines (especially political studies, sociology, and anthropology). You will prepare for the seminars by undertaking essential and recommended reading, and will at times be asked to prepare and present a short, informal presentations to the class on this material. The seminars will also include small group work and larger class discussions, and will involve engaging and analysing a wide range of primary source material. All learning materials, tasks, and readings will be posting on the eLearning Portal (Blackboard) to enable participation in the seminar programme. In addition to the reading list, the module is accompanied by a film series that explores a range of the periods and themes that come up in the module. Discussion on the films will take place via threads on the module’s Blackboard Discussion Board.

Your academic development will be supported through your module tutor, engagement with your peers, and through the programme leader. The module tutor will be accessible within publicised Feedback and Consultation hours and via email. Support is also provided through group and individual tutorials, providing the opportunity for addressing specific issues and keeping track of progress. Your peers will provide you with a collaborative learning environment, and your programme leader will guide you through the requirements and expectations of your degree programme more broadly. Support will also be provided via threads on the module’s Blackboard Discussion Board. You will also be supported through individual engagement with the academic literature, lectures, and resources available on the eLP. Formative feedback will be on-going through seminar activities and assessment tasks.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Knowledge and understanding of how migration and diaspora have impacted modern Britain, and an awareness of key scholarly interventions and the types of historical sources that help us to understand histories of migration.
2. A critical understanding of conceptual and theoretical categories that relate to these themes.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. A range of transferable skills, including the ability to make independent critical judgements, to critically evaluate sources, to summarise the research of others, to present arguments in a cogent and persuasive way, and to understand contemporary debates around migration in their historical context.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
4. Awareness of and sensitivity towards the diversity of British history and the long history of pluralism, and an ability to understand and illuminate histories of marginalised communities, and foreground voices which have often been silenced by prevailing narratives.
5. Engagement with ethical questions around migration, including topics relating to empire and postcolonialism, the politics of immigration, racism, refugees and asylum seekers, and an understanding of intersectional approaches to migration, and its relationship with gender, race, sexuality, class, caste, and more.

1 x 1,000-word article on the historical impact of migration on a particular town/city/region in Britain.

Or

1 x 1,000-word article on one of the films curated for the module, and its connection with the themes covered in the module.

And

2 x 2,000-word essays

The essays will provide an opportunity for the students to demonstrate their understanding of migration and diaspora in the history of Britain, using a range of secondary and primary material, and showing skills in reading, analysis, source interpretation, criticism, and citation. These essays will be written in response to questions chosen from two thematic lists provided by the module tutor. One of the two essays will require a comparative component.

Formative assessment will be based around short student presentations in class.

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Migration has played a formative and transformative role in the history of Britain for many centuries. This module introduces students to the significant and varied impact that immigrants have made on the society, culture, politics and economics of Britain, with a focus on the last two hundred years. Students will explore what it means to call a community ‘a diaspora’, reflect on how multiculturalism has evolved and been resisted, and analyse the ways in which the British Empire and postcolonialism has affected patterns of mobility and circulation. The module will cover a wide range of time periods, concepts, and themes, with topics covering: anti-colonial struggles, Windrush and its legacy, refugees, national identity, music, food, and literature. Students will be introduced to and interpret a wide range of scholarship and diverse primary sources, as well as a series of films that relate to histories of migration and diaspora.