Early Black British Writers



Overview

There is a rich tradition of writing by people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain, going back to the eighteenth century. On this course, you will read some of the early examples, from Ukawsaw Gronniosaw’s personal narrative, published in 1772, to the 1857 ‘wonderful adventures’ of Mary Seacole, who famously nursed British and French soldiers in the Crimean War. The other writers you will look at are Ignatius Sancho, Olaudah Equiano, and Mary Prince.

The period during which these people wrote witnessed slavery and its abolition in Britain, and massive imperial expansion. In these tumultuous times, the writers on this course led astonishing lives. Their writings are no less astonishing, not only in their content, but also in their forms, which push the boundaries of such genres as the letter, life-writing, and travel literature. And it was at this time that the slave narrative emerged as an important new kind of writing.

By reading these texts closely, you will come to a greater understanding and appreciation of the issues at stake for early Black British writers in finding a voice, and the strategies they adopted in doing so. You will also learn a great deal about the historical and social contexts in which their writings were produced. There will be plenty of opportunity for you to share your ideas and insights, and to develop your research and writing skills.

All the primary texts on the course are available online.

Programme details

Courses starts: 23 Apr 2024

Week 1: Introduction

Week 2: Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, A Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, an African Prince, as Related by Himself (1772)

Week 3: Ignatius Sancho, Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African (1782)

Week 4: Ignatius Sancho, Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African (1782)

Week 5: Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African (1789)

Week 6: Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African (1789)

Week 7: Mary Prince, The History of Mary Prince (1831)

Week 8: Mary Seacole, The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands (1857)

Week 9: Mary Seacole, The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands (1857)

Week 10: Conclusion

Certification

Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £257.00
Take this course for CATS points £10.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Ben Grant

Dr Ben Grant is a Lecturer in English Literature in the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. He has a research background in postcolonial studies and cultural translation. His first book, Postcolonialism, Psychoanalysis and Burton: Power Play of Empire (2009), was about the iconic Victorian explorer and translator, Richard Francis Burton, who began his career as a spy in British India. Ben is also interested in all forms of brevity in literature, and his second book, The Aphorism and Other Short Forms (2016), aims to give a consolidated picture of the exciting and often marginalised genres of the aphorism and related short forms, such as the proverb and the fragment. Ben is currently writing a book on the contemporary British-Jewish writer Jenny Diski for Manchester University Press.

Course aims

This course aims to introduce students to key examples of early Black British writing in their literary and historical contexts.

Course objectives:

  • To read early Black British writings closely, and in their historical contexts.
  • To develop an understanding of a variety of different forms of writing, including life-writing and travel literature.
  • To learn about the critical debates surrounding the writings on the course.

Teaching methods

Seminars will take the form of guided discussions. I will provide you with worksheets in advance to help you prepare, and I will bring supplementary materials to seminars. Student participation is expected and welcomed.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  • have a good knowledge and understanding of the early tradition of Black British writing;
  • be able to locate the texts studied in their literary, critical, and historical contexts;
  • have an enhanced ability to develop and communicate ideas orally and in writing.

Assessment methods

You will be asked to give a short presentation in one of the weeks of the course, in which you will discuss an aspect of the text read that week. Guidance will be given on how to do this, and you will receive oral feedback from the tutor and the other students.

You will then write a 1500 word piece at the end of the course, which will be a critical essay on one or more of the texts on the course.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).

Level and demands

Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support