2024/25 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

HIST3920 People and Protest: Transnational Activism in the 20th Century and Beyond

20 creditsClass Size: 30

Module manager: Dr Eline Van Ommen
Email: e.vanommen@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module introduces students to the history of social justice and protest movements in the twentieth century through a transnational lens. Histories of protest have traditionally been written from local or national perspectives, centralizing actors in Europe and North America. Yet, as we will find out, activists and other non-state actors often looked across borders and made connections – both real and imagined – to like-minded people across the globe. These connections, in turn, transformed the nature of protest, as transnational activists shared ideas, debated strategies, and mobilized resources. Crucially, actors from the Global South played key roles in transnational protest movements. More than spontaneous outbursts of humanitarianism or solidarity in the West, then, transnational protest movements often find their origins in the Global South. Armed revolutionary movements seeking international legitimacy, for example, reached out to audiences abroad, amplifying their message through the coordination of transnational networks of solidarity activists. To be sure, transnational histories of protest are not only about collaboration and connections, and this module will also look at tensions, breakdowns, and the power hierarchies that activists worked within.

Objectives

Drawing on secondary and primary sources in English, the objective of this module is to provide students with an understanding of the history of 20th century protest and to engage them in a lively debate on the benefits and flaws of transnational history as a method to study social justice and protest movements.

Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this module, students will have:

Demonstrated a deeper understanding of transnational history as a method to write the history of protest movements in the twentieth century

Presented arguments, ideas, and interpretations of the history of protest movements in the 20th century and beyond, both verbally and in written form

Applied their understanding of transnational protest movements with concrete historical examples and case studies

Developed the ability to apply fundamental standards and practices of historical study for research, discussion, and assessed work. 

Syllabus

Indicative topics may include: transnational methodologies and historiographies; strengths, weaknesses, and the future of transnational history; transnational feminism; Third World solidarity; human rights activism; anti-colonial activism; environmental activism; humanitarianism; anti-imperialism; the peace movement; anti-communism; struggles for racial equality and indigenous rights.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminar	11	2.00	22.00
Private study hours			178.00
Total Contact hours			22.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will receive feedback after their presentation and also during class discussion.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay or Dissertation	3000-word essay	60.00
Oral Presentation	15 minute presentation with 1000-word script	40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

The presentation can be replaced as a resit if necessary by a 2000 word essay.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 10/05/2024

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