Course for international guest/part time students
- Faculty
- Faculty of Humanities
- Organization
- BTK Department of English Studies
- Code
- OT-ANG17-390.14
- Title
- Elective Specialisation: Fighting racism with sport, music and humour: studying the history of anti-apartheid activism
- Usual semester
- Spring
- ECTS
- 3
- Language
- Learning outcomes
- The aim of this course is to deepen students’ engagement with the importance of activism and resistance movements that stood up against racial segregation, featuring sports, music, and humour. Through analysing the case of South African apartheid, this course will enhance critical analytical skills of students by aiding them in interpreting different historical narratives in their wider historical context. a) Knowledge Awareness of the main milestones of colonial South African history both before and after the introduction of Apartheid in 1948 Confident use of language and advanced vocabulary, both in comprehension and in composition Knowledge of various historical and cultural interpretations of the British empire and colonialism in general, in addition to gaining awareness of their logical connections b) Abilities Ability to read and interpret historical texts in English Ability to learn independently, and to carry out relevant research Ability to place historical and cultural sources in their relevant context Ability to express themselves clearly about the topics with a correct use of English Ability to recognise the connections and links between various primary sources (official records as well as music or comedy) and their cultural/historical contexts Ability to analyse primary sources in a broader sense, applying them to our everyday lives c) Attitude Openness towards the topics, methods and opinions raised in class Accepting of opinions, even if they are contrary to their own Openness to the possibility of a variety of interpretations Striving to master various analytical methods Showing an openness to historical and cultural sources (texts as well as audio-visual sources) that may prove difficult to comprehend at first Readiness to engage in constructive discussion and debate with peers and instructors d) Autonomy and Responsibility Ability to work independently with historical primary and secondary sources based on the material presented during the class Formulating their own opinions and contrasting them with those of their peers and instructors Carrying out independent research and formulating the results independently Patient listening to and respect for informed opinions Developing educated and ethically responsible opinions, ready to communicate them to prospective students Maintaining a critical and open-minded approach to the material presented
- Course content
- The course examines the history of global activism against the institutionalised racism of apartheid in South Africa throughout the second half of the twentieth century. We will focus on the role of sport and music and how they contributed to the boycott against the racist system. We will also highlight the importance of humour, especially in the period after the fall of the regime, highlighting the main functions of laughter in order to process society-wide and multi-generational trauma.
- Assessment method
- Term mark; 5-point scale. The course applies continuous assessment throughout the semester and is made up of three (3) components. Students’ attendance of the classes and their active contribution to discussions and debates there, based on their assigned weekly readings, will demonstrate their reading, critical analytical and speaking skills, and thus make up 30% of their final grade. Another 20% will be testing their comprehension and writing skills, in the form of brief homework assignments on Moodle 4. The remaining 50% will be the open-book, written in-class test at the end of the semester, which will assess students’ comprehension of debates and historiographical trends and cultural questions. Their continuous contribution to classroom debates and submission of homework assignments will prepare students for practising the skills to formulate their arguments in a succinct manner as well as being able to interpret a wide range of primary sources and place them in their proper socio-cultural contexts.
- Bibliography
- Booth, Douglas. “Hitting Apartheid for Six? The Politics of the South African Sports Boycott.” Journal of Contemporary History 38: 3, Sport and Politics (July 2003), pp. 477-493. Drewett, Michael. “The Eyes of the World Are Watching Now: The Political Effectivess of ‘Biko’ by Peter Gabriel.” Popular Music and Society 30: 1 (February 2007), pp. 39–51. Healy-Clancy, Meghan. “Women and apartheid,” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History (2017). Noah, Trevor. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (John Murray, 2017). Schumann, Anne. “The Beat that Beat Apartheid: The Role of Music in the Resistance against Apartheid in South Africa.” Stichproben. Wiener Zeitschrift für kritische Afrikastudien 14:8 (2008), pp. 17‐39. Skinner, Rob. “‘Every Bite Buys a Bullet’: Sanctions, Boycotts and Solidarity in Transnational Anti-apartheid Activism.” Moving the Social, Journal of Social History and the History of Social Movements 57 (2017), pp. 97–114. Trapido, Anna. Hunger for Freedom: The Story of Food in the Life of Nelson Mandela (Jacana Media, 2008).