Short course
Race and Slavery in the USA
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Dates:
02/11/2026 - 30/11/2026
Study format:
In-person weekly
Fees:
£190.00
The history of the United States is, inescapably, a history of slavery. America’s wealth was built on the backs of millions of enslaved Black labourers who endured hardships beyond imagination.
This module considers key aspects of American slavery in the USA between 1776 to 1865. Issues to be explored include the nature of enslaved families, enslaved work patterns, enslaved culture and belief systems, enslaved solidarity and divisions as well as the exploitation of enslaved people through physical or sexual abuse and enforced separations. The module also explores enslaved people’s resistance and the varied methods of opposition enslaved people deployed to oppose and survive the institution of slavery.
There will be a focus on gender throughout the course. Key primary sources from enslaved people’s perspectives are used throughout, including the narratives and autobiographies of formerly enslaved people. Participants will also examine primary evidence from enslavers and white society such as fugitive slave adverts, bills of sale, and the diaries and letters of slave owners.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Level and demands
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at first year undergraduate level.
Course aims
Course aim:
This course aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the history of slavery in the United States and the lives of enslaved people who experienced human bondage in the US slaveholding south.
Course objectives:
This course will enable participants to gain a systematic knowledge and understanding of the history of the institution of slavery in the United States and develop key historical skills through the analysis of primary sources and secondary historiographical literature.
By the end of the course, participants will have been given the opportunity to gain an understanding of the most recent research into the subject of US slavery.
Programme details
Course starts Monday 2 November 2026
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Mondays, 4.30-6.30pm.
Week 1: The Origins of Slavery in the US.
Week 2: The Domestic Slave Trade.
Week 3: Exploitation, Labour, and Gender.
Week 4: Resistance and Opposition.
Week 5: Slavery, Emancipation, and the Civil War.
Teaching methods
This course consists of five in-person classes. The teaching will include tutor introductions and PowerPoint presentations, but the emphasis will be on student input and interaction. Contemporary written and visual sources will be used as a regular focus for discussion.
The entirety of this course will be research-led and participants will have the opportunity to engage with a broad range of primary sources and archival materials on US slavery.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course participants will have been given the opportunity to:
- Understand key developments and themes in US slavery history.
- Understand the ways in which race and racism shaped American life, from the colonial era to the Civil War.
- Critically analyse and evaluate a broad range of primary sources relating to slavery, race, class, and gender.
- Demonstrate an understanding of US slavery systems; their continuity and change over time; and their contribution to modern US history.
Assessment methods
This course is not accredited, so there are no assessments or coursework.
Dr Erin Shearer
Dr Erin Shearer is an Associate Tutor for the Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education and a Fellow-in-Residence at the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford. She obtained her doctorate at the University of Reading in 2024 and her research interests centre on slavery, race, resistance, and gender in the Americas. She has published aspects of her research in the Women’s History Review, American Nineteenth Century History, and in edited volumes.
Certification
Digital badge
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.
After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add this badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee | £190.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, 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
Recommended reading
Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.
Library facilities
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Library, part of the Bodleian Libraries, for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are also welcome to use the Library for reference.
- More information about the Library can be found on the Bodleian Libraries website.
- This guide for Weekly Class students also provides further information.
Preparatory reading
- Slavery and the Making of America / Horton, James
- Enslaved Women in America: From Colonial Times to Emancipation / West, Emily
Module code: O26P405HIW
How to enrol
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.
