Resources
Educational Resources for Schools and Individuals
One of the main objectives for The Black Humanities Project Team is to inspire educators to offer a more diverse curriculum. Since the beginning of the project, Student Coordinators have been researching and developing educational resources which teachers and individuals can freely access.
Please take a moment to look through the various resources created below. Each resource has an accompanying lesson plan which you can use within your own classroom.
Black Figures
The workshop gives participants an interactive opportunity to learn about Black and minority ethnic figures who have been forgotten or whose stories do not get told. Participants will develop knowledge of these figures and gain more context as they compare them to people they may have already heard of.
By exploring a wider array of historical figures, participants will gain understanding that the people they learn about in school are not necessarily the only figures of their time and that there were many black figures doing similar, and in some cases, better work than the white figures who tend to be more famous.
Forgotten Faces: A Journey Through Unequal Legacies
Forgotten Faces: A Journey Through Unequal Legacies - Lesson Plan
The goal of this activity is to introduce participants to significant Black figures in various humanities disciplines, including literature and creative writing, history, visual arts, music and performing arts, and academia.
Participants will learn about various Black figures before embarking on a perilous hot air balloon journey in which only one of them can survive as the hot air keeping them aloft is rapidly being lost through a hole in the balloon. But who will survive?
From the information they have learnt about their person, they must defend their character and fight for their survival by arguing why they should stay in the balloon based on their contributions and significance.
Sky High Debates: Arts and Humanities Hot Air Balloon Challenge
Sky High Debates: Arts and Humanities Hot Air Balloon Challenge - Lesson Plan
Discover the powerful stories of influential Black figures through the vibrant world of rap and music. This isn't about performing—it's about diving deep into the lives and struggles of these icons, using music as our guide. Experience how music can shape the world and serve as a compelling medium for social and political commentary, transforming storytelling into an art form that inspires and educates. As part of the workshop, participants write their own rap using a Black figure as stimulus.
Rhythms of Resistance: Exploring Humanities through Rap and Music - Resources
Rhythms of Resistance: Exploring Humanities through Rap and Music - Lesson Plan
How have activists such as bell hooks and Sojurner Truth campaigned for prevalent problems relating to the black experience?
Created by Zahrah Ali
Politics, Media & History
By definition of the United Nations, diamonds defined as conflict/blood diamonds are those extracted in conflicted states and sold to fund military action against legitimate, internationally recognised government of a country. Blood diamonds have contributed to funding/financing violence back to the 50s, its exposure came to light in the 1980s.
This session will:
- Provide an alternative perspective on our traditional Cold War beliefs
- Allow students to understand that history isn't written in stone, and that it must be continuously reviewed
- Provide an understanding of why the Horn of Africa is important within Cold War literature.
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:
- Understand the difference between Law, Morals and Ethics.
- Recognize Bias in Britain’s law system.
- Have an extensive knowledge of police powers in the UK.
What does representation mean to you? Begin to unpack the meaning of this word and its importance with this short introduction to Media Representation!
The video links below will take you to a talk by Stuart Hall on Media Representation. The PDF link is a transcript of this talk. Please watch BOTH videos or read the PDF (pages 6-9) before continuing the presentation.
Video 1- https://youtu.be/aTzMsPqssOY?t=162
Video 2- https://youtu.be/HXdqV6cjHqs?t=263
Link to PDF - https://www.mediaed.org/transcripts/Stuart-Hall-Representation-and-the-Media-Transcript.pdf
Created by Rianne Wharton
Literature, Drama & Creative Writing
How has where you’ve been defined who you are? Drawing inspiration from American poet Terrance Hayes and places that you’ve lived, we will work together to create our own monologues.
Beginning with the main lecture video, you will be introduced to the poet Terrance Hayes and his work “Wind in a Box,” from which we will be creating out of. Next, the activity below will guide you as you begin writing your own monologue of your chosen location.
Monologue/Hayes Lecture
Activity: Textual Response
1. Choose a location in your life/somewhere you are familiar with (Example: my grandpa's garden)
2. Following the structure of “Wind in a Box,” write a monologue from that location/reveal your location with your writing (let that location guide you) (Do not feel pressured to have a “good” piece of writing! Take about ten minutes and write from your experiences and memories and see what comes out. The purpose is to start exercising your voice from a specific place so have fun with it!
EXAMPLE: This softness. This noise. This skin. This becoming shy. This steady walk. This subsoil. This fable / stretching / catlike / fingers searching This hope for just ripened fruit. This is where I peered over/ over grown fences / with streamed sun beating down / Just enough above the grasses / in to grown lives / behind the kitchen noises.
3. Sharing and developing:
- Choose three lines of your monologue.
- Speak it aloud to yourself
- Try speaking these lines in different ways! (loudly, quietly, walking, lying down, with your eyes closed, to another person) See the different ways in which you sound and see if you can see the place you’ve chosen in what you’ve written. Remember the questions: Where is the speaker? What are they feeling?
Created by Allison Ko
What if you could take Shakespeare’s words and tell a completely new story? Check out our adaptation session on how to create drama using classic texts as a tool.
The below videos will introduce you to how adaptation is a tool for writing color, femininity, and a way to express and fight taboos in society. You will explore texts and can begin to follow guidelines as a writer for how to get started adapting yourselves.
- RSC Richard II (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UHaMJEE0MM&feature=emb_logo) (1:14-3:45)
- Mawa Theatre Richard II (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHrXAJ93hRU&t=4734s) (1:55:50-1:57:55)
Questions
- What similarities did you catch from the two versions of the play? What differences?
- How does the message/the story change as a result of these differences?
Meet the directors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB_tL_--ccU
Subject Exploration and Graduate Opportunities
Embark on an exciting journey with "Piece by Piece: Exploring Humanities Graduate Opportunities"! This engaging activity invites participants to dive into the world of humanities degrees and the myriad career paths they unlock. As you piece together the jigsaw puzzle, you'll uncover diverse opportunities available to arts and humanities graduates. From creative industries and education to public service and beyond, this interactive experience not only challenges your problem-solving skills but also illuminates the rich tapestry of possibilities awaiting you. "Piece by Piece" is a fun and informative way to connect your interests and passions with your professional aspirations. Join us and discover how each piece of your humanities education can lead to a fulfilling and dynamic future!
Piece by Piece: Exploring Humanities Graduate Opportunities - Lesson Plan
Here's a little infographic the Black Humanities Project Team created which may be useful as part of the session on graduate opportunities or simply printing out and sharing in your classroom. It shows the myriad of graduate job opportunities for graduates of arts and humanities courses.
Have you used any of the BHP resources?
If you have used any of the BHP resources, it would be great to hear your feedback: blackhumanities.project@uea.ac.uk.