This course will explore the work of the Turner prize winning artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen. Awarded an Oscar in 2014 for his film, 12 Years a Slave, McQueen has been producing politically and racially committed artworks and films since the early 1990s. His most recent project, the five film Small Axe (2020) was broadcast on the BBC amid increasing recognition that racial prejudice for Britain’s ethnic minorities remains as prevalent today as it was half a century ago. This course will examine McQueen’s work as a response to and an engagement with these experiences.