Foundations of African American Studies II

Beginning in post-1865 and ending in the present-day, this course examines African American life, history, culture and the development of the field of African American Studies. This interdisciplinary course will explore various historical, political, social, and artistic themes that impact our understanding of Black life and identity. To do this, we will draw from a broad range of scholarship to introduce students to the intellectual history of African American Studies as a field of study--its genealogy, development, and major debates. Though most of the course will focus on the United States, time will be dedicated to how to place the history of African Americans in the United States within a global context. Students will be exposed to a range of topics to develop a critical understanding of various movements in Black history and key concepts such as Black feminisms, mass incarceration, transformative and restorative justice, Afrocentricity, Pan-Africanism, and the African Diaspora.