ES 251 Introduction to African-American Studies

This course introduces students to the theoretical models used in the interdisciplinary study of African-America. Using a thematic approach, students will learn to critically engage the development of and dynamics between race, racism and blackness in the United States. This course, then, highlights the symbiotic relationship between structural domination and cultural resistance. This course pays special attention to the intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality. Topics covered include slavery and the slave trade, colonialism and imperialism, racial segregation and disfranchisement, migration and urbanization, popular cultural representations, black nationalism and internationalism, civil rights and black power, and black cultural productions. 

Credits

4

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Discuss the history and development of African American Studies including debates among African American Studies scholars. 
2. Compare intellectual trends in the field of African American Studies.
3. Examine the histories, experiences, political projects, and literary and cultural productions of black people in the African Diaspora.
4. Think critically about contemporary issues concerning blacks in the U.S. in relational contexts and projections of “blackness" in American political, ideological discourses, popular culture, and media.