African Americans in US History 4219-SA025
The goal of this class is to provide students with an overview of the experience of the African diaspora over the course of US history. It will address not just the narrative of that experience but also consider the social, cultural, and political dimensions of the interaction of Africans and Europeans in the US. It will help students understand the perspective of African Americans on that interaction through reading and analyzing the autobiographies of people like Mary Prince, Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass, Linda Brent, Solomon Northup, Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells, Mary Pauli, Anne Moody, Malcolm X and Barack Obama. It will seek to put those experiences in a comparative context by brief considerations of the African background of the diaspora and of slavery in Latin America. The course will conclude with a demographic consideration of the state of Black America.
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
By the end of the course, students will have
a basic overview of African American history
an understanding of the place of African Americans in US society
a basic knowledge of the contributions of African Americans to US culture
an awareness of how gender shapes African American experiences
Skills
During this course, students will develop their abilities to
conduct research on the lives of African Americans
communicate the results of that research in good English prose
analyze autobiographies for research purposes
Competences
By the end of the course, students will
understand the place of slavery in the African American experience
appreciate the successes of the Civil Rights movement
be aware of the continuing expressions of racism in contemporary American society
Assessment criteria
Requirements: attendance; active participation in class discussion; reading tests, book critique, final test.
Bibliography
General surveys:
Franklin, From Slavery to Freedom
Painter, Creating Black Americans
Maier, From Plantation to Ghetto
Boyd, Autobiography of a People
Jones, Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow
Holt, Major Problems in African American History, vols 1&2
Specific assignments will vary from semester to semester, for details see the current syllabus on COME.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: