This course closely examines the contributions that people of African descent have made to the development of the United States. tt begins with the African origins of the Black population and traces their varied experiences through every major period in United States history from colonial times to the present. The course moves beyond politics to explore the rich cultural contributions made by African Americans in the areas of music, art, religion, and literature during such periods as the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights movement, and the contemporary Hip Hop era, to include the Black Lives Matter movement. The theoretical framework is designed to teach students to appreciate the beauty, complexities, and contradictions that are inherent in the American mosaic.
Prominent among the individuals we will study are Fredrick Douglas, Sojourner Truth, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Malcolm X. The schools of thought we will encounter encompass the ideological spectrum from conservatives to progressives. We will also consider the secondary works of the most eminent scholars in the related fields as each student is encouraged to reach independent conclusions about all the material presented in the course.