Introduction to African-American History: Key concepts from 1700-1861 (212-1-20)
Instructors
Joshua Lee Crutchfield
Meeting Info
Fisk Hall 114: Mon, Wed 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
This course explores the history of African American people, beginning with their West African origins and examining their pursuit of freedom, dignity, and self-determination from the Atlantic slave trade through the Civil War. Organized chronologically, the course highlights the social, political, cultural, and intellectual forces, key figures, and organizations that shaped the early African American experience. Special attention is given to the role of gender in shaping experiences of slavery, white supremacy, patriarchy, and resistance to this oppression. Additionally, the course investigates how the legacies of slavery, sexual violence, systemic discrimination, and labor exploitation have contributed to many challenges faced by African Americans and black people in America today. Finally, it reveals how foundational ideas of freedom, resistance, rebellion, and self-determination emerged from the early experiences of Africans in America.
Learning Objectives
• Gain a foundational understanding of how African Americans have shaped and reshaped America, the challenges they have faced, and how they have defined their history, culture, and struggle for equality.
• Develop students' ability to think critically and analyze visual materials with an informed perspective.
• Strengthen students' public speaking skills through class discussions and presentations.
• Enhance students' writing skills, emphasizing organization, content, coherence, and the use of evidence.
• Demonstrate historical change over time, helping students understand how societal constructions of black culture have evolved and been transformed.
• Build students' skills in reading and interpreting historical data.
• Encourage students to reflect on their own professional and intellectual development.
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Associated Classes
DIS - University Hall 122: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM
DIS - Harris Hall L07: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM
DIS - University Hall 122: Fri 1:00PM - 1:50PM