Introduction to African American History: Emancipation to Civil Rights Movement (212-2-20)

Instructors

Joshua Crutchfield

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L28: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

This course examines African American history from the end of the Civil War through contemporary movements such as Black Lives Matter, tracing political, social, and cultural struggles for Black freedom across Reconstruction, Jim Crow segregation, the Great Migration, black nationalists and radical intellectual and organizing traditions, the long civil rights movement, Black Power, mass incarceration, and twenty-first-century freedom movements. Through engagement with primary sources, students will develop core historical skills including research, close reading, contextualization, and evidence-based argumentation. Every class session features a History Lab, a hands-on activity where students analyze historical sources, compare scholarly interpretations, and practice the critical thinking central to historical inquiry. Generative AI tools are integrated throughout the course as a tool and object of critical analysis: students will learn to use AI ethically and transparently while systematically critiquing AI outputs for accuracy, bias, and historical validity by verifying them against primary sources and scholarship. This dual focus on rigorous historical method and critical AI literacy prepares students both to understand the complex history of Black freedom struggles and to navigate emerging technologies thoughtfully in academic and public contexts.

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: PRE-REG: Reserved for Black Studies majors & minors.
Add Consent: Department Consent Required

Associated Classes

DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 4-410: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM

DIS - University Library 4770: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM

DIS - University Library 5322: Fri 1:00PM - 1:50PM