Introduction to Black Studies (236-0-20)

Instructors

Kennetta Perry

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-435: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

This course surveys major concepts, methodologies and issues of academic debate that have shaped the field of Black Studies in the U.S academy. Students will be introduced to the history of the development of the field of Black Studies and its connections to longstanding struggles for self-possessed Black educational spaces, diasporic and transnational movements shaped by Black intellectuals interrogating structures of power and disempowerment, as well as pedagogic practices regarding education as a political resource for social change. With a grounding in some of the broad historical currents shaping the history of the field, students will also be introduced to foundational concepts and intellectual frameworks that have shaped the field and continue to animate critical debates in Black Studies. In the final weeks of the course, students will actively engage a host of contemporary issues shaping cutting-edge research in the field including work on environmental and climate justice, discriminatory design in AI technologies, queer Black life on screen, and race and medicine. In doing so, students will encounter the complexities of Black life and its discontents and the dynamic nature of the histories and cultures of populations of the Black Diaspora.

Learning Objectives

• explain the historical development and role of Black Studies in the U.S. academy.
• understand some of the foundational concepts and theoretical frameworks shaping the field of Black Studies.
• understand and develop a critical awareness about the role that race and ideas about Blackness have played in shaping the histories, cultures and identities of people of African descent in various parts of the world.
• develop a transnational view of Black histories, cultures, communities and identities.
• develop a more expansive vocabulary for discussing contemporary racial politics.
• develop skills in critical thinking, analytical writing, collaboration and verbal communication.

Class Materials (Required)

All required readings and media for this course will be available on Canvas.

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
SoC Individual and Social Behavior Distro