AFAM 110N-002 –
Introduction to African American Studies

This course is an introduction to African American studies as both a political and intellectual project. We will look at the discipline’s history, its most prominent thinkers and institutional locations, as well as the influence of African American studies both inside and outside of the academy. We will consider how student protests, political and cultural movements, important thinkers, and critical debates have shaped the field and how it has changed over time in response to new political and demographic realities. Beginning with the field's origins in 1960s-era student protests, this course considers the major concepts and methodological approaches—sociological, anthropological, historical, literary—that have shaped the field since its inception in 1968. We will consider the major themes and debates that have dominated African American studies and how they have changed over time. Focusing on critical texts including W.E.B. DuBois’s The Souls of Black Folks, Angela Y. Davis’ Woman, Race and Class and Michael Gomez’s Reversing Sail we will follow the field's evolution from one focused on the United States to one that encompasses African diasporic populations around the globe. We will assess the impact of African American studies in colleges and universities as well as in grassroots communities. Some topics we will examine include: the difference between African American studies as an intellectual project and African American studies as a political project; how theories about gender inequality have shaped the field; how theories about class inequality have shaped the field; how the diasporic turn has shaped the field; what U.S. demographic trends may mean for the future of African American studies.