HIST 24900 - Intellectual History of Black America

Course Credit: 1
Maximum Credit: 0

INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF BLACK AMERICA In this writing course, students will examine African American social and intellectual history, beginning with black activists’ responses to lynching in the late 19th century and concluding with their responses to contemporary forms of racial inequality. We will place these black intellectuals and activists within the context of both domestic and global struggles, as well as engage issues around nationality, race, class, gender, and sexuality. Students will be introduced to the writings and speeches of black activists, such as Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. Du Bois, Frantz Fanon, Aime Cesaire, Malcolm X, Assata Shakur, Angela Davis, Audre Lorde, and many others. Through interrogating primary sources, students will learn how to analyze and use them as historical documents as well as the evidentiary basis of their research projects. Writing assignments will be organized around helping students to unpack the writing process, as well as equipping them with strategies to better approach drafting and the revision process. [C, HSS, W]