Syllabus

Readings for this seminar are selected from scholars writing in a variety of disciplines. Our approach, therefore, will be interdisciplinary and comparative. Through guided readings, film viewing, participant observation, class discussions, research, participation in selected events and personal reflection/writing, you will be able to achieve the following goals:

1.	Situate the African American community in its historical and social context and demonstrate how the intersections of race, class, and gender have shaped the contemporary position of the community in U.S. society;
2.	Deconstruct the concept of race and critically evaluate its appropriateness for the emancipatory project;
3.	Identify diversity within African American populations and explore its implications for an emancipatory project based on a nationalistic politics of identity;
4.	Critically examine the problems and effects of “stereotyping” for African Americans and show the relationships between socio-political forces, media representations and popular culture;
5.	Identify and analyze several critical issues and trends which are currently affecting different African American populations and the community as a whole;
6.	Articulate an enabling praxis for Africans in the Americas for the 21st century.