Foundations of African American Studies

African American Studies is a multi- and interdisciplinary field of inquiry that considers the relationship between the making of Blackness and the invention of America since its founding from slavery into the present. The goal of this Foundations course is twofold: to demonstrate how a critical history of the United States and the Americas is incomplete without a close consideration the daily life, diverse experiences, and political developments of Black Americans, as well as how Americanness and other categories of identity (race, gender, class, sexuality, etc.) are constructed in relation to Black people. In doing so, we will engage significant texts in African American Studies that investigate critical moments in American history - from slavery, Reconstruction, and Civil Rights to significant eras of the late twentieth century into the present (including our current political milieu). We will explore important texts and authors from diverse fields (e.g., sociology, musicology, religion, politics, economics, philosophy, the arts, etc.) within African American Studies that explore the political, artistic, social, economic, religious, and other lived experiences and contributions of African Americans within the making of this nation and its people. Our inquiries into Black life within the United States will equip students with in-depth knowledge that addresses the often understudied (racialized) intricacies built into the political and cultural systems that buttress many of the economic and social challenges that plague contemporary society. From foundational texts, such as W. E. B. Du Bois' Black Reconstruction, to fictional works like Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower, to more contemporary works, such as Saidiya Hartman's Wayward Lives, we will consider a range of writing, performances, and other forms of production through our exploration within this course. Students will gain a working knowledge of key questions, theories, and methodologies across the diverse field and practice of African American Studies.