AAS 101 - Introduction to African American Studies

1 course unit

This course will provide an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of major themes and topics in African American experience. It will familiarize students with some of the central debates and problems within the field: Is there such a thing as a “Black” experience? How African is African American culture? What kinds of theories can we advance to explain the relationship between race and a range of social and economic indicators? How have scholars traditionally understood the connections between Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas? How do issues of gender affect issues of race? What new insights do postmodern and postcolonial theories offer on all these subjects? In addition, AAS 101 will draw on the instructor’s scholarly orientations; topics of study will include African American economic, political, and social institutions and their developments over time; artistic, intellectual, and social movements and their contributions to African American cultural history; and issues of identity in relation to changing social and cultural structures. Students will read major interdisciplinary works in historical and cultural studies and critical race theory. Students will explore influential theories and research methods in African American studies as well as the basic methods of interdisciplinary analysis and interpretation.
Meets general academic requirement D and effective Fall 2013 DE.