African American Studies (AFAM)

AFAM 2010. Intro-African American Studies (3) 

This course introduces the field of African American Studies through an interdisciplinary lens. It incorporates social sciences, historical studies, literary studies, religious studies, and the arts, both music and visual art, to examine the multifaceted experiences of African Americans. Thus, it explores and contextualizes the experiences of African Americans as part of the larger African Diaspora.

AFAM 2050. AFAM Intellectuals (3) 

This course focuses on historical and contemporary African American intellectuals that have contributed to our understanding of the Black experience in America. Students will learn about Black scholars who have offered viewpoints on a myriad of topics such as race, racism, nationalism, politics, social justice, aesthetics, and theology.

AFAM 3100. Harlem Renaissance (3) 

This course will explore the lives and impact of literary figures, performers, and visual artists during the prominent 1920s movement. It will also review related themes and events, such as economic, political, and social oppression, racial tensions, New York City nightlife, and the Great Migration.

AFAM 3200. Black Arts Movement (3) 

This course is an introduction to the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, a racially-specific artistic period created by African-American artists, writers, and musicians who were committed to creating politically and socially conscious art. The course contextualizes the movement by examining the revolutionary movements from which the Black Arts Movement sprang, and fostered, during this important era in American history. The contributions of intellectual thinkers and artists such as Malcolm X, Amiri Baraka, Maya Angelou, and Nikki Giovanni will be examined. The course also examines how the Black Arts Movement influences contemporary intellectual thinkers and artists by asking what role, if any, does the ‘political’ play in artistic creation?

AFAM 3300. Black Popular Culture (3) 

This course is an introduction to, and exploration of, Black visual and representative culture in the United States. It incorporates written, audio, and visual texts in an effort to examine the ways that visual and narrative cultures are interrelated to the lived experiences of Black communities in the United States and Americans in general. A focus will be on the complexity of the reception of these productions and the various ways that Black communities engage in cultural expression.

AFAM 3400. Blackness & Media Culture (3) 

This course is an introduction to, and exploration of, the representation of African Americans and Black bodies in visual and narrative cultures in the United States. It incorporates written and visual texts to examine the ways that visual and narrative cultures are interrelated to the lived experiences of those represented and others. A focus will be on the complexity of the reception of these productions and the various ways that African Americans and Black bodies engage in cultural expression.

AFAM 3510. Black Feminist/Womanist Theory (3) 

This course examines the development of scholarship in Black Feminist and Womanist Theories as Black women confronted racism and sexism. By examining Black Feminist and Womanist writings and intellectual thought, such as that of Anna Julia Cooper, bell hooks, Barbara Smith, and Patricia Hill Collins, just to name a few, the class will focus on the evolution of the theories. The tenants of Black Feminism and Womanism will be enumerated, along with the scholars in the field.

AFAM 3610. #BlackGirlMagic (3) 

This course is an introduction to, and exploration of, the Black female body in visual and narrative cultures. It incorporates written and visual texts (including film, television, newsprint, and music) to examine the ways that visual and narrative cultures are interrelated to the lived experiences of Black girls and women. This course will also examine the various ways that the Black female body engages in cultural expression and negotiate identity in visual and narrative cultures and US society. It interrogates the interrelationships of gender, race, and class.

AFAM 4100. AFAM Sociological Thinkers (3) 

This course offers a review of the history of African Americans in the United States from a sociological viewpoint. Special attention will be given to important African American sociologists who contributed to our understanding of the Black experience in the United States.

Prerequisites: SOCI 1101 or AFAM 2010

AFAM 4800. Special Topics in AFAM (3) 

Topics will focus on African American Studies.

AFAM 4801. Special Topics in AFAM (3) 

Topics will focus on African American Studies.

AFAM 4802. Special Topics in AFAM (3) 

Topics will focus on African American Studies.

AFAM 4803. Special Topics in AFAM (3) 

Topics will focus on African American Studies.

AFAM 4804. Special Topics in AFAM (3) 

Topics will focus on African American Studies.

AFAM 4805. Special Topics in AFAM (3) 

Topics will focus on African American Studies.

AFAM 4806. Special Topics in AFAM (3) 

Topics will focus on African American Studies.