INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: None Course Designation: Core GenEd - Civics & Perspectives Ethnic St - Ethnic Studies Breadth - Social Science Level - Elementary L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Spring 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Recognize the multitude of contributions that people of African descent made to the social, political, and economic development of the United States of America. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Describe how race-based discrimination was used to marginalize African Americans socially, politically, and economically, and how Black people fought back against institutional oppression. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Explain the creation, development, and legacies of race-based slavery in the United States. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Use primary sources and secondary peer-reviewed sources to explain and discuss how certain histories have been valued and devalued and how these differences have promulgated disparities in contemporary American society. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Demonstrate critical reading, writing, speaking, and thinking skills, specifically with respect to teaching students to harbor healthy skepticism toward knowledge claims. Audience: Undergraduate 6. Contribute as a well-rounded, informed, and educated citizen capable of beginning to address the goals of the Ethnic Studies Requirement. engendering students’ ability to participate in a multicultural society effectively and successfully and to specifically, “prepare students for life and careers in an increasingly multicultural U.S. environment, add breadth and depth to the University Audience: Undergraduate 7. Engender students’ ability to participate in a multicultural society effectively and successfully and to specifically, “prepare students for life and careers in an increasingly multicultural U.S. environment, add breadth and depth to the University curriculum, and to improve the campus climate.” Audience: Undergraduate 8. In-class discussions allow us to practice these skills and gain comfort in talking through difficult historical material. Students demonstrate the ability to have conversations with classmates about race and recognize inequities in institutions. Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Recognize the multitude of contributions that people of African descent made to the social, political, and economic development of the United States of America. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Describe how race-based discrimination was used to marginalize African Americans socially, politically, and economically, and how Black people fought back against institutional oppression. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Explain the creation, development, and legacies of race-based slavery in the United States. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Use primary sources and secondary peer-reviewed sources to explain and discuss how certain histories have been valued and devalued and how these differences have promulgated disparities in contemporary American society. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Demonstrate critical reading, writing, speaking, and thinking skills, specifically with respect to teaching students to harbor healthy skepticism toward knowledge claims. Audience: Undergraduate 6. Contribute as a well-rounded, informed, and educated citizen capable of beginning to address the goals of the Ethnic Studies Requirement. engendering students’ ability to participate in a multicultural society effectively and successfully and to specifically, “prepare students for life and careers in an increasingly multicultural U.S. environment, add breadth and depth to the University Audience: Undergraduate 7. Engender students’ ability to participate in a multicultural society effectively and successfully and to specifically, “prepare students for life and careers in an increasingly multicultural U.S. environment, add breadth and depth to the University curriculum, and to improve the campus climate.” Audience: Undergraduate 8. In-class discussions allow us to practice these skills and gain comfort in talking through difficult historical material. Students demonstrate the ability to have conversations with classmates about race and recognize inequities in institutions. Audience: Undergraduate