C African-American History I

Catalog description

Term hours: 54 lecture. This course is a survey of the African-American experience in the United States from its African origins through the American Civil War, emphasizing the roles of African Americans in the political, social, and economic development of American society. Utilizing theoretical frameworks and methodologies from Ethnic Studies and African-American Studies, historical themes will be analyzed through an intersectional lens that interrogates categories of identity and power, including race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and religion. Focus is placed on agency by examining how African Americans theorized and practiced survival, cultural expression, and liberation as central to their struggles for equity and justice. Topics covered include: African societies and the trans-Atlantic slave trade; the racialization of Africans, their enslavement in the Americas, and their retention of African traditions; African-American participation in the American Revolution; the shaping of African-American culture in slavery and freedom; African-American community building and resistance; gender and racialized sexuality; the development of African-American political thought and the engagement of African Americans in political activism; the African-American determination for freedom through their participation in the American Civil War; and the struggles of African Americans for liberation and self-determination following emancipation. (UC/CSU, AA GE, CalGETC).