"Black like me?" A Global Exploration of Race, Colorism, and Racial Identity

Catalog description

The question, who am I? is universal across human societies, but it is intimately shaped by sociohistorical and political contexts. In this course, we explore identity questions related to race and Blackness, such as: What is race and how was it constructed? Who is Black and what does it mean to be Black across time and place? How do we learn about ourselves in relation to Blackness (and anti-Blackness)? Students will engage with multiple texts and materials that explore the subjectivities of racial identity within sociocultural, political, and historical contexts. Through class discussions and activities, journal prompts and qualitative interviewing, we will reflect on racial structures of a global society "as is" as well as Afro-futurism and "figured worlds" to collectively reimagine who and what we are beyond structures of anti-Black racism. Methodologically, students will practice asking real questions and use critical qualitative methods to design an interview protocol, conduct their own identity-focused interview, and analyze and interpret their data to come to new ways of knowing about themselves, each other, and the world. This course will be offered in January-Term 2026.