The Legacy of Lynching

Catalog description

Utilizing sociology as the primary discipline to frame classroom discussion, the course calls into question the scope and scale of lynching as a phenomenon in U.S. society and beyond. Who lost their life to its existence? How long did it last? And, what are its impacts in the present? These questions are the crux for the motivations and purpose for this course. In order to understand the culture of lynching we must explore through research the actions and motivations of the lynchers rather than the lynched. From this sociological exploration, we will also employ anthropology (lynching culture), history (lynching history), geography (lynching sites), and media studies (lynching photography & art) to further question: What are its origins? Why did it occur? Where else does it exist? And, how do we live with its legacy today?