Black Men and Masculinities

Catalog description

Black Men and Masculinities is an interdisciplinary course that examines the diverse experiences of black men and the public discourses about black masculinities primarily in the U.S. The major thrust of the course is to examine how the gendered social order influences black men’s actions and the way black men perceive themselves, other men, women, and social situations. We will use an intersectionality perspective to explore the relationships between multiple dimensions of social relations and inequalities: gender, race/ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation. We will also consider how black masculinities are produced in various physical/social sites. This course evaluates the prospects for social change in how black men think, feel, and act. It addresses issues such as: black male socialization and boyhood/guyland culture, the black male body image, black male friendship, black male sexuality and fertility, black men’s experiences as fathers and their involvement in volunteer and paid youth work, male aggression and violence, the social construction of masculinities in different historical and cultural contexts, and men’s movements and networks.