The African American Freedom Struggle

Catalog description

This seminar provides students with an overview of important topics and debates related to the African American Freedom Struggle from Reconstruction to the present. The course is organized chronologically and thematically to highlight the changing and distinctive concerns related to African Americans' efforts to secure the rights and benefits of American citizenship. Special attention is given to the ways in which high politics intersect with grassroots actions. The course considers African American mobilization throughout the entire country and does not simply address the more familiar southern post-WWII struggle. Not only will students gain a critical understanding of some central debates in this field, but also, they will begin to think about how they might teach this material to undergraduates.