W.E.B. Du Bois.

Catalog description

Considered one of the most significant American political thinkers of the twentieth century, William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois stands as a towering figure in a range of humanistic and social scientific disciplines. From watershed concepts like the “color line” and “double-consciousness” to his pioneering work in what would become urban sociology, revisionist U.S. historiography, and Negro/Black/Africana Studies, Du Bois’ contributions to contemporary scholarship are as vast as they are enduring. In this course, we will read select key works of Du Bois’ with attention to a variety of interpretations. Our aim is to collectively determine—from a distinctly Christian perspective—the degree to which we might find the arguments encountered in Du Bois’ texts persuasive (or not) as they bear on both Christian faith/practice and on the world. Through dialogue and writing, students will develop their ability to compare and critically (though charitably) assess the disparate foundations and influences of Du Bois’ work while also establishing their own scholarly, political, economic, and social voices. In so doing, students will work out a nuanced view of comparative, global, and African diasporic political and social thought, both within and outside of the global church.