50:014:104 Power and Decision Making in Urban Communities (R) (3)
Examines the decision-making process in the urban community; the dynamics of the group; formal and informal power structures in the urban community; and their influence on the decision-making process. Cross listed with Urban Studies: 50:975:104 Power and Decision Making in Urban Communities
50:014:130 Introduction to Africana Studies (D) (3) Introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Africana studies. Organized around central themes and forces that have shaped and been shaped by the life experiences of people of African descent. This course originates in Africana Studies.
50:014:200 The Psychology of Minority Groups (D) (3)
Examination of the personality patterns, psychological dynamics, and social-cultural styles that emerge from the encounter of minority groups with American culture. Attempts made to define the major psychological events within minority groups as they relate to developmental processes, attitudes, perceptions, and identity patterns. Cross listed with Psychology: 50:830:203 The Psychology of Minority Groups
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135.
50:014:203 African-American History I (D) (R) (3)
An introduction to the history of black people in America, with a survey of African background, the history of slavery and resistance to slavery, and the evolution of black leadership through the Civil War. Cross listed with American History: 50:512:203 African-American History I.
50:014:204 African-American History II (D) (3)
Continuation of 50:512:203, tracing black leadership and cultural development through Reconstruction, the period of official segregation, and the civil rights revolution. Cross listed with American History: 50:512:204 African-American History.
50:014:205 Poverty and Urban Environmental Systems (R) (D) (3)
Problems of urban poverty in the context of income insufficiency and inequality in the American socioeconomic system. Factors contributing to urban poverty are population growth, technological change, racism, migration patterns, and subcultural conflicts. Lifestyles of the urban poor. Institutional structures that handicap or aid the poor in escaping the poverty trap. The needs of the urban poor are considered in relation to present programs for eliminating poverty. Existing but unmet needs identified and possible solutions explored. Cross listed with 50:975:204 Poverty and Urban Environmental Systems.
50:014:208 Contemporary Social Problems (R) (3)
Survey of contemporary social problems with particular attention to how social issues become defined as “problems” and to how sociological knowledge can inform social policy choices. Topics include poverty, discrimination, family breakup, crime, mental illness, alcoholism, and others. Non-sociology majors may choose to take this course as a beginning course in sociology. Cross listed with Sociology: 50:920:208 Contemporary Social Problems.
50:840:214. African-American Religion (3)
The effects of American enslavement on the religious and social institutions of the African people and the development of religious beliefs and institutions within the African-American community. The relationship between black and white religious institutions and the role of religion in the development of black political consciousness. Cross listed with Religion 50:840:216.
50:014:215 African American Theater (3)
African American Theatre spans over two hundred years in America from the earliest performances during African enslavement through to Emancipation, racial terror, discrimination, marginalization, Civil Rights, and ongoing struggles in “Post-Black” or “Post-Racial” America. This survey course covers key moments, significant plays, genres, texts, performances, theatre companies, stereotypes and re-appropriations as vehicles in African American theatre. This course includes aside notes, fun facts, lectures, quizzes, regular discussions, chat, papers, presentations, script analysis, projects, and time lines that put African American Theatre in historical and political contexts with conquest, slavery, and race in America. Cross listed with Theater: 50:965:216 African American Theater.
50:014:216 Africana Philosophy (D) (3)
Africana (or African-American) philosophy, the modern intellectual tradition of the African diaspora in North America and the Caribbean, deals with philosophical issues related to identity, race, and culture; the phenomenon and experience of oppression and liberation; and contemporary philosophical concerns about the black past, present, and future. Cross listed with Philosophy: 50:730:216 Africana Philosophy.
50:014:241 Precolonial Africa (G) (3)
Surveys of the rise of early African civilizations, such as Egypt, Nubia, and Axum. Origins of slavery and trans-Saharan trade. Cross listed with African, Asian, Latin American and Comparative History:50:516:241 Precolonial Africa.
50:014:242 Africa since 1800 to the Present (G) (3)
Precolonial times to the present, with emphasis on colonization, imperialism, and the process of decolonization. Cross listed with African, Asian, Latin American and Comparative History: 50:516:242 Africa since 1800 to the Present.
50:014:243 African and Caribbean Literature in English Translation (G) (3)
A study of the Francophone literature of Africa and the Caribbean. Reading and discussion of selected works in prose, poetry, and drama by representative black writers of French expression in English translation. Topics include negritude, the treatment of African women in literature, racial imperialism as a topic of satire and humor, the search for identity, and others. Cross listed with French: 50:420:243 African and Caribbean Literature in English Translation.
50:014:250 Early African American Literature (formerly Survey of African-American Literature I) (D) (3)
Survey of African-American literary production from its formal beginnings in the 18th century till the end of the nineteenth century. Cross listed with American Literature: 50:352:250 Survey of African-American Literature
50:014:251 Modern African American Literature (formerly Survey of African-American Literature II) (D) (3)
Survey of African-American literary production from the end of nineteenth century to the early 21st century. Cross listed with American Literature: 50:352:251 Survey of African-American Literature II
50:014:300 The Slave Narrative (D) (3)
The slave narrative from its beginnings in the 18th century to its more recent enunciations in 21st-century writing. Cross listed with American History 50:352:352 The Slave Narrative.
50:014:301 The Era of the Harlem Renaissance (D) (3)
An investigation of writing and thought by black writers in America during the 1920s and 1930s, a period known as the Harlem Renaissance. Cross listed with American History: 50:352:351 The Harlem Renaissance.
50:014:310 Independent Study (BA)
Independent readings under the supervision of a faculty member. Intended for Africana studies majors. This course originates in Africana Studies
For juniors and seniors only. Credits and hours are by arrangement. Prerequisite: Permission of the director of the Africana studies program.
50:014:316 Race and Ethnicity (D) (3)
The social construction of race and ethnicity in the United States and around the globe. The formation of racial and ethnic identities and the varieties of group interaction, including prejudice, discrimination, assimilation, institutional domination, and change. Changing concepts, boundaries, and interrelationships within a global context. Cross listed with Sociology: 50:920:316 Race and Ethnicity.
50:014:317 Race in Latin America (3)
This course surveys the sociological meaning of race in Latin America. Cross listed with Sociology 50:920:317 Race in Latin America
50:014:318, 319 Learning Abroad (3)
This course offers learning abroad opportunities across the globe.
50:014:320 Civil War and Reconstruction (3)
The political, social, and economic history of the United States from 1850 to 1877; emphasis on the Civil War, its causes and effects. Cross listed with History: 50:512:320 Civil War and Reconstruction.
50:014:321 Urban Sociology (4) (ECL)
Explores the rise and transformation of urban and suburban life in the industrial and postindustrial United States, and social class, ethnic, and racial differences in communities. Includes discussions of the history of cities and suburbanization, poverty, race relations and segregation, employment, and inequality in U.S metropolitan areas. This course has a mandatory engaged civic learning component (ECL), included in a 1-credit lab section, making the course worth a total of 4 credits rather than 3. All students must register for the course and one lab section. Cross listed with Sociology: 50:920:321.
Corequisite: 1-credit lab section required.
50:014:335 African Politics (G) (3)
An inquiry into the political processes and governmental institutions of countries of sub-Saharan Africa, with special emphasis on the dynamics of political development and social and economic changes. Cross listed with Political Science: 50:790:335 African Politics
50:014:337 Poor, Minorities, and Justice (D) (3)
Examines the disproportionate representation of poor and racial minorities in the United States criminal justice system. Includes trends, policies, and issues concerning the effects of class and race on justice outcomes. Cross listed with Criminal Justice: 50:202:337 Poor, Minorities, and Justice.
Prerequisite: 50:202:201.
50:014:338 America in the 1960s (3)
Explores the 1960s from the perspective of the baby boomers who came of age in the shadow of the bomb, who fought for social justice movements, who fought in and against the war in Vietnam, who experienced hope and rage, and who changed the culture, even as it changed them. Cross listed with 50:512:338 America in the 1960.
Prerequisite: 50:512:202.
50:014:340 The Civil Rights Movement (D) (3)
Intensive examination of the civil rights movement, including the legal strategy of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to challenge de jure segregation. Focuses on the period 1954-1968. Cross listed with History: 50:512:340 The Civil Rights Movement.
50:014:342 America since the 1970s (3)
The most recent transformations in American politics, society, and culture seen in historical perspective. Cross listed with American History: 50:512:342 America since the 1970s.
50:014:344 Dance of the African Diaspora (D) (3)
Exploration of how African dance forms and institutions were transported to and transformed in the New World. Includes studio component in which students learn and analyze the development of African-American dances. Cross listed with Anthropology: 50:070:344 Dance of the African Diaspora.
50:014: 350: Black Writers in Social Context (3)
The works of Black writers considered in social and historical context Cross listed with American literature: 50:352:350 Black Writers in Social Context.
50:014:355 Pan Africanist Theory and Thought (3)
Survey course addresses Pan Africanist theory and thought from the colonial era to modern times. This course originates in Africana Studies.
50:014:363 Politics of Minority Groups (D) (3)
An analysis of the tactics, goals, and impact of organized minorities in the American political arena; groups studied include women, blacks, Chicanos, various ethnic groups, and selected third-party movements. Cross listed with Political Science: 50:790:364 Politics of Minority.
50:014:364 The African-American Political Tradition (D) (3)
A survey of the diversity within the African-American political tradition, including assimilation, cultural pluralism, nationalism, and separatism. Examination of writings of Delany, Crummell, Turner, Garvey, DuBois, and Malcolm X, among others. This course originates in Africana Studies.
50:014:381, 382 Special Topics in Africana Studies (BA)
Independent readings under the supervision of a faculty member in the Africana studies program. For juniors and seniors only. Credits and hours are by arrangement only. This course originates in Africana Studies.
50:014:400 The Capstone Project (D) (3)
An independent research and writing project supervised by a faculty adviser, on a topic of interest to the student but subject to the approval of the adviser, culminating in a research paper 25-30 pages in length. Ordinarily students will take this course in their senior year.
50:014:407 The Red and the Black: Africans and Indians in American Society (3)
Examines the evolving relationships of American Indians and Africans in North America, beginning with the period of enslavement. Explores the shifting identities that often characterize members of both communities. Readings include Indian slave narratives, black Indian folktales, letters, and scholarly publications. Cross listed with Sociology: 50:920:407 The Red and the Black Africans and Indians in America.
50:014:430 African-American Culture (D) (3)
Evaluation of significant areas of African-American culture past and present, e.g., the slave community and its legacy, the psycho-cultural impact of racism, and varieties of contemporary popular culture. Cross listed with Sociology: 50:920:430 African-American Culture.
50:920:435 Sociology of W.E.B. DuBois (3)
Examines the sociology of one of the most prominent sociologists and scholar activists in United States history. Students will explore the “three faces of DuBois,” whose research and writings as a sociologist, literary scholar, and historian linked European philosophy, historiography, and social science to American sociology.Cross listed as Sociology: 50:920:435 Sociology of W.E.B. DuBois
Prerequisite: 50:920:207 or 50:014:130.
50:014:451 Major African-American Writers (D) (3)
An intensive study of the principal works of two or three major African-American writers. Cross listed as American Literature:50:352:451 Major African-American Writers.