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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
What was the Harlem Renaissance? While traditional notions of this time in literary history have conceived of it as a brief but luminous flowering of the arts in African-American culture, not so much attention has been given to the many different voices that contributed to the movement, and which shaped its representations of race in the early twentieth century. In this course, we will examine the meaning and significance of the Harlem Renaissance as conventionally understood, then move on to an exploration of Harlem's Americas, or the many cultural locations from which race and racial representation were being considered both inside and outside the movement's accepted parameters. Thus, rather than studying the Harlem Renaissance solely as an African-American phenomenon, we'll also explore the interrelationships between a number of its core works, along with several others from the same period not generally studied in this context. In seeking to understand the writing of Harlem's Americas, we'll investigate how all of the texts we examine are engaged in a larger dialogue on the meaning of race in the early twentieth century, both in the United States and beyond. In so doing, we'll try to gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of the Harlem Renaissance, while considering what this may have to tell us about race and racial representation not only in the early twentieth century, but on into the twenty-first. Course texts: Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery; W. E. B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk; Jessie Fauset, Plum Bun; Nella Larsen, Quicksand & Passing; Sherwood Anderson, Dark Laughter; Jean Toomer, Cane; Carl van Vechten, Nigger Heaven; Claude McKay, Home to Harlem; Anna Julia Cooper, A Voice from the South Course requirements: Three five-page essays, in-class writing, 20-minute group presentation
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3.00 Credits
There may not be a term in American society as recognized, and yet as misunderstood, as "Civil Rights." Often civil rights are conflated with human rights, even through each are distinct of the other. During the semester, we will trace the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the United States during the 20th century, as well as its lasting impact on American society. We will do so using as many media as possible. Fortunately, we will have the opportunity to study an important part of American history in significant detail. The time span we cover will not be that great, but the issues we investigate challenge the founding principles of American society to its core.
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3.00 Credits
America remains divided over the legacy of the 1960s. We worry about whether our President inhaled marijuana or served in Vietnam; we debate abortion and the extent of the welfare state; we continue to have serious problems with racial relations and the aftermath of the sexual revolution; and we wonder how our culture broke so clearly along religious lines. The 1960s continue to be a controversial part of America's historical memory because many of our current debates can be traced to that decade. How can we understand a time so recently in America's past that it is both the source of new freedoms and frustrations? This course will explore the nature of American society--its culture, politics, and people--through an in-depth look at the 1960s. By studying primary sources, biography, architecture, films, and the work of historians students will be able to locate and describe the basic divisions, main events, actors, and culture of 1960s, and be able to relate them to our present society. Cross-listed with American Studies 30313.
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3.00 Credits
This course explores American workers' collective efforts in their search for economic security, political power, and social and cultural autonomy from the 1890s to the near present. For the most part, this course will focus on the unions and related organizations forged by workers throughout the past century--from major umbrella groups like the American Federation of Labor, the Industrial Workers of the World, and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, to important sectoral actors like the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the United Automobile Workers, the American Federation of Teachers, and the United Farm Workers. The central questions of the course will be when, where, and why have US workers organized collectively in the 20th century--and how successful have they been? What has been the response of employers, the government, and the public-at-large to these collective efforts of workers, and how and why have those responses changed over time? What has been the relationship between organized labor and racial and gender discrimination, as well as the causes of racial and gender equality? And how have Americans generally, and workers in particular, understood the labor movement in relation to capitalism, freedom, and democracy? Students will be expected to write several short papers, engage in regular classroom discussion, and screen several films outside of class.
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3.00 Credits
This dialogue-intensive seminar focuses on men and women who led political, religious, and social movements in Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Islamic Mouride brotherhood in Senegal, the Women's Wars of Nigeria, and the Mau Mau uprising in colonial Kenya will introduce students to important episodes in African history and to the intellectual debates of the field. Students are expected to read a variety of texts, participate vigorously in class discussion, make oral presentations, and complete written assignments.
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3.00 Credits
The dominant figure in India's nationalist movement for nearly thirty years, M. K. "Mahatma" Gandhi has also been the twentieth century's most famous pacifist, and a figure of inspiration for peace and civil rights movements throughout the world. This course offers an examination of Gandhi and the nature of his unconventional and often controversial politics. It charts Gandhi's career against the background of events in London, South Africa, and India. Examines the evolution and practical application of his ideas and techniques of non-violent resistance, and his attitudes toward the economy, society and state. Gandhi's influence on Indian politics and society is critically assessed and his reputation as the "apostle of non-violent revolution" examined in the light of developments since his death in 1948. Some of the questions that will be discussed are: how far did the distinctive character of Gandhian politics derive from his absolute commitment to India's nationalist struggle? Was his success due to the force and originality of his political ideas and his advocacy of nonviolent action? Can his achievements be explained by political wiliness and pragmatism, or by willingness to embark on new experiments with the truth? Though helpful, a prior knowledge of Indian history is not required for this course.
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3.00 Credits
Migration and the emergence of new identities have defined the formation and evolution of the African diaspora in the modern era. This course is designed to introduce students of African-American studies to the concept of African diaspora and to provide a framework for understanding how it has changed over time. What constitutes the African diaspora? How was it formed? How have people of African descent forged new identities in the Atlantic World and what are the implications of identity construction for people of African descent in the future? These questions form the basis of our historical study of the African diaspora. We examine themes of migration and cultural change through comparative case studies of black communities in the United States, the Caribbean, Africa, and Latin America. The first half of the course will focus on the Atlantic slave trade, the middle passage, and slavery in the Americas. We will examine identity and culture for people of African descent in South Carolina, Louisiana, and Jamaica. The second half of the course will deal with the problem of freedom in the 19th century Atlantic World. We will direct our attention to free black populations and Creole communities in Louisiana, Brazil, and Sierra Leone, West Africa. We will also consider the impact of emancipation at the end of the 19th-century through an examination of black American emigration movements, "back to Africa" and to the U.S. West, and Afro-Brazilian identity in a post-emancipation society. This course will conclude with a discussion of the state of the African diaspora today and its implications for future transformations in African-American identity.
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3.00 Credits
This course focuses on race and ethnic relations in the United States. The course will begin by discussing basic concepts, issues, and theories of race and ethnic relations and stratification. We will then examine the extent of race and ethnic inequality in the United States, with some attention toward similarities and differences in the experiences of race and ethnic groups. We will discuss contemporary racial tensions in the United States and their expressions in racial attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Finally, the course will address remedies for race and ethnic inequality. The course requires a demanding reading load and intensive student participation in class discussions of the readings.
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3.00 Credits
This is an introductory course to theology from African American perspective. The course will not only open students to Roman Catholic (intellectual) theological traditions but also to the diversity of approaches in theology within which black theology is located. The dialectical engagement of black theology, the methodological and interpretative shifts that account for its emergence and ongoing development, are rooted in black history and tradition (African and African American). The course has an added pastoral dimension - the preparation for and enhancement of ministry in the Roman Catholic Church to peoples of African descent.
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3.00 Credits
Soon nearly half the world's Christians will be Africans. This course will explore the history of Christianity in Africa beginning with the early church, but with heightened attention to the more recent growth of Christianity on the continent. We will also participate in a conference held in September here at Notre Dame titled "A Call to Solidarity with Africa," organized to respond to the U.S. Catholic Bishops' letter of the same title. Particular topics to be addressed in the class include the dynamics of missionary activity before, during, and after the colonial period; the rise of African independent churches; the interaction between Christianity and Islam in the past and present; and contemporary issues surrounding Christianity and the African nation-state. We will also investigate theological questions surrounding the relationship between Christianity and culture. In addition to a final exam, students will write three five-page papers.
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