Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass

Formerly: Introduction to Black and African American Studies. This course is an introduction to African American Studies, exploring its social and academic origins, goals, and development as an interdisciplinary field. Students will examine the historical, cultural, psychological, and political experiences of people of African descent in the United States, Africa, and the broader diaspora. Emphasis is placed on theoretical concepts and social processes such as the social construction of Blackness, racialization, social and racial inequality, civil rights, racial justice, and movements for liberation. The course further engages students with key cultural, artistic, literary, spiritual, and intellectual traditions—including major schools of Black psychology and significant movements in Black creative expression—to deepen their understanding of Black identity, agency, and resistance.