Introduction
Black Studies began in 1968 as a discipline dedicated to understanding and improving the lived experience of Africans and African-Americans. It started with the intention to provide a safe space for Black students to exercise their intellectual creativity, engage in accurate portrayals of the Black experience, along with identify and serve the needs of the Black community. Africana Studies extends that project to cover the African Diaspora.
The purpose of this course is to train students of race and racism to be advocates, allies and agents of social change. The course will do so by creating a baseline of understanding that students will use to frame a perspective of social problems related to race. This will lead to the creation of solutions to those problems. As such, this course takes an activist-scholar approach education to deconstruct racism and uplift social justice.