HIST 131 - Narratives of Black History: Lives and Archives

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

(Same as AFRS 131) This course is an introduction to African American history, explored through the lives of African Americans and their historical records. Focusing on autobiographies, biographies, letters, diaries, oral histories, archival sources, and narrative-driven film and song, this course examines how African Americans have navigated, narrated, and shaped U.S. history, politics, and culture from the eighteenth century to the present. This course uses narrative as a window into major themes in African American history, including slavery, resistance, emancipation, citizenship, migration, urbanization, activism, political organizing, and community building. We engage with the writings and perspectives of a range of historical actors, from the narratives of enslaved and free people in early America to the experiences of activists, artists, musicians, workers, and everyday people in the contemporary U.S. We also consider how historians situate individual accounts within historical context and develop skills in historical analysis and writing.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS