AFR 381(F) From Civil Rights to Black Power (Same as History 381)
HIST 381(F) From Civil Rights to Black Power (Same as Africana Studies 381)
The Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ended an era of black
activism that used the courts to overturn exclusionary practices of American education,
opening a new civil rights era that introduced new strategies and tactics of protest. This
course introduces students to the themes and issues of the black freedom movement as it
transpired after 1954 and continued into the 1980s in the United States. Focusing on African
Americans' demands for the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and placing their perspectives at the center, the course will follow a chronological format that covers the architecture of racial segregation and the culture of Jim Crow and examines the persistence of
activism and resistance. Finally, the course will follow the many iterations of the freedom
movement, including direct action, black power, and coalition building.
Format: lecture/discussion. Evaluation will be based on class participation, two short papers,
and a take home final.
No enrollment limit (expected: 20). Open to all.
Group F
Hour: L. BROWN