Glenn McNair

This seminar explores the diverse social, political, cultural, and economic experiences of the peoples of the African Diaspora and their impact on our world from ancient times to the present. It is taught as a colloquium in which faculty members from most of the College's five divisions offer lectures or lead discussions on particular aspects of the Diasporic experience. This seminar is designed specifically with first-year students in mind. It offers a wonderful opportunity to meet faculty members from different disciplines and to discover how they approach the study of the African Diaspora. Students will also learn to think critically and to better express themselves, both orally and in writing. This interdisciplinary course does not count toward the completion of any diversification requirement; it does, however, count toward completion of the African Diaspora Studies concentration. No prerequisite. Generally offered every other year.

In August 1619, "twenty and odd negars" were traded for food by the crew of a Dutch sailing vessel. That commercial transaction represented the first recorded incident of a permanent African presence in America. Over the next 146 years, this population of Africans would grow to create an African American population of over 4 million. The overwhelming majority of this population was enslaved. This course examines those enslaved millions and their free black fellows -- who they were, how they lived, and how the nation was transformed by their presence and experience. Particular attention is paid to the varieties of African American experience and how slavery and the presence of peoples of African descent shaped American social, political, intellectual and economic systems. Students are presented with a variety of primary and secondary source materials; timely and careful reading of these sources prepares students for class discussions. Students are confronted with conflicting bodies of evidence and challenged to analyze these issues and arrive at conclusions for themselves. This counts toward the premodern and America/Europe requirement for the major. Generally offered every year.

This is an introductory lecture and discussion course in the history of African Americans in the United States. Beginning with Emancipation, the course traces the evolution of black culture and identity and the continuing struggle for freedom and equality. Topics include the tragedies and triumphs of Reconstruction, interracial violence, the Harlem Renaissance, jazz, blues and the civil rights and Black power movements. Students are presented with a variety of primary and secondary sources materials; timely and careful reading of these sources prepares them for class discussions. Students are confronted with conflicting bodies of evidence and challenged to analyze these issues and arrive at conclusions for themselves. Music and film supplement classroom lectures and discussions. This counts toward the modern and Europe/Americas requirements for the major. No prerequisite. Generally offered every year.

The Civil War is perhaps the defining moment in the history of the United States. When the war ended, slavery had been abolished, 4 million African Americans had been freed, the South had been laid waste and the power of the federal government had been significantly expanded. The war set in motion forces that would change the nature of citizenship and alter the nature of American society, politics and culture forever. This course focuses on the causes of the war; its military campaigns; and its social, political and cultural consequences for Black and white northerners and southerners. The course concludes with an examination of the war's continuing hold on the national imagination. This counts toward the modern and Europe/Americas requirements for the major. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing. Offered every three years.

Novels and movies have had a powerful effect on history, both as media for the transmission of historical information to modern audiences and as reflections of the values and concerns of their creators and audiences over time. This seminar examines a variety of 20th century films and novels to understand African American history from the antebellum period to the present. The goal is to discern how writers and filmmakers have understood and presented the history and images of African Americans to contemporary audiences, and how these representations have reflected and changed understandings of African American history and notions of race. This counts toward the modern and Europe/Americas requirements and the African American field for the major. No prerequisite. Junior standing. Offered every three or four years.

The years between 1954 and 1975 have been variously described by historians as a second Reconstruction and the "fulfillment of the promise of the American Revolution." These years, which constitute the civil rights era, witnessed African Americans and their allies transforming the nation by overturning Jim Crow segregation, challenging racism and expanding the idea and reality of freedom in America. While this period was one in which most African Americans fought for greater inclusion in American society, it also was one which saw the rise of militant nationalist organizations – like the Nation of Islam and the Black Panther Party – that sought to separate themselves from an America they saw as hopelessly depraved and racist. This seminar intensely explores of this revolutionary period and its personalities through close examination of a variety of primary and secondary sources, documentaries and motion pictures. This counts towards the modern and Europe/Americas requirements for the major. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing. Offered every two or three years.

This seminar examines the impact of race on politics, political parties and public policy in the United States from the 1930s to the present. Race has been a defining feature of American political culture from the country's founding and has had a profound impact on society and culture over the past seven decades. Government action has contributed significantly to the development of the post-World War II middle class, the rise of the suburbs and American economic prosperity, but it also has created the modern ghetto, maintained and increased segregation, hindered black wealth creation and led to the ascendancy of political conservatism, all while putatively pursuing an agenda of racial and social justice. This course explores the evolution of these social, political and economic developments. Topics include federal housing policy, urban renewal, the construction of the highway system, the civil rights and Black power movements, the rise of the Republican Party, busing, affirmative action, congressional redistricting and the war on drugs. This counts toward the modern and Europe/Americas requirements for the major. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing. Offered every two or three years.

This course examines the history of Blacks in America's criminal justice system from the colonial period to the present. It begins with the creation of separate criminal laws and punishments for Blacks during the colonial and antebellum periods, with particular emphasis on how slavery shaped the system. Students explore how the criminal justice system changed after the end of slavery, during the Reconstruction era; topics include convict leasing and lynching. We discuss criminal justice issues through the mid 20th century with a special focus on disparities in America's implementation of the death penalty. The final section of the course is devoted to the war on drugs, the homicide epidemic among Blacks, urban policing strategies and police shootings of unarmed Black victims. The subject matter is covered through historical monographs and articles, documentaries and memoirs. No prerequisite. Junior standing.

This is an introductory lecture and discussion course in the history of African Americans in the United States. Beginning with Emancipation, the course traces the evolution of black culture and identity and the continuing struggle for freedom and equality. Topics will include the tragedies and triumphs of Reconstruction, interracial violence, black political and institutional responses to racism and violence, the Harlem Renaissance, jazz, blues, and the civil rights and black power movements.