POL 386 - African American Political Thought

African Americans are central actors in the liberal democratic experiment of the United States. As theorists of the project, they are among its most important contributors, fiercest critics, and generative visionaries. This course draws on this rich, diverse tradition, engaging the critical, constructive, and future-imaginative dimensions of African American political thought. We learn from and assess the claims that black Americans have made upon the polity, how they have defined themselves, and how they have sought to redefine the basic terms of American public life. Among themes that we will explore are the relationship between slavery and democracy, the role of historical memory in political life, the political significance of culture, the connections between “race” and “nation,” and the tensions between claims for black autonomy and claims for integration, as well as the meaning of such core political concepts as citizenship, freedom, equality, progress, power, and justice. As we focus our attention on these issues, we will be mindful of the complex ways in which the concept of race has been constructed and deployed and its interrelationship with other elements of identity such as gender, sexuality, class, and religion. Students can expect to develop skills and knowledge foundational to “doing political theory” as scholars and in everyday life. The course prepares students for senior thesis research and writing.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group II
Prerequisite(s): HUM 110
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Evaluate data and/or sources.
Analyze institutions, formations, languages, structures, or processes, whether social, political, religious, economic, cultural, intellectual or other.
Think in sophisticated ways about causation, social and/or historical change, human cognition, or the relationship between individuals and society, or engage with social, political, religious or economic theory in other areas.