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African American Studies
Special Topic Courses

Section 002 & 701 - The African American Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Experience - introduces students to the experiences of lesbians, gays and bisexuals of African descent through ethnographic, historical, psychological, sociological and African-centered perspectives. Topics include: `queer theory,` heterosexuality, Afrocentricity and the African American homosexual and bisexual, politics of Black sexual identity, Black feminism, racism within the white homosexual community, HIV/AIDS epidemic and the Down Low (DL) lifestyle.

Section 003 - Introduction to Black Women`s Studies - Synthesizes the Black female phenomena relative to race, gender, class, and homophobia as they relate to Black women worldwide. Examines Black feminist, womanist, Africana womanist, and African feminist theories.

Section 004 - The Black Male - Examination of the Black male within the present social system. Examines the Black male role in the ghetto and street culture; the status and role performances of Black fathers; examines historical and contemporary myths about the psychology and biology of African American males.

Section 005 - Hip-Hop and Black Culture - examines hip-hop and its relation to African American culture not as a mode of entertainment, but as a medium of communication. The historical, socio-economic, and musical/aesthetic contexts from which hip-hop emerged will be analyzed.

Section 008 - An introduction to the African-centered approach to the study of Jews of African ancestry. Students will examine and critique methods used to study Jews of African Ancestry. Instroduction to basics of Afro-Jewish history, culture, and religion. This course seeks to analyze the affects race and racism has on the construction of Jewish identities.

Section 009 - Islam in America An intensive examination of the import of Islam to America through enslaved Africans (Omar Ibn Sayyid ca. 1770-1864), and the impact of Islam through principle figures associated with Islamic organizations (Noble Drew Ali, Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan). A detailed analysis of the historical, social and political influence Islamic organizations have on African-Americans, and the implications of their “criminalized” image on urban blacks.