Courses - Spring 2025
AASP100
Significant aspects of the history of African Americans with particular emphasis on the evolution and development of black communities from slavery to the present. Interdisciplinary introduction to social, political, legal and economic roots of contemporary problems faced by blacks in the United States with applications to the lives of other racial and ethnic minorities in the Americas and in other societies.
AASP100H
Significant aspects of the history of African Americans with particular emphasis on the evolution and development of black communities from slavery to the present. Interdisciplinary introduction to social, political, legal and economic roots of contemporary problems faced by blacks in the United States with applications to the lives of other racial and ethnic minorities in the Americas and in other societies.
Restricted to HONR students only.
AASP101
Public Policy and the Black Community
Formerly: AASP300.
The impact of public policies on the black community and the role of the policy process in affecting the social, economic and political well-being of minorities. Particular attention given to the post-1960 to present era.
AASP200
African Civilization
A survey of African civilizations from 4500 B.C. to present. Analysis of traditional social systems. Discussion of the impact of European colonization on these civilizations. Analysis of the influence of traditional African social systems on modern African institutions as well as discussion of contemporary processes of Africanization.
AASP202
The course examines important aspects of African American life and thought which are reflected in African American literature, drama, music and art. Beginning with the cultural heritage of slavery, the course surveys the changing modes of black creative expression from the 19th-century to the present.
AASP202H
The course examines important aspects of African American life and thought which are reflected in African American literature, drama, music and art. Beginning with the cultural heritage of slavery, the course surveys the changing modes of black creative expression from the 19th-century to the present.
AASP211
Get Out: The Sunken Place of Race Relations in the Post-Racial Era
Credit only granted for: AASP298G or AASP211.
Formerly: AASP298G.
Prevailing thought suggests that we live in an era that is post-racial, particularly after the election of Barack Obama. Media often serves to drive our assessment of where our nation stands on issues like race, gender and sexuality. This course uses the film Get Out to delve into the production, evolution and significance of race in present day America. The course will engage multiple forms of media to investigate life in "Post-Racial" America, including but not limited to the role of stereotypes, interracial relationships, police-community relations, etc.
AASP255
African-American History, 1865 - Present
Cross-listed with: AAAS255.
Credit only granted for: HIST255, AASP255, AAAS255 or AASP298A.
An introductory course in the African-American experience in the United States from 1865 to the present. Topics include the aftermath of the Civil War on US race relations, the rise of segregation, northern migration, World War I and II, Civil Rights Movements, and the Black Power Movement.
AASP265
Constructions of Manhood and Womanhood in the Black Community
Cross-listed with: AAAS265.
Credit only granted for: WMST265, AASP298B, AAAS265, WGSS265 or AASP265.
Formerly: WMST265.
Investigates the ways that African Americans are represented and constructed in public and private spheres and explores the social constructions and representations of Black manhood and womanhood from various disciplinary perspectives.
AASP297
Research Methods in African American Studies
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: AASP101 or AASP202.
Restriction: Must be in African American Studies program.
Credit only granted for: AASP297 or AASP299R.
Formerly: AASP299R.
Introduces African American Studies majors to the basic research skills, methodologies, sources, and repositories for studying African Diaspora. Students will be required to select a research topic, write a research proposal, develop an annotated bibliography, and in the process will be prepared for completing their senior thesis or other significant writing projects necessary to fulfill the requirements of the major.
AASP298J
Special Topics in African American Studies; Black Cultural Activism in Israel
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with ISRL249A and SOCY298E. Credit only granted for ISRL249A, AASP298J, or SOCY298E.
This course explores cultural activism in Israel. Students will examine the struggles and power relations that exist in Israeli society, as expressed through the worlds of Israeli culture and arts with an emphasis on art, literature, music, theater, and cinema created by Ethiopian Israeli creators and activists who seek to advance socio-political change.
This course explores cultural activism in Israel. Students will examine the struggles and power relations that exist in Israeli society, as expressed through the worlds of Israeli culture and arts with an emphasis on art, literature, music, theater, and cinema created by Ethiopian Israeli creators and activists who seek to advance socio-political change.
AASP298L
Cross-listed with: AAAS234.
Credit only granted for: ENGL234, AAAS234 or AASP298L.
An exploration of the stories black authors tell about themselves, their communities, and the nation as informed by time and place, gender, sexuality, and class. African American perspective themes such as art, childhood, sexuality, marriage, alienation and mortality, as well as representations of slavery, Reconstruction, racial violence and the Nadir, legalized racism and segregation, black patriotism and black ex-patriots, the optimism of integration, and the prospects of a post-racial America.
Cross-listed with ENGL234. Credit granted for AASP298L or ENGL234.
AASP298Z
Special Topics in African American Studies; Jazz as a Cultural Art Form
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
This course examines the creators, historical innovators, and evolution of the music known as Jazz from the standpoint of: historical, social, political, and economic conditions in the U.S. (past and present). National policy as it impacts upon the economics of popular American music, European classical music, and the music known as Jazz, and the artists who play it is the focus of the course.
AASP313
Black Women in United States History
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Cross-listed with: AAAS313.
Credit only granted for: AASP313, AAAS313, WMST314 or WGSS314.
Formerly: WMST314.
Black American women's history from slavery to the present. Focused on gaining a fuller understanding of the effect of race, class and gender on the life cycles and multiple roles of Black women as mothers, daughters, wives, workers and social-change agents.
AASP320
Poverty and African American Children
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Credit only granted for: AASP320 or AASP298P.
Formerly: AASP298P.
The United States has high levels of child poverty compared to other industrialized nations. Poverty rates are particularly high among African American children. This course focuses on how poverty and race intersect to influence the development of children and youth. Specific topics that we will consider include definitions of poverty, theories about the causes of poverty, racial disparities in child poverty, family functioning in the context of poverty, neighborhood influences, risk and protective processes, and social policies and programs designed to mitigate the impact of poverty.
AASP370
Spike Lee's Joints
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with: CINE353.
Credit only granted for: AASP370 or CINE353.
In offering extended formal considerations of Spike Lee's cinematic oeuvre--in particular his uses of light, sound, and color--this course is interested in how various modes of critical inquiry can enable or broaden our cultural, political, or historical engagement with a film. We will pay special attention to the question of what it means to encapsulate a specific cultural moment, particularly in relation to differing demands of fictional and non-fictional representation, in sound and image. As well, we will attend to how Lee's aesthetic techniques, cultural politics, and wide-ranging critique of the American racial caste system helps us think about the role of film in ongoing struggles for racial justice.
AASP386
Experiential Learning
Credits:
3 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F
Restriction: Permission of BSOS-African American Studies department; and junior standing or higher.
AASP397
Senior Thesis
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Restriction: Permission of BSOS-African American Studies department.
Directed research in African American Studies resulting in the completion and defense of a senior thesis.
AASP398E
Selected Topics in the African Diaspora; The Black Power Movement
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with AASP398E. Credit only granted for HIST319N or AASP398E.
Examines the ideologies, politics, economy, and culture of Black Power as a social movement for liberation.
Examines the ideologies, politics, economy, and culture of Black Power as a social movement for liberation.
AASP398G
Selected Topics in the African Diaspora; Gender, Labor and Racial Identities in Diaspora Communities
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with AMST328K. Credit will be only granted for AMST328K or AASP398G. This course will expose students to a range of interdisciplinary perspectives, theories, and methodologies for exploring the intersectionality of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and racial identitiesin multiple post-emancipation and modern African/Black diaspora communities. The class readings and discussions will examine the interactions and linkages between and among various African diaspora/descendant and native-born African American/Black peoples, frommultiple vantage points, in different historical periods and movements in the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, Latin American and Europe.
AASP398J
Selected Topics in the African Diaspora; The Civil Rights Movement
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with HIST338A and AMST328Z. Credit only granted for HIST338A, AMST328Z, or AASP398J.
From the anti-lynching movement and streetcar boycotts of the early 20th century to the mass movement of the 1960s, this course takes up issues that have engaged social movement theorists and activists alike: developing and sustaining social commitment, confronting the strengths and weaknesses of formal organization, raising money, maximizing political influence, and securing long-range objectives. While primarily focused on the U.S. Black Civil Rights Movement, the course considers its impacton other rights struggles (e.g., environmental justice and reproductive justice) and makes connections to the civil rights struggles of other people of color in the U.S.
From the anti-lynching movement and streetcar boycotts of the early 20th century to the mass movement of the 1960s, this course takes up issues that have engaged social movement theorists and activists alike: developing and sustaining social commitment, confronting the strengths and weaknesses of formal organization, raising money, maximizing political influence, and securing long-range objectives. While primarily focused on the U.S. Black Civil Rights Movement, the course considers its impacton other rights struggles (e.g., environmental justice and reproductive justice) and makes connections to the civil rights struggles of other people of color in the U.S.
AASP398K
Selected Topics in the African Diaspora; History of Black Education in America
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with HIST339K and AMST498F. Credit only granted for HIST339K, AASP398K, or AMST498F.
Explores the development of formal education created by and for African Americans, from the antebellum era through the twenty-first century. Examine the historical roots of recent debates around race, justice, and equity in American schools.
Explores the development of formal education created by and for African Americans, from the antebellum era through the twenty-first century. Examine the historical roots of recent debates around race, justice, and equity in American schools.
AASP399
Research in African-American Studies
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F
AASP400
AASP400H
AASP441
Science, Technology, and the Black Community
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: HIST255, AASP202, or AASP100; or permission of BSOS-African American Studies department.
Scientific knowledge and skills in solving technological and social problems, particularly those faced by the black community. Examines the evolution and development of African and African American contributions to science. Surveys the impact of technological changes on minority communities.
AASP479A
Special Research in African-American Studies; Advanced Field Research in African American Politics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with GVPT368Q. Credit only granted for AASP479A or GVPT368Q.
This course is designed to guide students through the process of conducting advanced research on political and societal phenomena that impact the Black community. Students will receive hands-on experience conducting field experiments, deploying in-person and virtual surveys, conducting interviews and focus groups, and analyzing data.
This course is designed to guide students through the process of conducting advanced research on political and societal phenomena that impact the Black community. Students will receive hands-on experience conducting field experiments, deploying in-person and virtual surveys, conducting interviews and focus groups, and analyzing data.
AASP498J
Special Topics in Black Culture; Racial Socialization of Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research and Practice
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Racial socialization is a construct used to describe the messages transmitted to youth by parents, peers, media, and schools about the meaning and significance of racial/ethnic group identity, racial stratification,and inter and intragroup relations. For African American youth, racial socialization includes promoting awareness of and coping strategies for discrimination. The course will reflect the state of the literature and focus heavily on examining the role of parents (biological parents, parent figures, and extended kin) in helping their children understand and cope with racism and discrimination in their schools, communities, and the media.
AASP498U
Special Topics in Black Culture; Islam in Africa and the African Diaspora
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with ARAB499J and HIST429F. Credit only granted for ARAB499J, AASP498U, or HIST429F.
Offers a history of Islam's spread in Africa and among Afro-diasporic cultures across the Middle East, South Asia, and Atlantic world from the 7th century until today, touching on questions of politics, theology, race, ethnicity, migration, and cultural memory. We will situate Islam in the context of African religions, explore the complex relations that developed among Muslim societies across the continent and beyond, and study thinkers from Ahmad Baba to Malcolm X in their own words. Taught in English.
Offers a history of Islam's spread in Africa and among Afro-diasporic cultures across the Middle East, South Asia, and Atlantic world from the 7th century until today, touching on questions of politics, theology, race, ethnicity, migration, and cultural memory. We will situate Islam in the context of African religions, explore the complex relations that developed among Muslim societies across the continent and beyond, and study thinkers from Ahmad Baba to Malcolm X in their own words. Taught in English.
AASP498V
Special Topics in Black Culture; Blackness in Global Perspective
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
The goal of this course is to have an understanding of race, color, and blackness around the world. We will compare and contrast forms of racial categorization, discrimination, and ideologies, whether in the form of nation-building projects, addressing racial inequality, sexuality or family formation. In this class, we will also analyze the migratory experiences of US Blacks, Africans, and Afro-descendants as well as the meanings they give to social interactions with non-Blacks. We will draw primarily on social science perspectives, including the work of sociologists, historians, and political scientists.
AASP498Y
Special Topics in Black Culture; Black Queer Studies
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Credit only granted for LGBT448L or AASP498Y or AMST498D. Taking an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach to LGBTQ+ Studies and Black Studies we will center Blackness to meditate upon the overlapping and interwoven categories of race, gender, and sexuality - with the goal of decoupling whiteness from LGBTQ+ studies and decoupling heterosexuality from Black studies. We will look at texts from literature, film, history, and the social sciences in order to trace topical trajectories of Black queer thought. Throughout we will considerhow Black queer liberation can, and has, provided tools and a guide for our collective liberation.
AASP499L
Advanced Topics in Public Policy and the Black Community; Covering Social Justice
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with JOUR458J. Credit only granted for: JOUR458J or AASP499L.
The objective of this class is to expose students to the best journalistic practices in covering race and social justice issues. Students will explore how social justice is covered in the media through readings, discussions, guest lectures and research assignments to help students understand the history and background of social justice and how reporters cover these issues. Students will develop critical analytical skills through their research and will write a reported essay about a national or international social justice issue impacting society.
The objective of this class is to expose students to the best journalistic practices in covering race and social justice issues. Students will explore how social justice is covered in the media through readings, discussions, guest lectures and research assignments to help students understand the history and background of social justice and how reporters cover these issues. Students will develop critical analytical skills through their research and will write a reported essay about a national or international social justice issue impacting society.
AASP499M
Advanced Topics in Public Policy and the Black Community
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Crosslisted with JOUR459Z Credit only granted for: JOUR459Z or AASP499M
Flagship Institution of the University System of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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