Themes

The themes serve as the connective tissue of the course and enable students to create meaningful connections across units. They are broad ideas that run throughout the course like threads. Revisiting the themes and applying them in a variety of contexts helps students to develop deeper conceptual understanding. Below are the themes of the course and a brief description of each.

MIGRATION AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA:

Migration is a key theme in African American Studies. AP African American Studies explores the role of migration (forced and voluntary) in the development of African diaspora communities and the evolution of African American communities in the United States. The concept of “diaspora” describes the movement and dispersal of a group of people from their place of origin to various, new locations. The concept of the African diaspora refers to communities of African people and their descendants who have relocated beyond the African continent, including the Americas, Europe, and Asia. This concept holds Africa as the point of origin for the shared ancestry of diverse peoples of African descent. In different ways over time, Africa has been a symbol that influences the cultural practices, artistic expression, identities, and political organizing of African Americans in the United States and the broader African diaspora in divergent ways.

INTERSECTIONS OF IDENTITY:

AP African American Studies examines the interplay of distinct categories of identity (such as race, ethnicity, class, nationality, gender, region, religion, and ability) with each other and within society. African Americans and Black communities throughout the African diaspora are not a monolith, and the course emphasizes the various ways categories of identity operate together to shape individuals’ experiences and perspectives. In line with the discipline of African American Studies, students should develop the skill of considering how the intersections of identity impact the sources, debates, and historical processes they explore.

CREATIVITY, EXPRESSION, AND THE ARTS:

AP African American Studies emphasizes creativity, expression, and the arts as a lens for understanding the experiences and contributions of African American communities in the past and present. The course offers students direct encounters with an array of Black art, literature, music, and performance from early African societies through the contemporary moment. In each unit, students analyze various approaches within and purposes for African American expression such as African influences on religious expression and language, the use of photography, poetry, and biography to advocate for justice, debates about the roles of Black writers, artists, and actors in society, and a celebration of Black beauty through Afrocentric hairstyles and dress. Students are encouraged to examine the context and audience of African American forms of expression, particularly their global influence and the ways they have changed over time.

RESISTANCE AND RESILIENCE:

The themes of resistance and resilience spiral throughout the AP African American Studies course. Each unit highlights a range of methods that African Americans have innovated to resist oppression and assert agency and authenticity politically, economically, culturally, and artistically. These methods often emerged from distinct experiences, perspectives, and approaches for resisting oppression, finding joy, and building community. Students examine examples such as resistance to slavery and the slave trade, the formation of clubs and businesses that advocated for women’s rights and economic empowerment, and movements to preserve and celebrate Black history and cultural traditions. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to identify how various forms of resistance and resilience evolve within Black communities in the United States, and in connection to the broader African diaspora.

History in the Making

Introduction to AP-African American Studies