Birth of Black Studies

Welcome to our fully online Intro to Africana Studies course!

Black Studies did not just fall in our laps, we study the work of our ancestors and bring their stories to life here.

As your Professor I will aim to help you learn the plight of the diaspora.

Learning about African American history allows students who are not African American to have a deeper understanding and appreciation for the contributions of African Americans to the world we live in today. This is crucial for building an accepting, more cohesive, and inclusive community for tomorrow.

But despite this diversity, the contributions and experiences of African Americans in our state and our country have often been overlooked or underrepresented in our educational system.

The course is designed to serve students from all ethnic backgrounds who can benefit from the indispensable developments of every social, academic, artistic, and technological medium within American culture.

ASSIGNMENTS

Assignments:

Discussion Board:

For 20% of your grade, I will post discussion board prompts and expect a timely response. I will not do them every week, but more on a tri weekly basis and will let you know in advance about the open/close period for the post.

Analytical Synopses:

For this assignment students will submit prompt responses. I will provide you with a theme within African American studies and will require you to write 1,000 word synopses for every article we read together as well as chapters of the textbook. These responses are designed to generate close, in-depth analyses of the themes we discuss in this course. As you read, your goal will be to identify the major theoretical, conceptual, and methodological issues that the authors are raising individually and collectively, and to respond personally to their central claims.

The papers will be uploaded onto canvas.

There will be brief individual prompts, you will be expected to create a thesis statement and concise analysis. I will post reminders about the due dates ahead of time so you can adequately prepare for them.

All prompt responses should adhere to MLA format. We will often complete your writing assignments and activities online through Canvas.

Midterm:

Your midterm will be a quiz reflecting on the materials from the course.

Final:

TBA

General Description

This course is a survey of the major subject areas, themes, concepts, schools of thought, theorists, philosophical underpinnings, and historical evolution in the discipline of Africana Studies. It includes an examination of key historical movements in the struggle for equality, liberation, and freedom for Black people in the United States and world. This course also explores the intersection and impact of race, class, gender and other systems of power and oppression on African American people.

Required materials

Karenga, Maulana. Introduction to Black Studies. 4th Edition. University of Sankore Press, 2010. 978-0-943412-30-6

Access to Canvas

Disclaimer:

Please be advised, you are taking a course on African/African American/Black history, politics, and culture. Which means we will be talking about race, racism, discrimination, sexuality, gender, sex, harassment, violence, assault, etc. in this course. If you need to pause the lectures for this course for personal reasons at any time during these discussions feel free to do so. However, we will not sugarcoat or speak falsely about events that have taken place in history. We will be reviewing graphic historical events that took place.

Student Learning Outcomes

Identify and critically discuss the major subject areas and historical periods in the discipline of Africana Studies
Analyze, compare, and contrast key perspectives on concepts such as race, racism, anti-racism, ethnicity, ethnocentricism, Afrocentricity, Eurocentricity, sexism, and white supremacy put forth by literary scholars within the discipline of Africana Studies
Demonstrate an understanding of how race, class, gender, and other systems intersect and influence systemic inequality and the impact on African American people
Articulate the terms, approaches, themes, perspectives, prominent theories, and debates in Africana Studies
Demonstrate knowledge of preeminent African American historical figures and key facts about the Black experience
Apply theory produced by prominent scholars within the field of Africana Studies to interpret current issues and discourses in Black life and Africana Studies
Demonstrate an understanding of key movements and the historical struggle of African American people to achieve freedom, justice, and equality in the United States of America
Demonstrate an understanding of the significant contributions that African American people have made to the United States of America and world

My name is Eryn Jones

LA Native Born and Raised | I have a one year old son

Sociology BA from UCLA | African American Studies MA from UCLA

Previous Teaching positions: CSUF, Fullerton College, CSUDH & now Cerritos

I was a Ronald E. McNair Research Scholar while at UCLA

I am a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

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