HUM 1051 - African American Cultural Perspectives

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture None Lab None
Course Description: This course surveys broad elements of humanities that comprise the culture of African Americans from slavery to present day. Its aim is to show how elements such as literature, science, politics, history, religion, music, theater, language, art, television, and motion pictures have contributed to the formation and some current appreciations and interpretations of African American culture. These elements are studied in the context of how white culture, though the institution of slavery, sharply influenced these elements, and therefore, African American culture itself. The course also focuses on how African American, European American, and other non-African Americans respond to overall characteristics of African American culture, and how African American culture has influenced the dominant American culture.
MnTC Goals
6 Humanities/Fine Arts, 7 Human Diversity

Prerequisite(s): None
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: None

Major Content

1. The course follows a thematic rather than a chronological structure. The beginning of the course explains how white controlled institutions of religion, politics, and science helped to shape African American culture (starting with slavery). Next, the course shows contemporary elements of African American culture that reflects how these elements of humanity are reflected in present time. The course then focuses on how the elements of history, theater, literature, language, art, music, and motion pictures helped to mold African American culture from slavery to present time.
2. Beginning Topics may include: Elements in literature, politics, science, and other arts that have influenced African American culture.
3. Mid-term Topics may include: Elements in language, film, white supremacy ideology, and other arts that have influenced African American culture.
4. Closing Topics may include: Elements of modern music, modern film, electoral politics, and science that have influenced African American culture.

1. define the essential terminology of elements of African American culture.
2. identify perspectives, ideas, themes, theories, and content of elements in the humanities that helped to shape African American culture.
3. demonstrate a knowledge of elements in the humanities that helped to develop African American culture.
4. explain the significance of elements in the humanities that helped to shape African American culture.
5. to extrapolate on how those elements in the humanities that helped to shape African American culture function today.
6. identify the relationships between these elements of humanities and the reactions of African Americans, European Americans, and non-African Americans to African American culture.
7. discuss the personal impact that a greater awareness of the elements that shaped African Americans had had on their own lives.

06. 02. Understand those works as expressions of individual and human values within an historical and social context.

06. 03. Respond critically to works in the arts and humanities.

06. 05. Articulate an informed personal reaction to works in the arts and humanities.
Competency 2 (7-10)
07. 01. Understand the development of and the changing meanings of group identities in the United States’ history and culture.

07. 02. Demonstrate an awareness of the individual and institutional dynamics of unequal power relations between groups in contemporary society.

07. 03. Analyze their own attitudes, behaviors, concepts and beliefs regarding diversity, racism, and bigotry.

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