Examines the historical patterns of interaction and interdependence among world regions, from approximately the 13th century to the contemporary era. This course will explore the history of African and African-descended people from the era of the trans-Atlantic slave trade through the 20th-century waves of intellectual and political independence movements in Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean. Students will have broad exposure to the modern history of the Afro-diaspora by engaging with interdisciplinary course materials, including scholarly historical texts, articles, poetry, literature, and films.
- Examine and deconstruct dominant misconceptions about African Diasporic histories.
- Analyze historical community formations within the diaspora and examine how members of the diaspora contributed to the modern world.
- Identify and analyze how members of the diaspora have historically resisted layered systems of exploitation and oppression in their fights for liberation and freedom.
- Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or change.
- Patrick Manning. The African Diaspora. Columbia University Press, 2009.
All assignments must be submitted on time and uploaded to the Canvas submission portal by the indicated deadline (usually 11:59 pm of the due date). Late work will only be accepted for credit with a documented excuse. If students have accommodations, make sure that the terms are clearly communicated to the Professor through Disability Services.
- Response Paper 1 (60 points)
- Midterm Exam (80 points)
- Film response paper (60 points)
- Final Assignment (120 points)
- Attendance and Participation (30 points)
90-100% = A
80-89% = B
70-79% = C
60-69% = D
59 and below = F
Attendance will be taken at the start of each class. Points will be lost if students are consistently late and/or absent without valid documentation. Students are expected to be active participants in the course. Arriving ready to discuss the reading material is vital to a lively class. If students experience unforeseen circumstances that may affect their attendance, please get in touch with the Dean of Students for assistance.
The Academic Honor Code is a student initiative that became an official Institute policy in 1996. The Academic Honor Code aims to increase academic integrity and strengthen trust in the Georgia Tech community. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.
AI Statement:
Per GaTech's Honor Code, students are forbidden from submitting work generated by an AI program as their own. Generative AI cannot be used or consulted for assignments; all work must be your own. The use of Generative AI tools for any part of your work will be treated as plagiarism and a violation of academic honesty. You may use grammar aids (e.g., Grammarly, spell check).
Core IMPACTS statement:
This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Social Sciences area
Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential
knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help master course content,
and support students’ broad academic and career goals.
This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:
- How do I understand human experiences and connections?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome:
- Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how
historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or
change.
Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the
following Career-Ready Competencies:
- Intercultural Competence
- Perspective-Taking
- Persuasion