HIST 105-06, Celluloid Soul: An Introduction to the History of African Americans in Film, Spring 2006

Abstract

This course examines filmic representations of African-Americans from “The Birth of a Nation” to “Malcolm X.” It considers the role of film in reflecting, creating and challenging popular ideas about race in the United States. Emphasis will be placed on the period between 1950 and 1992. Among the topics to be covered: minstrelsy and the creation of the black image in American popular culture and entertainment; D.W. Griffith and “The Birth of a Nation;” Oscar Micheaux and the first generation of African-American filmmakers; Hollywood’s role in the Civil Rights Movement; Sidney Poitier’s role in reshaping African-American cinema; the Black Power Movement, the new black culture of the 1970s and “blaxploitation” films; the Roots phenomenon; and the black film renaissance of the 1980s and 1990s.