HIST 105-04, The African American Intellectual Tradtion, Spring 2009

Abstract

Intellectual history is largely defined by the role that elite thinkers play in the shaping of ideas. This course will adhere to the definition of intellectual history as “the history not of thought, but of [people] thinking.” To that end, students will grapple with an intellectual tradition that encompasses the work and thought of both “elite” and “nonelite” actors in the African American experience. From slaves to senators, the African American Intellectual tradition is broad, wide and deep. To that end, students will examine intellectual responses to slavery, emancipation, nation-building, and the long civil rights movement. In our examination of expressive culture, writings and speeches, we will come to a greater understanding of the centrality and multi-layered meanings of freedom. Finally, students will explore the critical role that African American intellectuals—in all their guises—have played in the shaping of the American historical and intellectual landscape.