Black Gender: Constructions of Manhood and Womanhood in the African American Community Course Description: This course engages the complexities of racial and gender identities within Black communities. We question the concepts of manhood and womanhood and their intersection with racial constructs as categories of personhood through the critical lens of Africana/African American Studies and Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies. We will discuss how gender in the U.S. is mediated by race by focusing on intraracial or “insider” everyday conversations about race and gender within Black communities. This class makes use of popular culture, current events, and emphasizes the importance of creating a democratic learning community. By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to: • Identify how gender is simultaneously raced for U.S. Black women and men. • Critique and question the notions of Black manhood and Black womanhood. • Discuss race and gender as social constructions. • Identify the ways in which these social constructions are mediated by culture and popular media. • Discuss the ways in which Black sexualities are affected by Black gender and vice versa.
Grade Distribution & Assignments Syllabus Quiz 50 Familiarize yourself with the syllabus. This quiz will guide you in doing so. You may take the quiz up to three times. This quiz will be administered on Canvas from the first day of class and is due for completion by class period October 2. Participation 200 Participation is a very important part of our class dynamic here. Because the material in this class affects how we view ourselves and the world around us, it is important that we be able to articulate what we are learning to ourselves and to each other in a respectful yet engaged manner. This process allows for a group dynamic wherein, we are learning from each other in community, rather than struggling with material on our own. Every day of class will count in your final participation grade. When discussion board assignments are due on days we do not meet, those will count as participation grades as well. Pop quizzes will also count towards your participation grade. Participation is graded twice in the quarter: once at the end of the first week in November and finally in the last week of the quarter. Film Reflections 100x5
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