Active Outline

General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
AFAMD012A
Course Title (CB02)
African American History to 1865
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
This course examines the history of Black/African Americans from their kidnapping from Africa to their enslavement in the Americas until the end of the institution of slavery after the Civil War, including their struggle and resistance to racial oppression. The major events in the development of the United States by emphasizing the role of people of African descent in the political, social and economic life of the United States will be analyzed.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course meets the general education requirements of °®¶¹´«Ã½ GE, CSU GE, and IGETC. This course is UC and CSU transferable. It is intended to meet the requirement of the AA Degree/Certificate in Intercultural Studies. The course introduces the student to significant historical events that brought kidnapped Africans to the land that would become the United States and is a historical account from the perspective of people of African ancestry. This course is cross-listed.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Course Philosophy
This course continues the Division's desire to develop socially just curriculum as part of the on-going effort to provide an academically rich, multicultural learning environment that challenges students of every background to develop their intellect, character and abilities.

Formerly Statement

Formerly Statement
(AFAM D012A was formerly ICS D018A.)

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to both UC and CSU
°®¶¹´«Ã½ GEArea(s)StatusDetails
2GDX°®¶¹´«Ã½ GE Area D - Social and Behavioral SciencesApproved
CSU GEArea(s)StatusDetails
CGDYCSU GE Area D - Social SciencesApproved
IGETCArea(s)StatusDetails
IG4XIGETC Area 4 - Social and Behavioral SciencesApproved
CSUArea(s)StatusDetails
CUS1CSU US1 US Hist/American IdealApproved

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours4.08.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
96.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
96.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

(Not open to students with credit in the cross-listed course(s).)

(Also listed as HIST D018A.)

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

In-class essays

Quiz and examination review performed in class

Homework and extended projects

Field observation and field trips

Guest speakers

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Collaborative projects

Assignments

  1. Required reading assignments from the text
  2. Written assignments
    1. Creative writing research paper on slave narratives.
    2. Book report that will examine and synthesize various periods of American history such as the pre colonial period of Africa, the colonial era of the United States or the antebellum period of the United States.
    3. Film Reviews
  3. Class discussions on important themes and content of the course.

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Collaborative group discussions on topics relating to the course content and student learning outcomes.
  2. A midterm and a final examination with an objective and reflective essay questions to evaluate the student's ability to analyze major issues and themes of the course.
  3. Creative writing research paper will be evaluated on the basis of how well the student can interpret cause and effect, compare and contrast, and synthesize material to support their conclusions.
  4. Book review will be evaluated on the basis of how well the student can interpret cause and effect, compare and contrast, can synthesize material and assemble material to support their conclusions.
  5. Film reviews to identify the student's ability to analyze the impact of media and popular culture's expectations placed on Black/African Americans.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • None.
Essential College Facilities:
  • None.

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Baptist, Edward E. "The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism." New York: Basic Books, 2014.
Hine, Darlene, Hine, William & Harrold, Stanley, "The African-American Odyssey," (Seventh Edition), Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2018.
Gates, Henry Louis Ed., "The Classic Slave Narratives," Signet Classics, 1987.
Franklin, John Hope and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, "From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans, 9th edition. McGraw -Hill, 2011.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Ball, Edward, Slaves in the Family, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998.
Clayborne, Carson, Lapansky-Werner, Emma J. and Nash, Gary B., African American Lives: The Struggle for Freedom (Volume I to 1877, Pearson/Longman, 2004.
Gutman, Herbert G. The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom, 1750-1925. Vintage Books, 1976.
Harley, Sharon, Stephen Middleton and Charlotte Stokes. The African American Experience. 1992.
Hine, Darlene, Hine, William and Harrold, Stanley, The African-American Odyssey (Combined Volume), Prentice Hall, 2003.
Huggins, Nathan, Martin Kilson and Daniel M. Fox. Key Issues in the Afro American Experience. Harcourt/Brace/Jovanovich, New York, 1971.
Joyner, Charles. Down By The Riverside. 1984.
Lindsey, Lisa, "Captives as Commodities: The Transatlantic Slave Trade," Pearson-Prentice, 2008.
Okihiro, Gary. In Resistance: Studies in African. Caribbean and Afro-American History. 1986.
Ramsey, Jeff. Global Studies: Africa. 1991.
Tobin, Jacqueline and Dobard, Raymond G., Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, 1999.
Van Sertima, Ivan, They Came Before Columbus. Random House, New York, 1976.
Williams, Eric. From Columbus to Castro: The History of the Caribbean 1492 1969. Andre Deutsh Limited, 1978.
Walvin, James, "Atlas of Slavery," Pearson Education Limited, 2006.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Examine the discipline of history with an analysis and appraisal of the role of specific events and individuals in affecting the development of the United States.
  • Analyze how knowledge of the past contributes to understanding and addressing present-day issues and challenges, which affected people of African descent in the history of the United States from its origins of the United States to the Civil War.
  • Analyze the major events and issues concerning Black/African American people in the United States.
  • Assess and appraise the role of the enslaved Black people in the development of the United States.
  • Analyze various efforts of Black/African American people, living in the United States, to obtain basic human rights.
  • Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between Black/African Americans and other major racial groups in the United States.
  • Analyze and interpret the effects of the institution of slavery in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean Islands, and North America.
  • Assess and appraise the contributions of prominent Black/African American people to the formation and development of a social activist society within the United States.
  • Assess important social, political, and economic developments in the United States and analyze their impact on Black/African Americans.
  • Analyze the major questions, problems, and issues in the social and behavioral sciences in their historical and geographic settings with particular attention to the social dynamics of race, gender, age, and class as they relate to Black/African Americans.

CSLOs

  • Summarize the influence of West African culture on the lives of Black/African Americans.

  • Identify the experience of the Middle Passage for kidnapped Africans.

  • Analyze the role the institution of slavery played in shaping the history of the United States.

  • Recognize significant events leading to the Civil War and end of slavery in 1865.

  • Demonstrate an awareness of some of the conditions kidnapped and enslaved Africans experienced within the institution of slavery.

Outline

  1. Examine the discipline of history with an analysis and appraisal of the role of specific events and individuals in affecting the development of the United States.
    1. Demonstrate how this period has been documented in history.
      1. Express how this period is used as a vehicle to interpret current experiences of Black/African Americans.
      2. Illustrate how the experiences and actions of individuals during this time have impacted race relations in the United States.
    2. Explore the developments of precolonial West Africa and the impact of the transplantation of African culture on to those individuals kidnapped and enslaved in the United States.
  2. Analyze how knowledge of the past contributes to understanding and addressing present-day issues and challenges, which affected people of African descent in the history of the United States from its origins of the United States to the Civil War.
    1. Explain the impact of the Saharan kingdoms of Africa.
    2. The effects of the plantation system in the Caribbean Islands, Central and South America, and the United States.
    3. The social, economic, and political effects of capitalism.
    4. The role and advent of colonialism in the New World.
    5. The effects of slavery, the slave trade, and the perpetuation of white supremacy.
  3. Analyze the major events and issues concerning Black/African American people in the United States.
    1. Pre-Colonial origins of Black people in Africa and the events that caused the development of slavery and slave trade.
    2. Examine the colonial development of the West Indies, South America, and the United States and the development of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
  4. Assess and appraise the role of the enslaved Black people in the development of the United States.
    1. Explain the role of enslaved Black people living in the United States.
    2. Analyze significant events such as the American Revolution, Nat Turner's Revolt, John Brown's Raid of Harper's Ferry, and the Haitian Revolution and its impact on enslaved Black people in the United States.
  5. Analyze various efforts of Black/African American people, living in the United States, to obtain basic human rights.
    1. Examine the writing of the U.S. Constitution and understand what the document says in regards to the institution of slavery, the slave trade, and the role of Black people living in the United States
    2. Analyze the key components of the Abolitionist Movement and understand why the movement was successful.
    3. Analyze the various ways enslaved Black people fought back and resisted their enslavement.
  6. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between Black/African Americans and other major racial groups in the United States.
    1. Native Americans
    2. Asian Americans
    3. Latinx Americans
  7. Analyze and interpret the effects of the institution of slavery in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean Islands, and North America.
    1. England
    2. West Africa
    3. Haiti
    4. United States
  8. Assess and appraise the contributions of prominent Black/African American people to the formation and development of a social activist society within the United States.
    1. Phyllis Wheatley
    2. Nat Turner
    3. Harriet Tubman
    4. Frederick Douglass
    5. Gabriel Prosser
    6. Sojourner Truth
  9. Assess important social, political, and economic developments in the United States and analyze their impact on Black/African Americans.
    1. Urban and industrial development in the North
    2. Territorial expansion
    3. The Dred Scott Decision
  10. Analyze the major questions, problems, and issues in the social and behavioral sciences in their historical and geographic settings with particular attention to the social dynamics of race, gender, age, and class as they relate to Black/African Americans.
    1. The spread of slavery, and the relocation of Native Americans.
    2. Territorial Expansion - Louisiana Purchase, sale of Florida, Texas and the War with Mexico
    3. Sectionalism - slave vs. free states
    4. Origins of the suffrage movement
    5. The causes and effects of the Civil War
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