Transfers ToCSUDescriptionThis course is an introduction to African American Studies that includes an interdisciplinary critical examination of the African American experience. This course assesses and analyzes the historical, political, cultural, and artistic issues concerning people of African descent in the United States. Through an Ethnic Studies lens, students will learn about theories and concepts inherent to the field of African American Studies particularly by mapping the resolutions and movements put forward by African Americans in their responses to the legal and societal uses of social constructs such as race, ethnicity, citizenship and other forms of identity in America. In this course, students will examine the historical and cultural experiences of African Americans from the beginning of the Transatlantic Slave Trade to the emerging and ongoing Black Lives Matters Movement. Furthermore, students will interpret how the dominant society impacts people of African descent in America, including such factors as racism, classicism, and the current social and economic status of African Americans. With a particular emphasis on the impact of African American contributions to, and interpretations of, civil rights in the United States, students will develop an understanding of the vital roles of activism, knowledge production, and resistance in African American history and culture. This course concludes by discussing new directions in African-American Studies including diasporic studies, Pan-Africanism, and post-colonial studies. The ultimate objective of the course is to give students an academic foundation that will help them develop critical thinking when considering questions and resolutions on the topics of democracy and inequality in the United States. 