12 courses you can take to incorporate Black history into your post-secondary education
Posted: February 18, 2022 1:00 p.m.
Studying prominent events in Black history like the American Civil Rights Movement of the fifties and sixties can help students better understand modern day movements like Black Lives Matter. iStock
|
February is Black History Month and we've put together an updated list of 12 U of R courses you can take to enhance your understanding of both the struggles and triumphs of Black people throughout North American history.
From the arts, to politics, and every discipline in between, there have been significant contributions made by Black people that are important to learn about and celebrate.
Black History Month serves as an important reminder every year to honour Black people and the contributions they have made, but celebrating Black history does not have to be a once-a-year event. Take this opportunity to register for a course that allows you to explore important Black history topics in depth over a full semester.
While course offerings vary from semester to semester, many of these courses can be taken by students from any program at any point in your U of R education. We have also highlighted a couple scholarships that offer financial support for Black undergraduate students.
Creative Technologies 205 - Hip Hop Cultures, Politics, Identities
This course is an exploration of local and global hip hop cultures, politics and identities. Students will be expected to engage in both critical analysis and hip hop cultural production.
Education 102 - Education for Justice: Self and Other
With a vision for social change and moving towards truth and reconciliation, students will examine issues related to eco-justice, multilingualism, racism, sexism, heteronormativity, and ableism in ways that challenge how they have come to view the world and better equip them, as future educators, to help children and youth engage with the unpredictability and complexity of our shared lives.
The Faculty of Education has recently established the Black Teachers Matter Scholarship. This scholarship recognizes the important role of Black teachers in Saskatchewan and will provide financial support to a Black undergraduate student pursuing a degree in the Faculty of Education in their final year. Learn more about U of R awards and scholarships for undergraduate students.
Film 480BL - Afrofuturism
This course will examine Afrofuturism in films from around the world. Focussing on themes and concerns of the African diaspora through a technoculture and science fiction lens, the course will explore a range of media artists with a shared interest in envisioning black futures that stem from Afrodiasporic experiences.
History 114 - Issues in the Histories of the Americas
An exploration of major themes, periods, and events in the history of the Americas, this course introduces students to the methods and sources of historical study, familiarizes them with significant developments in the history of the Americas and encourages them to compare the historical experiences of different races in North America. A strong emphasis of the course is the transatlantic slave trade.
History 233 - African American History Since 1783
Examines modern African American history, analyzing culture, gender and social relations throughout the nineteenth/twentieth century United States. Areas of study include events leading up to the Civil War and its aftermath; early struggles for civic equality; the emergence of a modern civil rights movement and the radicalization of social protest.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God Mount Zion Parish, Regina Scholarship provides funding to a University of Regina undergraduate student of African descent. Learn more about U of R awards and scholarships for undergraduate students.
 |
| Music 204 and Creative Technologies 205 give students hands-on learning experiences with two music genres that were shaped by the Black experience. iStock |
History 333 - The History of Chicago, America's Second City
Examines urban development in one of America's most racially and ethnically diverse cities. This course analyzes Chicago history from its early-nineteenth century origins of cultural conflict and environmental achievements, to its turn-of-the-century growth as a site of progressive reform, to its more recent struggles with racial/ethnic divides and political corruption.
History 432 & 832 - Black Power in U.S. History
Explore the roots of Black Power and considers its historical evolution in the United States throughout the twentieth century. This course demonstrates how Black Power, commonly thought to be distinct from the mainstream of civil rights activism, has always been a vital part of African-American freedom struggles.
Music 204 - Jazz Appreciation
An overview of the history and development of jazz music, tracing the performers and style periods in the genre from its 19th-century African-American origins through to the present. Students also study the social and historical factors that affected the development of jazz. Emphasis is placed on developing listening skills.
Religious Studies 290AX - Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X: Religion and Violence
Martin Luther King Jr. adopted non-violent methods for achieving justice and freedom for Black Americans during the civil rights movement. But Malcolm X, a founder of the Black Power movement, said that only violence could bring changes to the structures of racism and hate embedded in American culture. Who was right?
Sociology 208 - Inequality and Social Justice
This course introduces students to sociological perspectives on issues of inequality and social justice. It analyzes the origins and consequences of social inequalities and the mechanisms by which they are perpetuated and challenged.
Sociology 850 - Gender, Race, and Ethnicity
This course analyses social justice issues in gender, race and ethnicity. It provides an advanced perspective on such topics as construction of difference, discrimination, racialization, assimilation, and the interplay of gender, ethnicity, race, and other social factors.
Women's and Gender Studies 480AH - Racialized Policing
This class explores the complexity of radicalized policing practices by looking at the history of policing, its roots in white supremacy, and settler colonialism in North America. The class is organized through an intersectional lens to analyze many movements including Black Lives Matter and Indigenous Lives Matter within broader discussions of justice reform including an exploration of the abolitionist movement.
The University has committed to creating a healthy campus community and learning environment in its 2020-25 strategic plan All Our Relations, or Kahkiyaw kiwȃhkomȃkȃninawak in Cree. Well-being and Belonging is one of the five Areas of Focus in the strategic plan, with three interconnected objectives below it: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; Healthy Living; and Mental Health Literacy and Research.