Examination of the history of race and slavery in the Americas
from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. We analyze the
enslaved experience, with an emphasis on outlining similarities
and differences among slavery in North American, Caribbean, and
Latin American societies, and how slavery influenced post-
abolition racial inequalities.
Athena Title
Race and Slavery in Americas
Pre or Corequisite
Any course in HIST or INTL or POLS or LACS
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about the history of race and slavery in the Americas, understanding how the patterns of slaveholding regimes influences the experience of enslaved peoples in various regions and periods by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays about the history of race and slavery in the Americas. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of race and slavery in the Americas has shaped social, cultural, and racial identities, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources from the perspective of an historian and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
Topical Outline
1. Sources, voices, and agency in the study of slavery
2. African and European origins
3. The trans-Atlantic slave trade
4. The Middle Passage
5. Capitalism and slavery
6. Labor regimes
7. Slaves, "personality," and the law
8. African culture in the Americas
9. Resistance and revolution
10. Gendering slavery
11. Abolition and emancipation
12. Post-abolition racial legacies
13. The construction of race
Institutional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
Social Awareness & Responsibility
The capacity to understand the interdependence of people, communities, and self in a global society.
