African American Studies (AFAM)

This course examines current depictions of, and discussions around black people through many lenses, including various forms of media and social media, popular culture, and politics.

University Core fulfilled: Foundations: Studies in American Diversity.

An introductory course designed to give an overview of African American Studies in order to familiarize the student with the history, culture, aspirations, and contemporary issues of the African American experience.

University Core fulfilled: Foundations: Studies in American Diversity.

A study of the Black Aesthetic as expressed in cultural productions such as music, dance, theatre, film, television, painting, sculpture, and literature along with the intersection of the cultural politics of race in American society.

University Core fulfilled: Foundations: Studies in American Diversity.

An introduction to the methods used to acquire and disseminate knowledge about the systems and policies that affect the African American Community.

University Core fulfilled: Foundations: Quantitative Reasoning.

Students participating in LMU Gospel Choir enroll in this course.

Students participating in LMU Gospel Choir enroll in this course.

Prerequisite: AFAM 2261.

Students participating in LMU Gospel Choir enroll in this course.

Prerequisite: AFAM 2262.

Students participating in LMU Gospel Choir enroll in this course.

Prerequisite: AFAM 2263.

Comic books are considered one of only two original American art forms (jazz is the other), and American culture is thoroughly imbued with their influence and iconography. This course explores perspectives and debates concerning the way comic books have presented, engaged, promoted, and rejected notions related to race, particularly Black racial formations, in America.

This course examines the history of the African American church (broadly defined) as well as its important role in social activism.

University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Interdisciplinary Connections.

An analysis of the historical forces which shaped the African American experience in America from past to present.

University Core fulfilled: Explorations: Historical Analysis and Perspectives; Flag: Engaged Learning.

An examination of the history and practices of the African American church and the role it has played in the development of African American identity, culture, and social activism.

University Core fulfilled: Faith and Reason.

An exploration of themes and movements in Africana philosophy with special emphasis on the critique of exclusively Eurocentric philosophical paradigms.

Explores the major historical themes in African American History such as Slavery and Freedom, The Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights and Black Power, and African Americans at the Turn of the 21st Century.

University Core fulfilled: Flag: Engaged Learning.

Black Queer Theory examines the systems that maintain the status quo, as well as how, Africana LGBTQIAP folx interrogate their social, cultural, political, and economic positions.

This course traces the development of family theory, meanings, representation, and formation from the period of slavery up to recent times. The course engages long-standing and current debates about black families in the research scholarship across disciplines and in the society at large.

University Core fulfilled: Flag: Engaged Learning.

A study of the major themes in selected works of African American literature; examination of their social, historical, cultural, and contemporary significance.

In the post-Civil Rights era, African Americans are a part of American culture in ways that reflect not only a high degree of visibility but also extraordinary popularity. American cinema is a significant visual medium that has delivered various representations of Black people, racial progress, and notions of racial pathology (whether real or fictional). This course examines how American cinema has defined the issue of race in American society.

A survey of the effects of long-standing discrimination and deprivation of family structure, occupational patterns, health and educational conditions, motivation, and personal as well as group identity.

University Core fulfilled: Flag: Engaged Learning.

An opportunity to connect the academic side of African American Studies with the black community. Students will work with a community organization or conduct research in the area of African American Studies.

This course examines how black people have been portrayed in various forms of popular culture and how those portrayals have impacted the race in our society.

This course will explore the ways in which the American legal system has contributed to the shaping of race and gender in American culture.

A study of how and why hip hop has become a global phenomenon, examining themes within hip hop culture with a primary focus on race, gender, class, sexuality, and youth politics of hip hop.

This course focuses on a critical interrogation of notions of blackness and authenticity in racial identification. The course examines constructions and (mis)representations of blackness, mixed race, as well as trans-national expressions of culture, resistance, and self-expression in the construction of family and identities.

An analysis of the social, economic, political, environmental, and spatial characteristics of Los Angeles. Students will be introduced to various theories and methods of examining urbanization, racial segregation, and economic development in order to develop a critical understanding of the contemporary circumstances of Blacks in Los Angeles.

Designed as a capstone experience for African American Studies majors and minors. In the seminar format, students will be challenged to integrate knowledge, skills gained in course work, and life experiences into a meaningful project that meets the challenge of academic excellence and social responsibility.

Senior standing required.

This course examines the issues of sex, race, and violence and their implications for the individual, the family, and the community. Emphasis is placed on the role of socialization and the myths that impact societal attitudes about sex and violence. Students have an opportunity to identify and to explore factors that influence the manifestation of physical violence (including dating violence, child abuse, and domestic violence), and sexual violence (including date rape, stranger rape, and marital rape) across the dimensions of race, ethnicity, and gender.

A survey of the development of African American social thought with special emphasis on current philosophies that influence contemporary African American social movements.

This course explores prominent themes, queries and applications toward an understanding of race/ism, health, and society.