Course Pillars
Four interdisciplinary units — from African origins to contemporary Black life.
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Unit 1 · African Civilizations & the Diaspora
Origins & the Middle Passage
Explore the rich diversity of African civilizations and the catastrophic rupture of the transatlantic slave trade — studying the Middle Passage as a defining trauma and the roots of the African diaspora.
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Unit 2 · Enslavement to Reconstruction
Slavery, Resistance & Freedom
Examine chattel slavery's legal and social structures, the many forms of resistance — from passive acts to armed rebellion — and the unfinished promise of Reconstruction.
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Unit 3 · The Long Freedom Movement
Civil Rights & Black Power
Trace the Great Migration, the cultural flowering of the Harlem Renaissance, the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement, and the rise of Black Power and the Black Arts Movement.
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Unit 4 · Movements & Debates Today
Contemporary Black Life & Culture
Engage with mass incarceration, Black Lives Matter, Afrofuturism, contemporary Black feminism, and reparations debates — examining systemic racism and visions of Black futures.
Mastery Areas
The four scholarly competencies you will develop across the year.
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Primary Source Analysis
Evaluate authorship, purpose, historical context, and audience. Understand what a source reveals — and what it conceals.
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Historical Inquiry
Apply chronological reasoning, causation, and continuity/change frameworks to trace the arc of African American history.
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Cultural Studies
Analyze literature, music, visual art, and film as evidence of African American intellectual and cultural traditions.
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Scholarly Writing
Construct thesis-driven analytical essays using precise course vocabulary and evidence from multiple disciplines.
4 Units — Origins to the Present
Click any unit to expand topics, key vocabulary, and curated resources.
Assessment Types
3 scholarly assessment formats · from document analysis to original research.
1
Analytical Essay
Construct a defensible, thesis-driven argument in response to a historical or thematic prompt. Use specific evidence from course units and address complexity through counterargument or nuance.
💡 Write a clear thesis in the opening paragraph. Organize body paragraphs around evidence, not chronology. Close with historical significance — why does this matter beyond the specific examples you used?
Model Opener
Although [counterargument], [your claim] because [reason 1], [reason 2], and [reason 3]. The history of [subject] demonstrates that [thesis], revealing [broader significance].
2
Primary Source Analysis
Analyze a primary source by identifying the author's argument or purpose, explaining the historical context, evaluating the source's perspective or limitations, and connecting it to a broader course theme.
💡 For every document ask: Who made this? When and why? Who was the intended audience? What does it reveal about power, resistance, or identity? These 4 questions unlock the analysis.
Model Opener
In this [year] [document type], [author] argues that [main claim]. Writing in the context of [historical moment], [author] — a [identity/position] — had [motivation] to [audience]. This source reveals [insight], though its perspective is limited by [limitation].
3
Research Project
Conduct original research drawing on primary and secondary sources. Demonstrate mastery of African American Studies methodology. Present findings with proper scholarly citation and a clear argumentative through-line.
💡 Choose a topic that crosses at least two of the four course units — this allows you to demonstrate interdisciplinary depth. Anchor your argument in at least one primary source and one scholarly secondary source.
Model Opener
This research investigates [topic] through the lens of [framework, e.g., intersectionality / double consciousness]. Drawing on [primary source] and [scholar's work], I argue that [thesis], which reveals [broader implication for African American history/culture].
Scholar Success Tips
1
Read primary sources as arguments, not facts
Every primary source was created by someone with a purpose and perspective. Ask: What is this person trying to achieve? What do they leave out? Whose voices are absent? This lens unlocks analytical insight.
2
Connect individuals to structural forces
Analysis that goes beyond biography earns the highest marks. Harriet Tubman isn't just brave — she operated within systems of chattel slavery, abolitionist networks, and gendered expectations. Connect people to systems.
3
Use the four units as an interpretive framework
The course is organized around 4 thematic units. When writing, explicitly connect your evidence to a theme (diaspora, freedom/resistance, long freedom movement, or contemporary movements).
4
Know the key intellectual traditions
Du Bois's double consciousness, Crenshaw's intersectionality, hooks's Black feminism, and Baldwin's literary criticism are not just vocabulary — they're analytical frameworks you should be able to apply to new examples.
5
Complexity beats comprehensiveness
A sophisticated argument about one example beats a list of ten examples with no analysis. Write fewer claims, but develop each one with evidence, counterargument, and historical significance.
6
Use course vocabulary precisely and in context
Terms like 'systemic racism,' 'double consciousness,' and 'intersectionality' earn credit when used correctly and in context — not just mentioned. Define the term, then show it operating in your specific example.
Practice Resources
AP Classroom (College Board)
Free · Official
African American Intellectual History Society
Free · Scholarship
National Museum of African American History
Free · Primary Sources
The 1619 Project (NYT)
Free · Primary Reading
Facing History & Ourselves
Free · Curriculum
The Root — Black History
Free · Contemporary
Schomburg Center Digital Collections
Free · Archives
16-Week Honors Study Plan
Phase 1 (Weeks 1–4)
Unit 1: Origins of the African Diaspora
- Map African kingdoms and trade networks before the slave trade
- Analyze 3 primary sources about the Middle Passage using the 4-question framework
- Read excerpts from Olaudah Equiano's narrative
- Practice: 1 primary source analysis per week identifying author, context, purpose, and limitation
Phase 2 (Weeks 5–8)
Unit 2: Freedom, Enslavement, and Resistance
- Read Frederick Douglass's Narrative and Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
- Analyze the limits and achievements of Reconstruction through primary source documents
- Study Du Bois's 'The Souls of Black Folk' — especially the concept of double consciousness
- Practice: Write 1 comparative analytical paragraph per week connecting two historical examples
Phase 3 (Weeks 9–12)
Unit 3: The Long Freedom Movement
- Map the Great Migration's causes, patterns, and cultural consequences
- Read Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Lorraine Hansberry as primary evidence
- Analyze the tactical differences between SNCC, NAACP, SCLC, and Black Power organizations
- Practice: Write 1 full analytical essay response per week connecting a movement to a broader theme
Phase 4 (Weeks 13–16)
Unit 4 + Research Project Completion
- Study intersectionality, mass incarceration, and Afrofuturism using primary and secondary sources
- Draft and revise your research project with a clear thesis and scholarly citations
- Write 2 timed analytical essays drawing on evidence from multiple units
- Review: Connect scholarship (Du Bois, Crenshaw, hooks) to specific historical examples across all four units
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