Critical Social Inquiry 0227 - Afr. Amer/Politics Reparations

Racial reparations have been and continue to be one of the most explosive contemporary issues. Some argue that U.S. history of enslavement renders some form of reparations necessary to the quest for social justice; that understanding reparations is central to honest conversations about race and racism. Others argue that reparations for past injustices such as slavery are unfair. Still others refuse to discuss the topic altogether. This course is concerned with the historic and contemporary reparations debate as it pertains to African Americans, including land theft, spatial democracy, and reparative justice. We will pay close attention to how historians, artists, legal scholars, grassroots community activists and elected officials have approached this issue, and gauge its relevance in the #BlackLivesMatter era.

Power, Community and Social Justice Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time.