online black history courses

Introduction to Black Studies Course is a 30 week beginner’s course that analyses all the major areas of the Black Experience – the History, the Politics, the Psychology, the Sociology, the Science & Technology, the Arts, and finally, the Religion. All of the information is selected to be of relevance and interest to the Black Community. The information itself is designed to inspire, challenge and to provoke serious thought.    Using a lecture-discussion format, the course will run for 30 weeks, one lecture per week on either a Thursday evening from 19:00 GMT to 21:00 GMT or Saturday afternoon from 12:00 – 14:00 GMT via Zoom Webinar.  

Online Black History Courses

The course is a highly accessible 30 week programme but it is also rigorous and content laden. 

It assumes no prior knowledge of the subject areas, but the adult student is taken through an avalanche of information. Reading lists are provided. The course is divided into three 10 week terms consisting of the following lectures:  

COURSE CONTENT

The course is divided into three terms consisting of the following lectures:

Term 1  

INTRODUCTION 

Class 1   Introduction to Black Studies 

HISTORY 

Class 2   The facts concerning the Origins of Humanity 
Class 3   Who Were the Ancient Egyptians? (Part I) 
Class 4   Who were the Ancient Egyptians? (Part II) 
Class 5   Origins of Civilisation: Middle East or East Africa? 
Class 6   Black Civilisations on the Asian Continent: Elam, Saba and the Indus Valley 
Class 7   North African Civilisations: Carthage and Numidia
Class 8   West African Civilisations: Ancient Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empire
Class 9   East African Civilisations: Kush, Axum and the Swahili Confederation
Class 10 South African Civilisations: Great Zimbabwe and Munhumutapa

Term 2 

Class 11   Maafa: The Transatlantic Enslavement of Africans (Part I)
Class 12   Maafa: The Transatlantic Enslavement of Africans (Part II) 

POLITICAL SCIENCE 

Classes 13 and 14   Introduction to Black Political Realities 

SOCIOLOGY 

Class 15   The Birth of Radical Black Sociology
Class 16   The Black Family
Class 17   Black Male/Female Relationships 

PSYCHOLOGY 

Class 18   Franz Fanon and the Birth of Black Psychology
Class 19   Developmental Psychology of Black Children 
Class 20   Research Findings of Key Black Psychologists 

Term 3 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 

Class 21   The Black World’s Contribution to Science and Technology (Part I) 

Class 22 The Black World’s Contribution to Science and Technology (Part II)

ART & MUSIC 

Class 23   Traditions of Ancient African Art: Sahara, Nok, Igbo, Yoruba, and Benin 
Class 24   Roots of Black Music 

RELIGION 

Class 25   Ancient and Traditional Religions of Africa 
Class 26   Judaism and the Black World 
Class 27   Christianity and the Black World 
Class 28   Islam, Buddhism and the Black World 
Class 29   Rastafari, Nation of Islam, Kingism and Black Liberation Theology

DISCUSSION

Class 30   Discussion: How can we use Black Studies? 

COURSE DATES 

Thursday Evening Course Dates: Thursday 13th January 2022 to Thursday 8th September 2022 from 19:00 to 21:00 GMT  Saturday Afternoon Course Dates: Saturday 15th January 2022 to Saturday 10th September 2022 from 12:00 to 14:00 GMT.

free online black history courses uk

This Black History month, spend some time educating yourself about Black inventors, Black inventions, as well as our own local Black business owners.

If you want to take your learning one step further, enroll in a free college course about Black history.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

African American History: From Emancipation to the Present — Yale

The purpose of this course is to examine the African American experience in the United States from 1863 to the present day. Prominent themes include the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction; African Americans’ urbanization experiences; the development of the modern civil rights movement and its aftermath; and the thought and leadership of Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X.

African American History: The Modern Freedom Struggle — Stanford University

This course introduces the student to African American history, with particular emphasis on the political thought and protest movements of the period after 1930, focusing on selected individuals who have shaped and been shaped by modern African American struggles for freedom and justice.

African American Studies — UCLA

An intensive introduction to African American political thought that focuses on major ideological trends and political philosophies as they have been applied and interpreted by African Americans. Elements of the class include debates and conflicts in Black political thought, historical contest of African American social movements, and discussions of the relationship between Black political thought and major trends in Western thought.

Race and Cultural Diversity in American Life and History — University of Illinois

Learners will deepen their understanding and appreciation of ways in which race, ethnicity and cultural diversity have shaped American institutions, ideology, law, and social relationships from the colonial era to the present. The primary focus is on the historical and social relationships among European Americans, Native Americans, African Americans, Latino/as, and Asian/Pacific Americans. Issues of race and ethnicity are examined across different ethno-cultural traditions in order to interweave diverse experiences into a larger synthesis of the meaning of race and ethnicity in American life.

From Freedom Rides to Ferguson: Narratives of Nonviolence in the American Civil Rights Movement — Emory University

This course sheds light on the often overlooked strategic planning that supported the direction of the Modern Civil Rights Movement and is told by a voice intimately involved in the organization of movement — Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr. Topics include the history of the campaigns, the different coalitions and groups, philosophy and methods of nonviolent direct action, and the contemporary application of nonviolent conflict transformation. The course hosts several guest speakers, including Andrew Young, Reverend C.T. Vivian, Henry “Hank” Thomas, and Constance Curry.

America Through Foreign Eyes — Rice University

This course is a rich, interdisciplinary, international course that features Rice University faculty from a variety of disciplines and area studies. Focused on perceptions of America abroad, the course is a cross between World Cultures and American Studies. The course features five core modules, each covering the perceptions and interactions of particular regions with America, Americans, and Americanization.

Police Brutality in America Teach-Out — University of Michigan

The tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery have sparked a wave of renewed protests against police brutality across the United States. These nationwide uprisings have transformed into an intense interest from the public around understanding systemic racism and abuse of power. Learn about the history of police violence in America, become aware of laws and policies that prevent accountability, understand the demands of protesters, and gain the knowledge and tools to fight for change locally.

Leave a Reply