Amy Jordan

In this course, we will examine a range of organizing struggles that took place during the "Long Civil Rights Movement." By reading scholarly articles, movement newspapers and activist interviews, we will explore critical debates and questions raised by researchers and movement veterans. Do we understand the "movement" in terms of ideologies articulated by established leaders, by determining the nature of the political climate, or by examining community traditions and conceptions of what Robin Kelley calls "Freedom Dreams"? Do we begin our exploration---in the 1950s, 1960s or perhaps sooner? Does the emergence of newly independent nations in Africa and Asia shape activist conceptions of civil rights, human rights, nonviolence, self-defense, and citizenship? How do contemporary organizers in movements against police brutality and struggles for immigrant rights draw from the lessons of these 20th century movements? This course will prepare you to develop a grounding in historical methods and conduct social movement research. Keywords: African American History, Civil Rights, Black Power, human rights, poverty

In April of 2022, Christian Smalls led a group of Amazon workers in a successful campaign to win union recognition. This historic union battle represents the enormous challenges facing "essential workers" and the creative strategies workers deploy to build power in their workplaces. This course will examine the lived experiences, work cultures and organizing strategies of African American workers whose stories provide critical glimpses into the history of essential workers. Readings, films, interviews and historical newspaper sources will allow us to explore a range of sites, both rural and urban, as well as a range of categories, including workers in private households, steel, tobacco, automobile factories, and cotton and rice fields. This range of labor struggles will provide an understanding of what has been at stake for African American workers from Reconstruction through much of the late 20th century. By extending our exploration over the course of the twentieth century, we can examine organizing traditions in depth and consider their long-term impact on African-American political activism and contemporary labor struggles. Keywords:African American history, labor history, social movements

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This interdisciplinary course critically engages a range of frameworks (geopolitical, historical, literary) for a study of the complex and contested reality of Cuba. We will critique and decenter the stereotypical images of Cuba that circulate in US popular and official culture, and we will examine the constructions of race, gender, and sexuality that have defined the Cuban nation. We will also explore how Cuba should be understood in relation to the U.S., to its diaspora in Miami, and elsewhere. This course is open to all, though it is best suited to students beyond their first semester of study. The class will be conducted in English, with many readings available in Spanish and English. Papers may be submitted in either language. This interdisciplinary course critically engages a range of frameworks (geopolitical, historical, literary) for a study of the complex and contested reality of Cuba. We will critique and decenter the stereotypical images of Cuba that circulate in US popular and official culture, and we will examine the constructions of race, gender, and sexuality that have defined the Cuban nation. We will also explore how Cuba should be understood in relation to the U.S., to its diaspora in Miami, and elsewhere. This course is open to all, though it is best suited to students beyond their first semester of study. The class will be conducted in English, with many readings available in Spanish and English. Papers may be submitted in either language. For students wishing to apply for the Hampshire in Havana January term program, this required course will offer critical foundational knowledge. For students wishing to apply for the Hampshire in Havana January term program, this required course will offer critical foundational knowledge.

This course will combine West African dance classes with discussion-based classes on the cultural and social history of Guinea. Students will explore West African aesthetics as represented in the music and dance traditions of Guinea by dancing to traditional rhythms, watching films of performances and celebrations, and reading recent scholarship on the role that national dance companies, such as Les Ballets Africains, played in the anti-colonial, revolutionary nationalist politics of Guinea. The literature will include broader social histories of West African struggle for independence as well as cultural analysis of recurring themes such as debates about authenticity and processes of modernity. We will discuss the ways in which dance figured into the forging of national identities during the Independence era and consider how these projects in self-making evolved over time as the challenges of the post-colonial era constrained and informed the possibilities for such a project. Students will complete an interdisciplinary final project. This course will prepare students to pursue concentrations that explore the intersection of artistic modes of expression, history and ethnography. Keywords: West African History, dance, post colonial theory, ethnography

In this course, we will explore the histories of organizing to dismantle the racist underpinnings of colleges and universities in the U.S. Drawing on a range of resources, students will explore the challenges of documenting institutional racism in Higher Education by exploring social contestation on several selected campuses, including Hampshire College. We will pay particular attention to the range of demands, agreements, and anti-racist plans developed as a result of campus activism. Key components of our examination include: utilizing an intersectional lens, exploring how race intersects with gender and sexual identities, as well as strategies for building multi-racial solidarities. Students will learn to utilize a range of historical and social science methodologies. The aim is to produce a group project that accesses Hampshire Colleges current Anti-Racist Inventory/Plan and makes suggestions for future institutional actions. Keywords: history, ethnography, race, ethnicity, diversity