SOC 119 PZ -African American Humanism

Institution: Pitzer

Description: Despite strong traditions of religiosity in African American communities, Black secular humanist, freethought and atheist views have always coexisted with Black faith. Historically, Black humanists have grounded their beliefs in an anti-racist social justice critique that was distinct from that of European American secular humanists. For generations, African American secular humanist inquiry has provided Black thinkers, activists, and educators with a platform to explore questions of race, ethics, democracy, gender, sexuality, white supremacy, and capitalism; as well as global citizenship, American national identity, utopia and dystopia. This course will focus on how these traditions shaped Black liberation, resistance, intellectualism, and creativity. It will explore nineteenth century slavery-era critiques of organized religion from thinkers like Frederick Douglass and Fanny Barrier Williams; discuss literary portrayals of skepticism by twentieth century writers and artists such as Zora Neale Hurston, Lorraine Hansberry, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Nella Larsen, Alice Walker, and Octavia Butler; and examine contemporary twenty first century secular humanist, freethought and atheist activism, scholarship, art and social media among educators, writers, bloggers, and organizations who are challenging the dominance of religious faith in communities of color.

For up-to-date information on current course offerings and details, please refere to the Pitzer class schedule on the MyCampus2 Portal.