SHUM 6669 - From Slavery to Mass Incarceration: A History of Policing in Black Communities

(crosslisted) AMST 6669, ASRC 6669, HIST 6669

Spring. 4 credits. Student option grading.

Enrollment limited to: graduate students. Co-meets with AMST 4669/ASRC 4669/HIST 4669/SHUM 4669.

L. Alexander.

This course examines the history of policing in Black communities from its origins in slavery, through the Civil Rights/Black Power eras and the War on Drugs, to the present day. Specifically, it reveals how Black people’s desire for freedom from slavery led fearful local, state, and federal authorities to establish a complex web of laws, policies and social practices that monitored and governed Black people’s lives in sickening detail. This system ultimately laid a durable foundation for systems of racial and social control that continue to exist in modified forms in contemporary society. Using an array of sources—including film, legal codes, government documents, oral histories, newspaper reports, and personal letters—this course explores the legacy of slavery in modern-day policing and mass incarceration. For longer description and instructor bio, visit the Society for the Humanities website.