Nov 23, 2024
OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2022-23

AAS 3460 - Black Men and Masculinities


Black Men and Masculinities is an interdisciplinary course that examines the diverse experiences of black men and the public discourses about black masculinities primarily in the U.S. The major thrust of the course is to examine how the gendered social order influences black men’s actions and the way black men perceive themselves, other men, women, and social situations. We will use an intersectionality perspective to explore the relationships between multiple dimensions of social relations and inequalities: gender, race/ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation. We will also consider how black masculinities are produced in various physical/social sites. This course evaluates the prospects for social change in how black men think, feel, and act. It addresses issues such as: black male socialization and boyhood/guyland culture, the black male body image, black male friendship, black male sexuality and fertility, black men’s experiences as fathers and their involvement in volunteer and paid youth work, male aggression and violence, the social construction of masculinities in different historical and cultural contexts, and men’s movements and networks.

Requisites: Soph or Jr or Sr
Credit Hours: 3
Repeat/Retake Information: May be retaken two times excluding withdrawals, but only last course taken counts.
Lecture/Lab Hours: 3.0 lecture
Grades: Eligible Grades: A-F,WP,WF,WN,FN,AU,I
Learning Outcomes:
  • Apply theoretical insights to political, cultural, and economic issues relevant to the construction of Black masculinities.
  • Explore of the multiple meanings that Black men attach to gender, sexuality, work, family and community.
  • Understand epistemological assumptions informing common sense understandings of Black masculinities.


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