Nov 22, 2024
OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2024-25

AAS 2250 - History of the African American Worker


African-American workers have had a profound effect on U.S. labor and its history. This course will examine the transformation of the African-American working class from the post-Civil War period through the late twentieth-century. African American workers and their community organizations played an integral role in shaping the American working class experience from the maturing industrial period through post-industrial period of U.S. history. We will analyze the changing relationship between capital and labor, employers and employees while evaluating the shifting meanings of “owners” and “workers” over time. Through the lenses of race, gender, and sexuality we will also analyze the developments in African American working-class culture and politics.

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:
  • To analyze the relationship among various social and political movements revolving around class issues in which African Americans have participated.
  • To enhance understanding of the intersection of race, class, gender and ability/disability studies as these relate to African American workers’ struggles.
  • To evaluate the historiography of U.S. labor and African American working-class studies.


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