LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

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African American History to 1950

Developed by Dr. Kathryn Walbert

This course is part of LEARN NC's catalog of online courses for teachers. Please see the current offerings at the bottom of this page for information about when it may next be taught.

About this course

  • Audience: teachers

Participants are encouraged to complete the Prior Approval Form and file it with your local school system to ensure your school will award the appropriate CEUs.

Disability Statement

If you have a learning or other disability and you want to request special accommodations to ensure equal access to education through LEARN NC, then please contact your instructor. The information that you provide will be kept confidential.

Teach this course

This course is available to the public schools of North Carolina and may be offered locally or statewide. Learn more

Examine African American history in the contexts of United States, North Carolina and world history. You’ll begin by connecting the experiences of African Americans in early U.S. history to the histories and cultures of the African communities of their ancestors and will follow those cultural connections between Africa and the United States throughout the course.

Course topics include African Americans in the colonies and the early Republic, the Middle Passage, American slavery and the experiences of free African Americans in the antebellum period, the abolition movement, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, and the experiences of African Americans during World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. Throughout the course, you'll discuss African American activism through churches, political organizations, and communities and discover African American culture through art, music, and other cultural forms.

Syllabus

You can view full the course syllabus here.

Prerequisites

None

Course objectives

As a participant, you will have the opportunity to:

  • Analyze primary sources, including newspapers, slave testimonies, photographs, works of art, oral histories, historical pamphlets and more
  • Create a lesson plan you can use in your classroom
  • Receive individualized constructive feedback and answers to content-oriented questions from a well-versed instructor
  • Join other teachers from across the state in lively online discussions that will enhance your exploration of critical issues in African American history

This course promises to be challenging, but it will also be a rewarding and tremendously valuable part of your professional development.

Audience

Though the primary audience is social studies and history teachers, teachers of any subject and grade level are encouraged to participate.

Time commitment

5-7 hours per week

Current offerings

Begins January 6.

This course is open for enrollment. Enroll in this course