The Black American Experience Through Film
AFRAMER 118X
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Black Americans have helped shape most areas of life in the United States, and Black stories and Black History have been a part of American cinematography for ages. From Black Panther to If Beale Street Could Talk, Black Americans’ history and lived experiences have been shown on the big screen around the world. This course extends beyond traditional social justice or Black Freedom Struggle frameworks. Students will engage with films as both historical visualization tools and cultural artifacts, developing critical skills to analyze how popular culture shapes historical understanding. We could consider these major motion pictures as forms of “public history,” examining how they influence collective memory and historical consciousness.
Key questions driving the course include: What historical silences emerge in cinematic representations of Black American experience, and how do these omissions shape popular understandings of Black American history and culture? How do we address the tensions between commercial imperatives—box office success and streaming numbers—and historical accuracy in filmmaking?
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
NOTE: This course requires additional sections; you will be prompted to choose secondary components during the Add to Cart process
