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U.S. Anti-Black Racism

Discover the history of racism in America and explore how racism and anti-Blackness is systemic in American society.

1,981 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Study the roots of systemic and institutional racism in America

This course will develop your understanding of anti-Blackness and anti-Black racism in America.

You’ll trace the global history of racism and learn about the Black-White binary that exists in our world today.

Uncover the origins of structural racism in America

Issues of police brutality and their unjust murders of Black American civilians sparked a wave of protests in the Summer of 2020 calling attention to the devaluation of Black lives in America and around the world. This institutional racism in America can be traced back hundreds of years.

On this course, you’ll learn how racial prejudice is structurally, institutionally, and systemically rooted in American society.

Learn how anti-Blackness is foundational to American society

The US is unique in that anti-Blackness was foundational in the creation and setup of the country.

You’ll consider the ways racism was built into the structure of America and learn how race, racism, and anti-Black racism are conceptually connected to one another.

Explore the racialization of space and Black-White binary

Using the course material as well as personal experiences, you’ll consider how Black Americans are exposed to and affected by systemic anti-Black racism.

You’ll also study how racism continues to manifest itself organizationally in different institutions.

Study racism with leading author and scholar, Dr David Embrick

The course is led and delivered by Dr. David Embrick from the University of Connecticut. You’ll benefit from Embrick’s 20 years of teaching experience, as you explore the social construction of race and systemic racism from an academic standpoint.

Dr Embrick’s research centers on racism theories, whiteness, diversity ideologies, racial microaggressions, racial attitudes, and the racialization of place and space.

What topics will you cover?

  • Introduction to U.S. Anti-Black Racism and Anti-Blackness
  • What is Race? The Social and Legal Construction of Race
  • What is Systemic Racism?
  • What is New Racism?
  • Institutional and Organizational Racism
  • Anti-Blackness, Space and Place

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Recognize what it means for race to be a socially constructed concept.
  • Recognize the difference between bigotry and individual prejudice, and racism as systemic and structural.
  • Recall how race, racism, and anti-Black racism conceptually connect to one another.
  • Discover how Black Americans are exposed to institutional and systemic anti-Black racism.
  • Reflect on the material and assess how the course material intersects with knowledge, beliefs, and personal experiences.
  • Discover the ways that racism manifests itself in various social institutions.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone interested in gaining a foundation in anti-Black racism.

It will enable you to develop a broader understanding of the global history of racism and the Black-white binary that exists.

This is the first course in a series of two, the second being Black Agency: Resistance and Resilience.

This two course series was developed collaboratively by Dr. Sharde Davis and Dr. David Embrick. Each faculty educator brings their expertise and areas of focus to both courses, supporting one another in course development and content delivery. The primary course objective is to expose learners to foundational research and concepts related to Black history, Black consciousness and Black resistance while developing learners’ understanding and potential capacity for disrupting anti-Black racism.

Who will you learn with?

Dr. David G. Embrick is an Associate Professor with a joint position in Africana Studies Institute and the Department of Sociology at the University of Connecticut.

Dr. Shardé M. Davis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Connecticut. Her research examines how Black women leverage communication in the sistah circle.

Who developed the course?

University of Connecticut

The University of Connecticut is a national leader among public research universities, with more than 32,000 students seeking answers to critical questions in classrooms, labs, and the community. A culture of innovation drives this pursuit of knowledge through the University’s network of campuses and through UConn Online.

  • Established

    1881
  • Location

    Storrs, Connecticut
  • World ranking

    Top 300Source: ShanghaiRanking Academic Ranking of World Universities 2020

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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