Word: afros
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...great deal of material by and about Afro-American people is presented in courses offered by members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Most of these courses treat the Afro-American experience in the context of more general aspects of American life: social, political and intellectual history, urban problems, race and ethnic group relations, to name just a few. Only one course, Social Sciences 5, and a few group tutorials for credit in Social Relations and Government, focus exclusively on the history and culture of Afro-Americans...
Most departmental requirements for concentration permit students to do considerable work in Afro-American studies. Head Tutors reported that courses, tutorial and independent study dealing with Afro-American material could, under present rules, be counted for concentration and related work. The Government Department, for example, noted that "in three of the four required areas. . . it would be possible for a student with a strong interest in black studies to fulfill his Departmental requirements with work in this area." In Social Relations, the "basic policy is to encourage students with such interests by allowing them to develop a program drawing upon...
...should be noted, however, that the relative absence of middle level courses dealing entirely or primarily with Afro-American material makes it difficult for students to act on the freedom implied by these rules. Moreover, there are at present no special fields in Afro-American Studies within existing departments or committees of instruction...
...growing interest in Afro-American Studies has stimulated the development of informal but carefully conceived study groups and non-credit seminars. In two Houses, for example, groups are studying black literature. Faculty members, graduate students and undergraduates have participated in planning and teaching these groups. In addition, a number of relevant seminars are offered by the Institute of Politics...
...opinion, the status quo with respect to Afro-American Studies at Harvard is not satisfactory. Quite a number of courses recognize the existence of black men in the development of America; quite a bit of expertise is already available. However, merely recognizing black men as integral segments of certain overall social processes is not good enough. We are dealing with 25 million of our own people with a special history, culture, and range of problems. It can hardly be doubted that the study of black men in America is a legitimate and urgent academic endeavor...