AP® African American Studies

Basic & On Demand

Enrollment for Basic and On Demand courses is open on a rolling basis.

Plus

Teachers can use the complete Plus course curriculum for flexible instruction.

Course Summary

Embark on a journey through African American Studies, tracing the path from ancient kingdoms to contemporary challenges and achievements. Explore migration, identity, resistance, resilience, and the arts through primary texts, visual and data sources. Hone interdisciplinary skills in source analysis, argumentation, and the application of disciplinary knowledge. Cultivate critical thinking and an appreciation for the cultural complexities of Black communities in the United States, contextualized within Africa and the African diaspora.

This course prepares you for the AP® African American Studies exam.

Course Prerequisite(s): There are no prerequisites for this course. Students should be able to read a college-level textbook and write grammatically correct sentences. In addition, students should be able to analyze images, think critically and write essays using evidence.

Curriculum

This is a 2-semester course. We do not recommend taking both semesters simultaneously.

Semester 1

Unit 1: Origins of African Diaspora

Features & Complexities of Black Studies
Africa: Geographic Features
Bantu Expansion Origins, Causes & Effects
Early East & West African Empires
Early African Kingdoms & City-States
Economics & Politics in Early Africa
Overview of the Mali Empire
West African Education Models
Syncretic Practices in Early West African Societies
Great Zimbabwe's Stone Architecture
Overview of the Swahili Coast
Kongo Kingdom: Politics, Faith & Economics
Women's Role in Early West & Central Africa
Pre-Slave Trade Ties: Africa & Europe

Unit 2: Freedom, Enslavement, and Resistance

Ladinos as the first Africans in U.S.
Transatlantic Slave Trade
Middle Passage: Conditions for the Enslaved
Slave Narratives
Slave Ships: General Features & Diagrams
African Resistance to Slavery
Slave Auctions
Black Authors & Slave Auctions
Cotton: Cash Crop & Industry in the Slave Era
Specialized Roles for Slaves
Economic Effects of Slave Labor
American Law & Slavery
What is Partus Sequitur Ventrem?
How African Americans Defined & Classified Themselves
African American Forms of Self-Expression
Enslaved Africans' Influence on Musical Styles

Unit 3: Resistance & Revolt

Stono Rebellion
Legacy of the Haitian Revolution
Daily Forms of Resistance & Revolt
Actions of Free Blacks in the North & South
Black Female Activism in the 19th Century
Who are the Maroons?
Maroon Communities
Maroon Wars Across the African Diaspora
Enslavement of Africans in Brazil
U.S. Slavery Expansion: Impact on Black & Indigenous Communities
Radical Resistance: 19th Century Emigrationists
Resistance Strategy: Black Political Thought

Unit 4: Abolition & Freedom

Harriet Tubman & the Underground Railroad
Courage in African American Art & Photography
Black Women: Objectification & Resistance
Gender's Impact on Slave Narratives & Political Movements
African Americans in the Civil War
Events that Ended Legal Slavery in the United States
Juneteenth

Semester 2

Available in spring 2025.

Enrollment will open on 11/22/2024.