Black Studies Lesson Plan

 Emma Harrison

Dr. Harris

ENGL 2016-44378

25 November 2023

Black Studies Lesson Plan

Week 1:

An introduction to Black Studies and why it is important. What Black Studies is defined as and what material we will be going over throughout the semester. Introducing the first thing we will be exploring, the movie Glory (1989). Discussion question: Who would you define Black Studies with what you know about it now?

Why: Knowing the textbook definition of Black Studies and the material that will be in the course is important to get into the introduction of Black Studies and why it is an important course to have affeered in all collages.

Week 2:

Movie: Glory (1989)

Students will watch the movie Glory while writing down six events in the movie that they believe to be important. After the movie, the students will discuss in small groups their favorite parts of the movie and then discuss it as a class.

Why:  The movie Glory fallows the United States Civil War’s first all-African American regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. While the movie is not entirely historically accurate it follows a very realistic story of a “volunteer infantry", both the person that led it and the people in the regiment show two different sides of the hardships that African American man had to live through at the time.

Week 3-8:

Autobiography: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa by Olaudah Equiano.

First the students will read Equiano’s autobiography throughout about six weeks. As they read the chapters, they will discuss each chapter in small groups to get other opinions on the chapters. and over all how they think his book affected history.

Week 3: Chapters 1-2

Discuss the first two chapters. Discussion question: What stands out to you the most?

Week 4: Chapters 3-4

Discuss chapters 3-4. Students write a 300-word journal on the important moments in the chapters read so far.

Week 5: Chapters 5-6

Discuss chapters 5-6.

 Week 6: Chapters 7-8 

Discuss chapters 7-8. Students write a 300-word journal on the important moments in chapters 5-8.

Week 7: Chapters 9-10

Discuss chapters 9-10.

Week 8: Chapters 11-12

Discuss chapters 11-12. After finishing the book, the class will have an open discussion on the biggest parts of the book and how the book may have been seen by the people that read it at the time it was released. Discussion question: Why is Equiano’s book important?

Why: Olaudah Equiano was the first former slave to write a book about their experience as a slave and have it published. He was also an abolitionist. As the book follows his life before, during, and after his time as a slave it opened many people's eyes to the reality of slavery and discounted many of the racist stereotypes that people had as the book follows his life before, during, and after his time as a slave.

Week 9:

Midterm Project:

Students will write an essay on how important they think Equiano’s book is to history. Midterm Project Prompt: How important do you think Olaudah Equiano’s book is to history and to African descendants in general? How do you think it affected people at the time?

Week 10:

“The Extortionary Equiano,” the documentary about the life of Olaudah Equiano.

We will watch short important scenes from the documentary as a class and have class discussion comparing the documentary and the autobiography.

Why: The documentary follows the book closely and it gives more emotion to what is happening and understanding it. Discussion question; how would you compare the book and the documentary?

Week 11:

Short Story: “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker

Reading and analyzing the story, “Everyday Use”, from the mother’s and both daughters’ perspective. At the end of the week, they will write a short essay on the relationship between the mother and each of her daughters separately. Discussion question: How are the sisters treated differently and why?

Why: This story explores several different problems and struggles an African American family may face and how it affects people in a family differently. One of those topics is colorism, the older daughter Dee has lighter skin, and the younger sister Maggie has very dark skin. Dee is considered incredibly beautiful and smart, while Maggie is considered ugly and not very bright. How the sisters see their heritage is also important, Dee is both ashamed of her family but wants to show them off to show how far she has come in comparison. 

Week 12:

Movie: Belle (2013)

Students will watch the entirety of the movie Belle that is based off the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle the daughter of a Royal Navy Captain and a slave he meets after capturing a Spanish ship. As they watch they will write down what is happening in six different important scenes in the movie. Discussion question: What is one main concept from the movie?

Why: This movie follows Belle as she struggles with the prospect of marriage as a mixed black woman with money and the law case that her grandfather presides over. She struggles with other people looking down on her and how they treat her differently compared to her white cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray. Another large part of the movie follows a legal case of a man trying to file with his insurance company after troughing slaves overboard. This case shows the concept of social death when people are not considered human by society. The man that had the slaves thrown overboard did not see them as humans but as property and he wanted money for compensation after losing them, like you would damage objects.

Week 13:

Short story: “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston

Students will read the short story “Sweat” by Zora Hurston and have small group discussions in class about the story. At the end of the week students will write a 300-word essay about the relationship between Delia and her husband Sykes. Discussion question: How would you describe Delia and Sykes’ relationship?

Why: This story shows the aftermath of slavery with a poor black couple that struggle with being poor and relationship problems. The couple lives in a small southern town, only Delia has a job cleaning laundry for some white people in the town. Her husband Sykes does not have a job, he is also abusive and a cheater. This story shows the aftermath of slavery in Delia’s struggle with being overworked to make money, gender rules, and abuse. 

Week 14-15:

Poems: If We Must Die by Claude McKay, We Wear the Mask by Pual Dunbar, and The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes.

Students will read each of these poems and compare them in small groups and then write a short essay comparing all three of them.

Why:  All three poems go into strong feelings in relation to their past or ancestry being an African American. Claude McKay’s poem is about fighting back against the ‘monsters’ that separate black people and society. Pual Dunbar’s poem is about segregation after the civil war and the lives of black people after. Langston Hughes’ poem is about the past that black people have lived through up to American slavery.

Week 16:

Final: A cumulative test with 20 multiples choice, 5 true or false, 4 short answers, and one essay question.

I have chosen to make this Introduction to Black Studies class a college course because students are able to choose their own classes and they are old enough to take the class without the influence of parents. The literature and videos I chose for my lesson plan cover different perspectives in various times of the history of the black community and show the importance of taking a black Studies course.