How did Black men and women, of many different cultures and ages, succeed against all odds? How did they move from victim to victors? Where did they find the insurmountable courage to deconstruct and reconstruct their lives? In this program, students will participate in an inquiry-base exploration of the efficacy, resiliency and longevity of the lives and legacies of selected Black men and women from Ancient Egypt to contemporary times. Our exploration will use the lenses of Ancient Egyptian studies, African, African-American and Afro-Disaporic history, dance history, media and popular culture to investigate the lives of these men and women lives, their historical, cultural and spiritual contexts and legacies.

The class will have a variety of learning environments, including lectures and films, workshops, seminars and research groups. All students will demonstrate their acquired knowledge, skills and insights about the mis-education/re-education process through a quarter -long reflective journal project , a mid -quarter contextual research project;  and an end-of-the-quarter final paper and a collaborative performance about the journey from mis-education to education and those factors that allow one to retain their humanity in spite of horrific dehumanizing attempts.