POL 223 AFRICAN AMERICAN POLITICS FALL 2026
Professor Melissa Harris-Perry
Department of Politics and International Affairs Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program in African American Studies Program in Environment and Sustainability
THURSDAYS 3:30-6:00 PM DIVINITY AND RELIGION STUDIES ROOM 206 OFFICE HOURS: THURSDAYS 12:00-2:00 PM Virtual and by appointment
U.S. Representative Shirley Chisholm of Brooklyn announces her candidacy for Democratic nomination for the presidency in 1972. Photo Credit: Don Hogan Charles/New York Times Co./Getty Images
This course examines African American politics in the contemporary United States. We will consider how African Americans encounter, participate in, challenge, and transform the U.S. political system, while also examining debates among Black Americans about the meaning of freedom, representation, leadership, power, and political strategy. The course addresses competing traditions of Black political thought and action; Black political leadership and representation; public opinion and voting behavior; social movements and other strategies of political engagement; and the relationship between American political institutions and African American individuals and communities. Although primarily contemporary, the course draws on historical debates and struggles that continue to shape Black politics today. 1
*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry, 2026