WELCOME!!

Thank you for enrolling in "Drop Me Off in Harlem," the Black Curatorial Institute's (BCI) introductory course on the Harlem Renaissance.

In the decade following World War I, African American cultural production flourished during what has become known as the Harlem Renaissance. Though the movement had a tremendous impact on African American culture, it was a moment of global significance for American visual art. This course will examine the Harlem Renaissance, and its connections to Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and other parts of the U.S. like Chicago and the Deep South. In particular, it focuses on the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality, and how artistic production during the 1920’s and 1930’s both influenced and informed those intersections. The course also aims to help students develop and refine critical skills for studying & analyzing Black cultural history. Texts will include paintings, essays, poems, songs, and short stories.



As such, students in this course will explore the general principles of the above areas & the basic aspects of African American cultural history, art history, Black literary production, Black political philosophies, & social movements.

Each module includes multiple lessons that contain a list of learning objectives specific to the topic and activities planned for its week. In addition to completing readings, watching video lectures and participating in class discussion (via the comment section underneath the course materials), students are expected to complete a series of short-term quizzes throughout the duration of the course. Please take some time now to review the expectations and requirements for these assignments, and share any questions or concerns with the instructor. These module objectives are designed to promote student achievement in meeting the overall course objectives.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Recognize & examine the works of various Harlem Renaissance artists.
• Understand the Harlem Renaissance as a significant Black cultural movement.
• Actively engage in critical conversations regarding the importance of Black cultural history.