Beyond the Classroom is a public education platform focused on decolonizing education and relearning history beyond the classroom.
COURSES FOR DECOLONIZING YOUR EDUCATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF HISTORY
Winter/Spring 2021
Francophone African Cinematography
This course will provide a more thorough examination of the social, political, and cultural histories of Africa through African filmmaking and video-making. Over the past fifty years, filmmakers from across the African continent have produced a large body of films and videos that, in the quality of their expression and the complexity of their themes, are on a par with the most important films produced in the rest of the world. African film has, however, been dubbed the “last cinema” due to its having been largely ignored by film financiers, distributors, and exhibitors, as well as by most Western film critics. This landscape is shifting but is built on a long tradition of film creation. Building upon African History: Colonization and Decolonization and African Cinematography, this class will provide us with the opportunity to more thoroughly study different histories through film, exploring the creative depictions and imaginations of the political social circumstances of the Francophone African Diasporic World. This class will specifically focus on Francophone African Cinematography, paying particular attention to Francophone West Africa.
The course is created with people who have busy schedules in mind. We will meet monthly on Sunday for two hours to discuss films and the brief assigned readings. To accommodate varying time zones, class will meet on Sunday’s at 2:00 PM (EST) on January 31, February 28, March 21, April 11 and May 16.
As always, these courses are donation-based. I encourage donations be made to the National Lawyers Guild or any mutual aid fund.
While protests across the country have brought much needed attention to the BLM movement and as they continue, organizers, activists, and protestors who were arrested are going to require legal support. Cities play wild legal games to maintain the status quo that often erode First Amendment rights and “make examples” of those who are fighting for change. Many protestors arrested will need competent, well-trained lawyers which will, most likely, cost a fortune. Organizations like the National Lawyers’ Guild already does much of this work pro bono but many of the arrests made will overwhelm the system. You can follow this link to the National Lawyers Guild website to find your local chapter to donate to.
If you are interested in enrolling in either of these courses, please fill out this form.
If you have any questions about the courses, please contact info.beyondtheclassroom [at] gmail.com.
COURSES FOR DECOLONIZING YOUR EDUCATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF HISTORY
Fall 2020
Politics of Solidarity: Continuing the Conversation
The primary goal of this monthly course is to continue our conversation on global anti-racism to better understand our role in the current moment. This is an iteration of the Anti-Racist Starter Pack class however previous enrollment in that course is not necessary to enroll in this class. The syllabus for this class will be structured around continuing our political development through a deeper examination of human rights (specifically the movement for trans rights), expanding our knowledge and understanding of anti-racism to move beyond concepts of anti-blackness, a deeper examination of anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist ideologies, and more while further developing our organizational tactics.
The course is created with people who have busy schedules in mind. We will meet monthly on Sunday for two hours to discuss assigned readings, podcasts, and films. The meetings will be structured around one assignment (a chapter, a film, or a podcast). This course is a way for me to share what I know as a student, instructor, and researcher while alleviating Black colleagues, academics, and friends from this labor. Meetings will be combination lecture and discussion. To accommodate varying time zones, class will meet on Sunday’s at 2:00 PM (EST) on August 23, September 20, October 11, November 8, and December 6.
African Cinematography
This course will provide a more thorough examination of the social, political, and cultural histories of Africa through African filmmaking and video-making. Over the past fifty years, filmmakers from across the African continent have produced a large body of films and videos that, in the quality of their expression and the complexity of their themes, are on a par with the most important films produced in the rest of the world. African film has, however, been dubbed the “last cinema” due to its having been largely ignored by film financiers, distributors, and exhibitors, as well as by most Western film critics. This landscape is shifting: one of the largest media media services and production companies, Netflix, has invested significantly in African film, most notably in Nollywood (Nigerian Hollywood). Building upon African History: Colonization and Decolonization, this class will provide us with the opportunity to more thoroughly study different histories through film, exploring topics such as LGBT rights, folklore traditions, urban development, and post-Apartheid South Africa. Because the Anglophone African and Francophone African film worlds are so vast and varied, this class will primarily center on the Anglophone African film world in an effort to make the class material more manageable and focused.
The course is created with people who have busy schedules in mind. We will meet monthly on Sunday for two hours to discuss films and the brief assigned readings. To accommodate varying time zones, class will meet on Sunday’s at 2:00 PM (EST) on August 30, September 27, October 25, November 22, and December 13
Details:
Both courses will meet monthly for five months, beginning in August and ending in December. To accommodate geography and various time zones, the classes will convene on Sunday’s at 2:00 PM (EST).
These courses are donation-based. I encourage donations be made to the National Lawyers Guild or any of the following bail fund and mutual aid organizations to support the organizers in Portland, Oregon who have spent the last month resisting militarized federal agents: Portland General Defense Committee, Don’t Shoot PDX (Don’t Shoot Portland), and Equitable Giving Circle. Portland General Defense Committee is a 103-year-old group started to defend workers facing legal attacks for their political beliefs by providing legal aid. Today, the organization has broadened its focus to community organizing and direct action. Don’t Shoot PDX is a Black-led and community driven accountability group formed by Black Lives Matter supporter and organizer Teressa Raiford to scrutinize actions of the Portland Police Bureau. Equitable Giving Circle is a new grassroots effort that aims to shift economic power to communities of Black, indigenous and people of color, whose first initiative is to purchase Community Supported Agriculture boxes from farmers of color and donate them to households of color who are in need during the pandemic.
While protests across the country have brought much needed attention to the BLM movement and as they continue, organizers, activists, and protestors who were arrested are going to require legal support. Cities play wild legal games to maintain the status quo that often erode First Amendment rights and “make examples” of those who are fighting for change. Many protestors arrested will need competent, well-trained lawyers which will, most likely, cost a fortune. Organizations like the National Lawyers’ Guild already does much of this work pro bono but many of the arrests made will overwhelm the system. You can follow this link to the National Lawyers Guild website to find your local chapter to donate to.
If you are interested in enrolling in either of these courses, please fill out this form.
If you have any questions about the courses, please contact info.beyondtheclassroom [at] gmail.com.
COURSES FOR DECOLONIZING YOUR EDUCATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF HISTORY
Summer 2020
The Anti-Racist Starter Pack: Where Do We Go From Here?
New to concepts of anti-racism? Interested in developing a historical understanding of anti-Black racism in America? This 5-week course is designed for white folx and non-Black POC—especially those who may be new or unfamiliar with concepts of anti-racism. Through a historical and political examination of the history of slavery, the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, mass incarceration, and the militarization of the police, this course will help to develop your political education to better understand how we got to this place. Black genocide is happening at the hands of white supremacy and white folx. It is our job, as those standing in solidarity with Black folx and the BLM movement, to educate and organize our own communities. What are you going to do after the protests have quelled? How will you maintain this work? Not only will you walk away from this course with a better developed and sharpened historical and political education, but you will have a larger toolkit to organize your own community. While this class is specifically geared towards white folx, it is open to anyone who is interested in developing their historical and political understanding of the U.S.
The course is created with people who have busy schedules in mind. We will meet once a week for an hour to discuss assigned readings, podcasts, and films. The weekly meetings will be structured around one assignment (a chapter, a film, or a podcast). This course is a way for me to share what I know as a student, instructor, and researcher while alleviating Black colleagues, academics, and friends from this labor. Meetings will be combination lecture and discussion.
African History: Colonization and Decolonization
The primary goal of this 5-week course is to develop an understanding of anti-blackness on a global level from a historical perspective. In order to do so, this course will cover major themes of African history from the end of the Atlantic slave trade through the first years of the twenty first century, following a chronological narrative. This course will pay specific attention to colonization, resistance movements, decolonization, and will ultimately draw connections between decolonization efforts on the continent to decolonization and liberation movements in the U.S. By focusing on specific case studies throughout the continent, you will be able to draw on historical examples to contextualize global anti-blackness while also gaining a theoretical grounding of these issues through a confrontation with some of the most important African writers, musicians and artists of the colonial and post-colonial eras. This course is open to all.
The course is created with people who have busy schedules in mind. Each week, I will upload a lecture which will be accompanied by a short reading or viewing assignment. We will then meet for an hour each week to discuss the history covered in the lecture.
Details:
Both courses are 5-weeks long, beginning the week of June 29 and ending the week of July 27. The meeting day for each course will be decided through a poll once everyone has enrolled.
These courses are donation-based. I encourage donations be made to the National Lawyers Guild or any of the following bail fund and mutual aid organizations: People’s Justice Project (PJP), Black, Queer, and Intersectional Collective (BQIC), or Columbus Freedom Fund. PJP is a non-profit grassroots organization of working people and communities of color across Columbus, Ohio. BQIC is a grassroots community organization that works towards the liberation of Black LGBTQIA+ people in Central Ohio. The Columbus Freedom Fund is a community bail fund centered on Black liberation and freedom in Columbus, Ohio.
While protests across the country have brought much needed attention to the BLM movement, the next phase of this fight is going to involve providing legal defense for arrested protestors. Cities play wild legal games to maintain the status quo that often erode First Amendment rights and “make examples” of those who are fighting for change. Many protestors arrested will need competent, well-trained lawyers which will, most likely, cost a fortune. Organizations like the National Lawyers’ Guild already does much of this work pro bono but many of the arrests made will overwhelm the system. You can follow these links to the Massachusetts and Ohio chapters websites to donate.
If you are interested in enrolling in either of these courses, please fill out this form.