Take Free Online Courses on African-American History from Yale and Stanford: From Emancipation, to the Civil Rights Movement, and Beyond

in History, Online Courses, Stanford, Yale | June 18th, 2020 75 Comments

As every Amer­i­can knows, Feb­ru­ary is Black His­to­ry Month. And as every Amer­i­can also knows — if the events of 2020 haven’t warped their sense of time too bad­ly — is isn’t Feb­ru­ary right now. But thanks to online learn­ing tech­nol­o­gy, we all have the free­dom to study any sub­ject we want, as much as we want, when­ev­er we want, irre­spec­tive of the time of year. Sources of inter­net-based edu­ca­tion have pro­lif­er­at­ed in the 21st cen­tu­ry, but long-respect­ed insti­tu­tions of high­er learn­ing have also got in on the action. Yale Uni­ver­si­ty, for exam­ple, has pro­duced the online course African Amer­i­can His­to­ry: Eman­ci­pa­tion to the Present, whose 25 lec­tures by his­to­ry pro­fes­sor Jonathan Hol­loway you can watch on YouTube, or at Yale’s web site. The first lec­ture appears above.

Orig­i­nal­ly record­ed in the spring of 2010, Hol­loway’s course exam­ines “the African Amer­i­can expe­ri­ence in the Unit­ed States from 1863 to the present,” involv­ing such chap­ters of his­to­ry as “the end of the Civ­il War and the begin­ning of Recon­struc­tion” and “African Amer­i­cans’ urban­iza­tion expe­ri­ences.”

It also includes lec­tures on the “thought and lead­er­ship of Book­er T. Wash­ing­ton, Ida B. Wells-Bar­nett, W.E.B. Du Bois, Mar­cus Gar­vey, Mar­tin Luther King Jr., and Mal­colm X” — all writ­ers and thinkers Open Cul­ture read­ers will have encoun­tered before, but a course like African Amer­i­can His­to­ry: Eman­ci­pa­tion to the Present offers the oppor­tu­ni­ty to con­sid­er their lives and work in clear­er con­text and greater detail.

Black his­to­ry has deep­er roots in some parts of the Unit­ed States than oth­ers. But that does­n’t mean the uni­ver­si­ties of the west have noth­ing to offer in this depart­ment: take, for exam­ple, Stan­ford Uni­ver­si­ty’s African-Amer­i­can His­to­ry: Mod­ern Free­dom Strug­gle, taught by the his­to­ri­an (and edi­tor of MLK’s papers) Clay­borne Car­son. Avail­able to watch on YouTube and iTunes (or right above), its 18 lec­tures deliv­er an intro­duc­tion to “African-Amer­i­can his­to­ry, with par­tic­u­lar empha­sis on the polit­i­cal thought and protest move­ments of the peri­od after 1930, focus­ing on select­ed indi­vid­u­als who have shaped and been shaped by mod­ern African-Amer­i­can strug­gles for free­dom and jus­tice.” Tak­en togeth­er, these online cours­es offer you more than enough mate­r­i­al to hold your own Black His­to­ry Month right now.

Note: Clay Car­son­’s course can also be tak­en as a MOOC on edX. Enroll now in Amer­i­can Prophet: The Inner Life and Glob­al Vision of Mar­tin Luther King, Jr. And find the cours­es list­ed above in our col­lec­tion, 1,700 Free Online Cours­es from Top Uni­ver­si­ties.

Relat­ed Con­tent:

Online Degrees & Mini Degrees: Explore Mas­ters, Mini Mas­ters, Bach­e­lors & Mini Bach­e­lors from Top Uni­ver­si­ties

Free Online His­to­ry Cours­es

Watch Cor­nel West’s Free Online Course on W.E.B. Du Bois, the Great 20th Cen­tu­ry Pub­lic Intel­lec­tu­al

Based in Seoul, Col­in Mar­shall writes and broad­casts on cities, lan­guage, and cul­ture. His projects include the book The State­less City: a Walk through 21st-Cen­tu­ry Los Ange­les and the video series The City in Cin­e­ma. Fol­low him on Twit­ter at @colinmarshall, on Face­book, or on Insta­gram.


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Comments (75)
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  • Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti says:
    June 18, 2020 at 11:40 am

    Thank you Thank you! I am 74 and did not have the his­to­ry I need­ed. 1 para­graph on slav­ery. Col­lege 4 para­graph plus Black pro­fes­sor who went beyond our books.

    I am a liv­ing His­to­ry Actor and research all of my char­ac­ters. Madame CJ Walk­er, Zora, Ona Judge Staines, Har­ri­et Tub­man.

    Reply
  • Clifford Makins says:
    June 18, 2020 at 1:28 pm

    I am very inter­est­ed in tak­ing the African Amer­i­can his­to­ry cours­es. What do I need to do as my next step?

    Ckif­ford

    Reply
  • Clifford Makins says:
    June 18, 2020 at 1:30 pm

    I want to take part in the course work that’s being offered.

    Clif­ford Makins

    Reply
  • Stella Pinkney Jones says:
    June 18, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    77, excit­ed and ready to enroll

    Reply
  • Bernice Nixon says:
    June 18, 2020 at 3:31 pm

    As a retired edu­ca­tor. I would like to take these cours­es also. I am am also a pub­lic speak­er.

    Reply
  • Tammy Reed says:
    June 18, 2020 at 4:05 pm

    I would love to take some cours­es. I haven’t had the oppor­tu­ni­ty in the past. I have a mas­ter degree in psy­chol­o­gy and would like to add more con­tent per­tain­ing to the African Amer­i­can com­mu­ni­ty.

    Reply
  • Shelia Jones says:
    June 18, 2020 at 5:32 pm

    I would love to reg­is­ter for this course. PLEASE pro­vide me with the nec­ces­sary infor­ma­tion to do so. Thanks in advance!

    Reply
  • Matthew Barksdale says:
    June 18, 2020 at 5:40 pm

    I would like to take the African Amer­i­can his­to­ry class

    Reply
  • Sheryl E. Spencer says:
    June 18, 2020 at 6:06 pm

    I would love to take this class. I want to know more about
    my his­to­ry so I can teach my
    grand­son.

    How do I get this infor­ma­tion.

    Reply
  • DJ Cowgill says:
    June 18, 2020 at 6:53 pm

    Where can I find the reg­is­tra­tion infor­ma­tion to enroll in this his­to­ry class.

    Thank You

    Reply
  • Rita Anderson says:
    June 18, 2020 at 8:24 pm

    I would like to take this African Amer­i­can course. I need this. Thank you

    Reply
  • Denise Roberts says:
    June 18, 2020 at 8:36 pm

    I am inter­est­ed. Please let me know the start date.

    Reply
  • ANJU CHHETRI says:
    June 18, 2020 at 9:20 pm

    I would like to enroll for this African Amer­i­can his­to­ry class­es.

    Reply
  • Ellissia Price says:
    June 18, 2020 at 9:21 pm

    I am inter­est­ed in the cours­es on African Amer­i­can his­to­ry.

    Reply
  • Valecia Cespedes says:
    June 18, 2020 at 9:42 pm

    Awe­some. Thank you.

    Reply
  • Jerome Payne says:
    June 18, 2020 at 9:47 pm

    I am ready to start at 69 years old to learn more about my African-American,(and if pos­si­ble caribbean) His­to­ry.
    Thanks for this free oppor­tu­ni­ty, we can learn some­thing new every­day and share/teach others,both young and old.
    “I AM READY TO LEARN”.

    Reply
  • Rose Marie Truell says:
    June 18, 2020 at 10:05 pm

    I want to tske the course

    Reply
  • MAREE says:
    June 18, 2020 at 10:56 pm

    This might be seen as good inten­tions I’m offend­ed that my his­to­ry is becom­ing a FOTM
    Fla­vor of the month.
    What white Amer­i­cans need are cours­es on the real his­to­ry of white peo­ple in this coun­try.
    Every dispi­ca­ble thing they have done and con­tin­ue to do should be taught. Title:
    From can­ni­bal­ism to lynch­ing 101.

    Reply
  • MAREE ROGERS says:
    June 18, 2020 at 11:19 pm

    ADOS AMERICAN DESCENDANTS OF SLAVERY ‘S HISTORY IS SEPARATE FROM HISTORY OF CARIBBEAN PEOPLE. THEY ARE SKIN FOLK, NOT KINFOLK. OUR STORY IN THIS COUNTRY IS UNIQUE TO ADOS.

    PLEASE DO NOT CONFUSE OR INCLUDE OTHERS INTO OUR NARRATIVE.
    ONCE YOU START READING YOU WILL FIND THIS OUT.
    START WITH READING 1. THE DESTRUCTION OF BLACK CIVILIZATION 2.WHO NEEDS THE NEGRO,3.THEY WERE HER PROPERTY, BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE. THEN YOU’LL BE PREPPED FOR THE CLASSES.

    Reply
  • April Rock says:
    June 19, 2020 at 2:05 am

    I would like to take these cours­es

    Reply
  • Pearlena Patters says:
    June 19, 2020 at 3:46 am

    I would love to take these cours­es and any oth­ers with sim­i­lar sub­ject mat­ter. This is a great way to get the knowl­edge base need­ed to teach my grand­chil­dren about their her­itage beyond the stan­dard facts. Please tell me how to sign up for all of the cours­es.

    Reply
  • Anita N Long says:
    June 19, 2020 at 4:25 am

    I am very inter­est­ed in the cours­es. What do I need to do? Thanks in advance.

    Reply
  • Hampton Campbell says:
    June 19, 2020 at 5:51 am

    MAke black his­to­ry course online in class manda­to­ry and accred­it­ed start­ing from 1619 year to cur­rent times of black his­to­ry. Then maybe some of this infe­ri­or stuff relat­ed to blacks and stereo­types will be looked at in oth­er ways. Also. Our school sys­tems are set­up to teach 98 per­cent Erou­pean his­to­ry and gov­ern­ment. So if I was white, I would some­what fall for white peo­ple being supe­ri­or to all races.…what a illu­sion if you dont read and trav­el and open up yo oth­er cul­tures.

    Reply
  • Debra Thomas-Zasadzinski says:
    June 19, 2020 at 7:46 am

    I have watched the first lec­ture and would like to con­tin­ue the course. Please direct me to instruc­tions on how to do this.
    Grate­ful­ly,
    Debra Thomas-Zasadzin­s­ki

    Reply
  • Audrey Boyce says:
    June 19, 2020 at 7:58 am

    I would like to take the course. Please send me the infor­ma­tion for me to do so.

    Reply
  • Leslie Fiol says:
    June 19, 2020 at 8:03 am

    Hel­lo!
    Inter­est­ed in expe­ri­enc­ing class­es in African Amer­i­can His­to­ry.
    Please for­ward infor­ma­tion about those class­es.
    Thank you.

    Reply
  • Arrie Smith says:
    June 19, 2020 at 9:36 am

    I am inter­est­ed in tak­ing the cours­es that are being offered. What is the pro­ce­dure to get start­ed? When do these cours­es start?

    Reply
  • Carol says:
    June 19, 2020 at 10:15 am

    OMG! What a great idea where do I start?

    Reply
  • Adrienne Henly says:
    June 19, 2020 at 10:42 am

    Yes how do start

    Reply
  • Carol Sinoben says:
    June 19, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    Greet­ings- kind­ly pro­vide infor­ma­tion for this course please.
    Thank you for the oppor­tu­ni­ty to learn!
    Sin­cere­ly,
    Car­ol

    Reply
  • Holly says:
    June 19, 2020 at 9:31 pm

    Would love to„ how can I sign up take the course?

    Reply
  • Renicho Tierrene’ says:
    June 20, 2020 at 8:17 am

    I believe they all are avail­able for view on Youtube

    Reply
  • Jocelyn says:
    June 22, 2020 at 11:01 pm

    I would like to take the class.

    Reply
  • LILLIAN B KELLY says:
    June 24, 2020 at 3:55 pm

    Please pro­vide pro­ce­dure for course reg­is­tra­tion. Thank You.

    Reply
  • timothy angelle says:
    June 30, 2020 at 11:37 am

    I would like to take this class.

    Reply
  • Meritza Webb says:
    June 30, 2020 at 5:34 pm

    Where do I go to reg­is­ter for the course?

    Reply
  • Meritza Webb says:
    June 30, 2020 at 5:35 pm

    I want in! Where do I go to reg­is­ter for the course?

    Reply
  • Dinia Pierre says:
    July 7, 2020 at 6:51 am

    I’m inter­est­ing and I want to know more about the African School. Please let me know, when the class start, so I can reg­is­ter for it.

    Reply
  • Joy Joseph says:
    July 7, 2020 at 6:55 am

    Good After­noon, I would be inter­est­ed in this course, how­ev­er is it open for those of us who are based in the UK?

    Many thanks
    Joy Joseph

    Reply
  • Nidiah Harvey says:
    July 7, 2020 at 6:59 am

    I am inter­est­ed, where do I go to reg­is­ter.

    Reply
  • Takishia says:
    July 7, 2020 at 7:15 am

    I am inter­est­ed,

    Reply
  • James Praytor says:
    July 7, 2020 at 7:29 am

    I am Inter­est­ed

    Reply
  • Mary Rice says:
    July 7, 2020 at 9:02 am

    I am ready to sign up for your free cours­es.

    Reply
  • Lucinda Steward says:
    July 7, 2020 at 9:47 am

    I’m inter­est­ed

    Reply
  • Dana Ross says:
    July 7, 2020 at 11:06 am

    I’m inter­est­ed in tak­ing these cours­es. I would wel­come the oppor­tu­ni­ty to learn more about my African Amer­i­can cul­ture.

    Reply
  • Lynnette says:
    July 7, 2020 at 1:19 pm

    I am inter­est­ed in tak­ing these class­es. Please send me more info.

    Reply
  • Anita says:
    July 7, 2020 at 4:30 pm

    I would love me to apply for these free on line cours­es! About my Black his­to­ry her­itage. Thank you! For the oppor­tu­ni­ty.

    Reply
  • Anita Edge says:
    July 7, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    How soon can I start?

    Reply
  • Anita Edge says:
    July 7, 2020 at 4:33 pm

    Thanky­ou

    Reply
  • Michael Davis says:
    July 7, 2020 at 7:16 pm

    I def­i­nite­ly have an inter­est in this course that is being pro­vid­ed. Please respond favor­ably.

    USAF Ret.

    Reply
  • Christine Boaz says:
    July 8, 2020 at 6:35 am

    I would love to take this course. I real­ly feel as if.my gen­er­a­tion as well as the ones before and also after me.i believe it is imper­a­tive to know our his­to­ry.

    Reply
  • Toni Montgomery says:
    July 8, 2020 at 7:35 am

    Hi Jonathan,
    I real­ly miss see­ing your face on the North­west­ern Uni­ver­si­ty cam­pus.

    Great idea but again you are such a strate­gic thinker. Yes! Teach the His­to­ry for future gen­er­a­tions. The sto­ry needs to be told.

    Thank you.…

    Reply
  • VENUS THOMAS says:
    July 8, 2020 at 4:19 pm

    Thanks for this oppor­tu­ni­ty, how do I reg­is­ter and when does the pro­gram start?

    Reply
  • Marilyn Stewart Ph.D says:
    July 9, 2020 at 9:04 am

    I would like to enroll in the cours­es ASAP!!!

    Reply
  • Rachel arredondo says:
    July 9, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    where do I reg­is­ter for the class!?

    Reply
  • Delois Powers says:
    July 9, 2020 at 7:45 pm

    Want to reg­is­ter for this free class. Please let me know how to. Thanks

    Reply
  • Anna Logan says:
    July 10, 2020 at 5:42 am

    I am very inter­est­ed in tak­ing these cours­es!
    As most of us were NOT taught the real His­to­ry of African Amer­i­can His­to­ry! Please let me know next steps

    Reply
  • Tamara says:
    July 11, 2020 at 12:06 am

    Ready to start.

    Reply
  • Sierra D says:
    July 18, 2020 at 8:54 am

    I’m am very excit­ed and would like to par­tic­i­pate in one of your class­es
    And I great­ly appre­ci­ate the oppor­tu­ni­ty

    Reply
  • Essienne Tsolumba says:
    July 26, 2020 at 2:34 pm

    Very inter­est­ed in apply­ing to take these cours­es. I took a course in African his­to­ry learned a lot but it real­ly left me want­i­ng to learn more!

    Reply
  • Brenda G. Taylor says:
    August 19, 2020 at 4:21 pm

    I am retired from Win­ston Salem State Uni­ver­si­ty in Win­ston Salem, NC (an HBCU) and believe in learn­ing from the cra­dle to the grave.

    Reply
  • Kay Moore Jackson says:
    August 20, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    I am 73 years old and I would love to learn more about my his­to­ry .

    Reply
  • William Rainer says:
    August 25, 2020 at 7:23 am

    I real­ly want to take African-Amer­i­can his­to­ry class I am inter­est­ed African-Amer­i­can his­to­ry it feels enjoy for me with my free­dom speech

    Reply
  • Larry Westmoreland says:
    September 3, 2020 at 12:01 am

    I very very inter­est­ed in the course in Black his­to­ry. Our peo­ple are being destroyed for the lack of knowl­edge, I’m age 67, so much I’ve seen but so lit­tle knowl­edge about our his­to­ry.

    Reply
  • Chinenye A says:
    September 26, 2020 at 11:17 am

    Guys, type in on Google: ‘Open Yale course African Amer­i­can His­to­ry From Eman­ci­pa­tion to the Present by Jonathan Hol­loway’.

    Then Down­load all the course pages.

    If you want to read more about Black His­to­ry, type in on Google ‘African Amer­i­can His­to­ry free library’. They have a vari­ety of books that you can edu­cate & read for your own love of under­stand­ing Black cul­ture.

    Reply
  • Chinenye A says:
    September 26, 2020 at 11:37 am

    Addi­tion­al­ly, you can find study cours­es on Black His­to­ry on Google such as the ‘Michi­gan State Uni­ver­si­ty African Amer­i­can Stud­ies research guide’.

    Anoth­er inter­est­ing read would be an arti­cle called ‘Nat Turn­er’s skull and my stu­dents’ purse by Daina Ramey Berry’ you can find it on Google.

    Its impor­tant to search for free cours­es about Black His­to­ry, as our cul­ture has been sold/taken advan­tage of for cen­turies. You should nev­er feel ashamed about feel­ing inex­pe­ri­enced in knowl­edge, your aware­ness of your his­to­ry, as its nev­er too late to obtain knowl­edge in any­thing.

    Chi­nenye, age 19

    Reply
  • Regina Banks says:
    January 16, 2021 at 7:28 am

    I’m inter­est­ed in tak­ing Black His­to­ry cours­es. I learned very lit­tle in high school. As an adult, it’s kind of embar­rass­ing not know­ing about all of the Black His­to­ry fig­ures and the con­tri­bu­tions they’ve made. I des­per­ate­ly want to be in the know! Please tell me what I need to do to start the process. Thank you in advance!

    Reply
  • Ruby Shivers says:
    February 27, 2021 at 3:13 am

    The African his­to­ry course

    Reply
  • Sharon Hurst says:
    March 15, 2021 at 5:13 pm

    I would like to take this course. How do I reg­is­ter.

    Reply
  • Paulette Rogers says:
    September 29, 2021 at 4:12 pm

    I would love to enhance my knowl­edge with this his­to­ry course. Please send me reg­is­tra­tion infor­ma­tion. Thank u

    Reply
  • Joyce Lemieux says:
    March 6, 2022 at 1:40 am

    I’m inter­est­ed in African Amer­i­can stud­ies. Could you send me the cozy and any thing I need to know.

    Reply
  • Ro says:
    March 24, 2022 at 2:10 pm

    Hi,

    I am inter­est­ed in the free online cours­es on African Amer­i­can stud­ies. Can I check this includes Recon­struc­tion and the 13th,14th and 15th amend­ments and are any cer­tifi­cates giv­en?

    Many thanks.

    Ro

    Reply
  • Kimberly A Wright says:
    July 3, 2022 at 11:26 pm

    I would love to add this sub­ject to my resume. Please pro­vide me with the infor­ma­tion need­ed.

    Thank you!
    Kim­ber­ly A. Wright
    ki**************@***il.com

    Reply
  • Leon Fitzroy says:
    February 14, 2023 at 6:10 am

    How do I sign up for this course.

    Reply
  • Susan Phillips says:
    May 8, 2023 at 5:25 pm

    I am pig­gy­back­ing on what Mr. Payne said. I, too, am 69 years old, and I don’t know what I should know about my Black Her­itage.

    I am retired, and I can now devote the time nec­es­sary to learn ALL I can about my Black History/Heritage.

    Thank you for the oppor­tu­ni­ty.

    Reply

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