| Title: | Harlem and Paris |
|---|---|
| Course Section Number: | HIS-300-01 |
| Department: | History |
| Description: | Harlem Renaissance and Black Ex-Patriots in Paris In this seminar, students will study the U.S. Harlem Renaissance and the experiences of Black ex-patriots in 1920s Paris. During the post-war period, African American artists, writers, and intellectuals redefined Black identity and artistic expression in the United States, while others sought creative and personal freedom abroad. Paris, in particular, became a refuge for many Black Americans disillusioned by racial prejudice in the U.S. This migration was sparked in part by the presence of United States infantry bands that played--and played jazz--during World War I. The arrival of jazz in France ushered in Jazz Age Paris, where figures like Josephine Baker, Ada "Bricktop" Smith, Sidney Bechet, Coleman Hawkins, and Benny Carter transformed the city's cultural landscape. Parisian clubs became legendary spaces where music and ideas mingled, drawing major talents worldwide and offering artists more freedom than in the United States. Throughout the course, students will read historical monographs that provide context for this era, including Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light, Negrophilia: Avant-Garde Paris and Black Culture in the 1920s, Making Jazz French: Music and Modern Life in Interwar Paris, and Harlem in Montmartre: A Paris Jazz Story Between the Great Wars. The course will also examine American literature from the period, such as Invisible Man, The Souls of Black Folk, and Sweat. Discussions and readings will focus on the influence of jazz in Paris and that of the Harlem Renaissance to draw connections between Harlem and Paris as the global centers of Black modernism that shaped Black artistic and intellectual history in the early 20th century. |
| Credits: | 1.00 |
| Start Date: | August 27, 2025 |
| End Date: | December 20, 2025 |
| Meeting Information: |
08/28/2025-12/18/2025 Lecture Tuesday, Thursday 01:10PM - 03:25PM, Room to be Announced
|
| Faculty: | Rhoades, Michelle |
| Requisite Courses: | One previous course in History |
Course Status & Cross-Listings
| Cross-list Group Capacity: | 15 |
|---|---|
| Cross-list Group Student Count: | 0 |
| Calculated Course Status: | OPEN |
| Section Name/Title | Status | Dept. | Capacity |
Enrolled/ Available/ Waitlist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
HIS-300-01
(primary)
Harlem and Paris |
OPEN | History | 15 | 0 / 15 / 0 |
|
BLS-280-01
(cross-listing)
Harlem and Paris |
OPEN | Black Studies | 15 | 0 / 15 / 0 |