#  AFRAMER 120x. African American Theater 

 



 Instructor: [Glenda Carpio](/people/glenda-carpio) and [Robin Bernstein](https://aaas.fas.harvard.edu/people/robin-bernstein)  
Monday, 3:00-5:45pm | Location: Barker 316  
*Enrollment: limited to 12 students*  
[Course Site](https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/131626)

 This course investigates the history of African American theatre from the antebellum era through the present. Students will: a) gain knowledge of the general history of Black theatre in the United States; b) develop understanding of what African Americans have done with and through theatre—that is, how theatre has been a vital tool for Black politics, culture, communities, and knowledge; and c) develop hands-on skills in archival research while critically analyzing the functions of archives in a Black context. We will read plays and scholarly analysis, work directly with historical artifacts in the Harvard Theatre Collection, and attend a live performance of James Ijames’s Pulitzer Prizewinning play, Fat Ham, after which we will have a classroom conversation with the playwright. The course culminates with a flexible project in which students will engage deeply with artifacts in a Harvard archive.   
  
This course satisfies the “1900-2000 Guided Elective" requirement for English concentrators and Secondary Field students.



 



 

 See also:- [ 2023-24 ](/academic-year/2023-24)
- [ Guided Elective: 1900-Present ](/meets-requirements/guided-elective-1900-2000)
- [ Course ](/page-type/course)
- [ Lecture Courses ](/course-type/5-lectures-sections)
- [ Fall 2023 ](/term/fall-2023)