Black and Puerto Rican Studies (1972)

Black and Puerto Rican Studies (1972)

AP African American Studies Guide

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Topic 1.1

Hunter College, A Schedule of Courses for Black and Puerto Rican Studies (July 1972)

DEPARTMENT OF BLACK AND PUERTO RICAN STUDIES

SCHEDULE OF COURSES – FALL ‘72

EVENING SESSION

29 101 Swahili 1 M 7:40-8:45 W 7:20-8:45 Kassamali
29 101 Swahili 4 M 5:30-6:30 W 5:40-7:10 Kassamali
29 201 African History M 5:30-6:30 W 5:40-7:10 Clarke
29 204 African World of the 20th Cent. T 7:40-8:45 Th 7:20-8:45 Fierce
29 206 Afro-American Literature T 7:40-8:45 F 7:20-8:45 Bain
29 208 Black Economic History M 5:30-6:30 W 5:40-7:10 Campbell
29 241 Puerto Rican History T 5:30-6:30 Th 5:40-7:10 Figueroa
29 255

Puerto Rican Child in American 
Schools  

 Th 6:10-8:00   Sentella
29 309 Afro-American Humanism Th 6:10-8:00   Akinwusi
29 384 Underdevelopment Third World T 7:40-8:45  Th 7:20-8:45 Abad

A typed list of Black and Puerto Rican Studies courses for the Fall 1972 semester, pale blue type on a piece of copy paper

Source: Schedule of Courses for Black and Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in New York City, July 1972 (Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture).

Discussion Questions

  1. What did Hunter College’s decision to pair Black and Puerto Rican experiences in “Black and Puerto Rican Studies” suggest about professors’ goals for the academic program? Relatedly, what significance do you attribute to professors’ decision to describe the area of study as “Black” rather than “African American”?
  2. What stands out to you about the variety of courses offered? 
  3. Look at the top of the document, which notes the date when professors offered the listed courses. What does this suggest about who took the courses? What does this date suggest about the program’s goals and intended audience?