Teaching
In Spring 2013, Professor Harris-Perry is teaching the following courses.POLA 6960: African American Religion and Politics
Scholars of the African American experience have located the black church as the cultural, social, and political womb of the black community. This research tends to think of the church as a structure that brings actors into contact with one another; it has paid less attention to the church as a place that brings actors into contact with ideas. This course will use a variety of classic and contemporary texts about black political thought as an entry into investigating the connections between black religious ideas and political activism. The class links the work on religion to an intensive introduction to black political thought. This course focuses on the various 20th century ideologies and strategies, which have informed the African American quest for human fulfillment, self-actualization, and equity in the United States of America.
POLA 4020: Politics of Environmental Justice
This course will explore the intersection of social justice and environmental stewardship, with particular attention to issues of environmental justice. Students will learn the history of environmental justice and its relationship to the larger environmental movement. Students will also explore the political and ethical issues underpinning environmental justice work and develop the ability to reason about issues of environmental justice. This class will assist students in becoming familiar with the literature on and methods used to study environmental justice, understanding how studying the social sciences can help one become a more effective citizen, and learning how to apply the theories learned in class to real-world events. This is a service learning course with a significant beyond the classroom aspect. Students will be involved in creating a major Food Justice report for a local non-profit organization in New Orleans.
In Fall 2012, Professor Harris-Perry taught the following course:
POLA4020: Black Women's Political Activism
This course uses the history of African American women’s political activism to illuminate questions of participation in American politics. Examining the intersection and interaction of gender, race, sexuality, and class with politics in the United States, this course reconceptualizes both politics and political science. By moving black women from their historically marginal position in the curriculum to the center of our attention, we will begin to explore ways of transforming knowledge about American politics. Specific readings, discussion, and writing will explore topics such as feminism, labor activism, the Civil Rights Movement, black power, and contemporary cultural politics.
Course syllabi for Professor Harris-Perry's current and past classes at Tulane University can be found on the Anna Julia Cooper Project website at cooperproject.org/curriculum.
Professor Harris-Perry is the founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race and Politics in the South at Tulane University. The project investigates how gender and race intersect to shape women’s politics in the South, and includes student research opportunities, a postdoctoral program, seminars for faculty and students, and the annual Anna Julia Cooper Lecture. Named in honor of one of the most noted African-American intellectuals in the history of the nation, the project serves as a curricular hub for courses focused on intersectional identities of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, provides faculty with opportunities for intellectual collaboration, collegial interaction and scholarly support, and offers meaningful events for local community audiences.
More information and current projects and events can be found at cooperproject.org.