As the Penn community celebrates Black History Month through University-wide programming, The Daily Pennsylvanian compiled a list of five courses offered in spring 2026 that honor Black culture.
AFRC 2201: “Journeys in Black Feminism”
This course is taught by Rosie Poku, a fourth-year joint Ph.D. candidate in Africana Studies and Comparative Literature & Literary Theory. It is structured around three sections — “traditional,” “translational,” and “transforming” — each of which focus on different eras of Black feminist thought, according to Poku.
“It’s important to think about the Black feminists who have led the way for so many different historic wins for Black communities globally,” Poku said in an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian.
The course — not offered every year — includes readings on “fundamentals” from Black feminist theory written in the latter half of the 20th century, as well as contemporary writing and transnational works.
AFRC 4404: “Black Geographies and the Meaning of Land Rights”
Taught by first-year Ph.D. candidate Gabriela Noles Cotito, this course aims to “interweave issues of land dispossession and land rights” in Africa and the Americas with the “European” concept of property.
It focuses on how property interacted with the creation of a concept of race that “established forms of social control and domination.”
RELATED:
Penn commemorates Black History Month with slate of events
Penn’s Kislak Center hosts photographer to discuss Black history
The semester is split into two parts — the first uses Kenya as an example of land dispossession in Africa, and the second focuses on African descendants in the Americas’ experiences with land control. Students examine local populations’ “resistance and resilience” movements and their fight to “impose” their own idea of what it means to “occupy space.”
Students will eventually apply their learned ideas to independent research completed in an area in Philadelphia or Pennsylvania.
THAR 0781: “Theatre as Storytelling: Black Storytelling and Performance Practice”
Through creative mediums, students explore the work of “influential” artists that reflects on Black identity. Margit Edwards, a theatre arts program lecturer, teaches this course to examine the various songs, dances, and stories that are common performance practice in the Black Atlantic and African diaspora.
Students interact directly with the course material by creating an artistic final presentation and attending field trips throughout the semester. They hear from guest artists and learn how a multitude of factors — social, political, and historical — shape the creators’ stories.
WRIT 0100: “Critical Writing Seminar in Africana Studies: Black Food Matters”
This 12-16 person course is taught by critical writing professor Keahnan Washington and explores the intersection of race and contemporary food justice movements. Washington uses the course text — “Black Food Matters: Racial Justice in the Wake of Food Justice” — to teach students how to tailor their critical reading and writing skills to a concrete topic.
According to the course description, the class entails a multidisciplinary study about the histories of peoples from Africa and the African diaspora. The text and course material aim to cover Black farming, urban agriculture, and food insecurity.
SOCI 0100: “Sociology of the Black Community”
Taught by sociology and Africana studies professor Camille Charles, this course examines “defining important aspects” that shape the lives of Black Americans. Alongside the “usual” topics — including race, socioeconomic status, and group culture — Charles addresses health, well-being, and identity in Black communities.
The course’s “goal” is to allow students to “gain a deeper sociological understanding and appreciation” for the Black American experience.
