Focuses on the words and actions of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela, in order to understand the politics and ethics of non-violent civil disobedience across the world; considers local and global forces that shaped the lives and histories of these men; traces both arc and archive of disobedient actions by these men to ask why the twentieth century has been prone to such acts of dissidence; explores the role of photography, film, art, and the internet in shaping our contemporary memories of these leaders; and offers opportunity to write a research paper that will consider whether civil disobedience is a “dangerous” idea. Instructor: Ramaswamy
Department of African & African American Studies