Expanding Education

Maclay Introduces AP African American Studies to the Upper School Curriculum

Photo by Vine Butler/Maclay Andalusian

Every year, Maclay adds new courses to its curriculum. This year, upper school history teacher Chris Day introduced AP African American Studies in the Social Studies Department. The course has been rejected by the Florida Department of Education and is still not offered at public schools. Maclay, a private institution, is free from the state regulation, and the new course has been welcomed by many students.

“I feel like I didn’t have much knowledge specifically on African American history,” senior Aidenn Hafez said. “And because we are one of the only schools in Florida that offer it [AP African American Studies], I felt like I should seize the opportunity to further my knowledge and add new perspectives to my education.”

Day has been teaching AP United States History at Maclay for years, but with his academic degree in African American history, he decided to offer another class. AP African American Studies frequently overlaps with other history classes, such as AP United States History and AP World History, but the course is unique in that it approaches history from the perspective of African Americans. Additionally, while other history courses typically teach African American history in the context of European or North American history, AP African American Studies starts back in Africa before European colonization.

“My favorite part has been learning about the various African cultures,” senior Christopher Harrison said. “Learning about the trans-Saharan trade routes and various things in that area really shows the rich history of Africa that I haven’t really learned before.”

According to College Board, AP African American Studies is an interdisciplinary course that teaches historical analytic skills through primary sources, including journals, artworks and newspapers. The courses  consists of four units: Origins of the African Diaspora (~900 BCE–16th century), Freedom, Enslavement and Resistance (16th century–1865), The Practice of Freedom (1865–1940s) and Movements and Debates (1940s–2000s). Both AP United States History and AP African American Studies focus on the concept of freedom; while the prior discusses race, gender and class, the latter emphasizes race specifically.

“I think it adds another layer to the understanding of society around them [students],” Day said. “As much as we still try to talk about different groups and what’s going on, there’s always more you can talk about.”

Research is one of the requirements of AP African American Studies. However, Day plans to take a step further and encourage students to conduct collegiate-level research through university libraries, academic journals and archival records. His students’ projects will be specifically about Florida.

“I really like the research project that we get to hand-pick ourselves and really deep-dive into,” Hafez said. “I’m really excited about that because that’s what makes the course flexible for each person and caters to their passion.”

Additionally, Day plans to take students to a conference where they could present their research and receive feedback from colleges. He is also reaching out to the editors of Florida Historical Quarterly to help his students publish their studies. Once confirmed, these opportunities will teach students not only historical knowledge but also research skills for college.

“I don’t know where either one of those [the conference and the publication] are going to go yet, but if we are able to accomplish those two goals, that will set us apart from a lot of places,” Day said.

Overall, AP African American Studies has expanded the breadth and depth of history education, allowing students to understand society today with a fresh perspective.

“I think it’s important to support these classes by taking them so you can show people are interested and perhaps get other classes like AP Jewish History or various other subjects that generally wouldn’t be covered in AP United States History,” Harrison said.