Due to low student enrollment, AP African American Studies will not be offered during the 2024-2045 school year, Jeannie Logan, Social Studies Instructional Supervisor, said.
The cancellation of the class is a missed opportunity for students who wished to learn more about not just Black History, but a more comprehensive version of U.S. History, Logan explained. Unlike other history classes, the curriculum combines world history, U.S. History, arts and culture, she added.
“A lot of [African American History] ends up being focused on the uglier parts of our nation’s History,” Logan said. “This [class was] an opportunity to present a more comprehensive and celebratory experience for understanding all the different Black narratives that make up America.”
When junior Mia Hermann first learned that South would be offering the AP African American Studies course last year, she decided to sign up for it. Hermann was intrigued to learn aspects of African American History that other history classes had not been able to dive into. When students received an email from counselors informing them that the class would not run, she was disappointed to hear of the news.
“I felt personally connected to the class because I’m Black,” Hermann said. “It would have been a great opportunity for me to learn more about my culture.”
Since the course was not approved by the District 225 Board during course selections, teachers could not describe the full curriculum to students, Tara Tate, Social Studies Teacher, explained. Presenting activities like overnight field trips could have generated more interest, she added.
Although the class will not be running next year, students still have an interest in African American History. Junior Jaonna Harris, Black Student Union (BSU) Member, wishes South had offered a less rigorous curriculum of African History this year.
“I think [South] should have started with a regular course before they jumped to an AP one,” Harris said. “Some kids may [not be able to] deal with the workload, but still want to take an African American History class.”
Before the AP curriculum was released, the Social Studies Department had been exploring the idea of a regular African American History class, Logan said. Tate is very open to returning to past plans and creating a non-AP curriculum for interested students.
“We want to meet students’ needs, and if there’s a desire to have an African American History class on a non-AP level, we can take a look at that,” Tate said. “I’d love to see this course take off [in any form].”
