TASS-CBS is one of the few summer programs in the country to offer seminars in Critical Black Studies. In Black Freedom Beyond Borders course students engage in college-level discussions to explore African and African American history, identity, traditions and relationships between the two populations.

Non-credit

Residential

Accepts International Students

Financial Aid

What is TASS-CBS?
This summer, high school juniors (“rising seniors”) will participate in six-week educational program related to Critical Black Studies.

Telluride works with faculty to create exciting courses designed to inspire young people to explore the histories, politics, literature, and art of people of African descent.

Black Freedom Beyond Borders
Seminar Description: When an African and an African American meet, solidarity is often presumed. Yet the complex history of African and African American encounters belies simplistic notions of an essential or “natural” relationship between the two populations. In this course, we will consider how Africans and African Americans have envisioned and interacted with each other over the course of the 20th century.

This seminar rests on the idea that the meaning of the African and African American encounter is never fixed or settled, and must be reimagined and reconstructed by every generation of African and African American thinkers. Awareness of Africa and attitudes toward the continent and its peoples have profoundly shaped African American identity, culture and political consciousness. At the same time, Africans have long been compelled to define and redefine their relationship to black America. Stereotypes and myths on both sides have complicated efforts to establish (or reestablish) bonds between the two groups. However, neither group has escaped the proposition that their fate was tied, at least in part, to that of the other.

Examining how Africans and African Americans have constructed notions of commonality and difference as they regarded—and occasionally encountered—each other reveals a rich body of social, cultural and political thought. We will explore some of this material using the lenses of history and literature. We will consider the part historical forces such as slavery, colonialism and pan-Africanism played in shaping how African and African American writers, artists, activists and travelers have understood the African and African American relationship. We will analyze the work of figures such as Maya Angelou, Chimamanda Adichie, Richard Wright, Eugene Robinson, Philippe Wamba, and Malcolm X. We will also study music, poetry and film. This multidisciplinary approach will enable us to contemplate such concepts as “homeland,” “citizenship,” “kinship,” “exile,” “return” and “reunion” in African and African American traditions.

This course will prepare students to contemplate the meaning of human solidarities, past and present.

What will I get out of TASS-CBS?
At TASS-CBS, you will improve your reading, writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills as you explore your interests in and out of the classroom. In order to encourage students in their love of learning, the program does not assign grades. You will also learn about and explore topics and ideas within Critical Black Studies. Finally, you will gain experience with community living and democratic decision-making.

Telluride Association Summer Seminars in Critical Black Studies (TASS-CBS). Black Freedom Beyond Borders

Jun 26 - Aug 06

6 weeks

Residential

0 USD

TASS Is Completely Free!
We cover all of the program costs—tuition, books, room and board, and field trips—for every student. If you need, we can help pay for all or part of your travel costs to and from the program.

Financial Aid

We understand that you may normally spend time in the summer working at a job, taking care of family members, or supporting your family in other ways. If this is the situation for you, we can provide additional financial aid to help replace earnings from your summer job. Financial aid decisions are made separately from decisions about program admission, so needing financial aid won’t affect whether you are accepted to the program.