A new course, Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies, is being offered at Tamalpais High School beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. This is the first year that the course is offered nationwide, following a pilot course that was offered in limited high schools across the country during the past school year. AP African American Studies is “an interdisciplinary course that examines the diversity of African American experiences through direct encounters with rich and varied sources,” the college board wrote on its website. Developed from 2017 to 2020, the course’s creation followed decades of criticism stating that existing history courses offered by the college board were too Euro-centric.
The course was adopted by the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) and implemented in all TUHSD schools. At Tam it is taught by Jennifer Dolan, an AP U.S. History teacher of 28 years, who has two periods of the new class with 61 students total.
“I have always been really interested in African American history. When teaching U.S. history, I always try to focus on the counter-narrative,” Dolan said. “I was drawn to this course, especially knowing it’s been banned in some states, and was excited to be part of a class that would focus on the African American experience and bring something new to our school.”
Dolan did extensive preparation for the class, attending an AP Summer Institute at Howard University over the summer, one of the original authors of the course for the College Board. In addition to the summer institute, Dolan cited reading books, listening to podcasts, and talking to as many people as she could to educate herself on the subject.
The course consists of four main units, beginning in ancient times with early African civilizations and progressing into the current challenges and accomplishments of the past century. Unlike other courses, it focuses solely on the history and experiences of people throughout the African diaspora.
“It’s [a course] not focused on tragedy. It’s focused on joy and resilience,” Dolan said. “At its most fundamental level, this class breaks down negative stereotypes. It tells stories that have purposefully not been told in our country, and shines a light on how so many of our discriminatory and racist systems were created on purpose.”
Local history will be highlighted in the course, including the history of the Richard shipyards and the Black Panther Party. Senior Tula Peltz, who is enrolled in the course, originally became interested in it after learning about Marin’s history of redlining within the last century , and wanted to learn more about the African American experience on a local level.
“I think it’s important at Tam to have classes that teach about a wide range of experiences. It fosters a sense of inclusion and makes people feel like they, and their history, are important enough to be taught about,” Peltz said.
The class examines an array of diverse sources, including primary documents, artwork, and literature. The coursework is not as heavy as courses such as AP U.S. History as the curriculum is largely in-person discussion-based.
“You’re diving deep into history that you really aren’t getting anywhere else, especially in the type of climate we’re in right now. It’s really important to prioritize this learning,” Peltz said. “The school has chosen to expand the experiences that are being represented at our school. So it’s up to [students] to seize that opportunity. On top of all the interesting stuff that you get to learn, you get to become a more informed member of society.” ♦
