Women in the Black Freedom Struggle The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements have become iconic examples of Black activism in the US. However, female activists are often ignored in historical accounts of these movements. In this course, we will examine the contributions of Black female activists to the Black Freedom Struggle. We will discuss women in the Civil Rights Movement both in the South and the North, the role of women in the Black Panther Party, but also the active involvement of women in white supremacist campaigns in the South. We will pay special attention to the diversity of Black women’s perspectives and highlight how Black women’s experiences differed from both white female and Black male activists.

Black Middlebury The Black Studies Program at Middlebury College was officially established in 2019. However, (Black) students, faculty, and staff have worked toward the inclusion of Black histories and experiences in Middlebury’s curriculum and toward establishing spaces for Black members of the Middlebury community since, at least, the 1970s. In this research seminar, we will examine the experiences of Black Middlebury students, faculty, and staff as well as their efforts to organize and carve out space at Middlebury College in the 20th and 21st century. Based on secondary literature, we will contextualize the Black experience in US higher education more broadly. Then, students will work with primary sources located in Special Collections (Davis Family Library) and conduct oral histories with members of Middlebury’s Black community and activists involved in the struggle for Black Studies at Middlebury. To preserve these histories, we will create an archive and exhibit findings in the form of small media projects. (Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors, 3 hrs., seminar

The Black Experience in Games and Gaming Whether they allow the player to reenact historical events or explore alternative histories, many current board games and video games use historical settings as their backdrop. In this seminar, we will examine how Black experiences are represented in these games. How do games depict and interact with African American history, colonialism, and histories of the Black diaspora? How are these histories gamified, what can games teach about these histories, and how do we as players experience these interactive narratives? After familiarizing ourselves with the historical settings and events through academic readings, we will play and analyze a variety of board games and video games that engage with Black histories. While the focus of the class is the representation of these histories in games, we will also examine the experiences of Black gamers and Black game developers in gaming communities and the gaming industry.

Black German History Although more than a million people in Germany identify as Black, Germany’s Black community and its history remain largely invisible in public discourse, historiography, and collective memory. In this course we will examine the history of Blacks in Germany from colonialism to the present. We will discuss early encounters of Africans with Germany, Germany’s brutal colonial ambitions, Black communities in early 20th century Germany and during National socialism, the histories of Black communities in East and West Germany after World War II (including their connections to the U.S. Civil Rights Movement), and the emergence of an Afro-German identity from the 1980s until today.

African American Activism in Education In this course we will examine how Black activists have fought against inequity and contributed to social change in and through education. After discussing fights for access to education – and the use of education for change – in the 19th and early 20th century, we will focus on the Civil Rights and Black Power Era. We will examine struggles for desegregation, integration and community control, initiatives such as the Mississippi Freedom Schools and independent Black Power schools, as well as activism on college campuses. We will conclude by contextualizing current struggles in education within the long fight for Black freedom and equal education.

Beginning German Geared toward quick and early proficiency in comprehension and free expression. Grammatical structures are practiced through group activities and situational exercises (e.g., role-playing games and partner interviews). Active class participation by students is required and will be counted toward the final grade. Since this is an integrated approach, there will be laboratory assignments but no special drill sections. Classes meet five times a week. Students take GRMN 0102 as their winter term course.

Black Thought: Black Studies Theory In this course, we will explore some of the central themes and issues of Black Studies across the Black diaspora. We will ask: What is race and how has it functioned in the development of modernity, geopolitics, and selfhood? What constitutes blackness? How is it lived and expressed? What are the ideological and material legacies of slavery? What relationship does antiblackness have with capitalism, nation, and war? We will also investigate how (anti)blackness has shaped the lives and spaces of Black communities. We will read from texts such as W.E.B. Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk, Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks, and Patricia Hill Collins’ Black Feminist Thought.

Beginning German Continued This course is a continuation of GRMN 0101. Increased emphasis on communicative competence through short oral presentations and the use of authentic German language materials. Introduction to short prose writings and other documents relating to contemporary German culture. Five class meetings per week.

Viola Huang

Reviews and ratings for Viola Huang at Middlebury College.Viola Huang teaches Women in Black Freedom Strg, Black Middlebury, Black Experience in Games and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Viola Huang good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

I enjoyed the course because I learned a lot about black history through games, which I did not know I could do. She makes it engaging for students to talk in small group discussions. There was not a lot of homework and there is only one big assignment at the end of the semester where you present a board game you learned about. Overall, I would definitely recommend this course if you intend on majoring in Black Studies or want a fun class.

Viola is truly a wholesome professor! I learned a great deal in Black German History and personally found the course super interesting. Definitely one of the best black studies course. A discussion heavy class, no exams, readings every class, one final project.

Overall, this class has a very manageable workload. There are readings and sometimes films to watch every week, but they are not too long. Professor Huang often asks for student feedback about workload and due dates. She is very flexible about extensions as well. 