Essay Topic Hub

African
Essays

5,689+ paper examples, study guides & outlines

5,689 papers
1 subject area
UG & Grad levels
Free to browse
What is African?

The study of African and African American experience spans a wide range of academic disciplines, including history, sociology, literature, theology, political science, and public health. Courses in world studies, ethnic studies, and American history regularly ask students to examine how race, identity, and systemic inequality have shaped communities over time. The topic carries intellectual weight because it demands engagement with both historical forces—such as the lasting effects of slavery—and contemporary social realities affecting Black communities in America and beyond.

The papers archived under this topic approach the subject from several distinct angles. Historical analysis appears prominently, particularly tracing African American life from 1865 to the present, including examinations of institutions like the Black Church and Black entertainment and sports organizations. Literary analysis features as well, with attention to works such as Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson" and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Other papers take a policy-oriented or comparative approach, weighing topics like the New Deal against later economic stimulus plans, or investigating how health organizations affect minority communities. Sociological case studies examine single Black mothers and poverty, adult literacy, and perceptions of policing.

A strong essay on this topic begins with a specific, arguable thesis rather than a broad statement about race in America. Evidence drawn from historical records, primary texts, policy data, or sociological research tends to carry the most weight. The most common pitfall is treating African American experience as monolithic—successful essays recognize diversity within communities and ground their claims in concrete, well-defined contexts.

5,689 papers
Sort by:
Research Paper Doctorate
Multiculturalism and policing in contemporary society
For the past 40 years, law enforcement in the United States has been accused of being ethnocentric and unable to accommodate cultures other than Caucasian white. In a country founded by ethnic groups and immigrants, it…
Paper Masters
Media Coverage of the 2012
Media Coverage of the 2012 Presidential Election ONE: Introduction The diverse and sometimes ugly stories, attacks and sundry reports that have been published in print and broadcast in the media (including electronic media) thus far in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election campaign reflect just how divided the nation is. These stories and ads in fact say as much about the sorry moral state of America – and about how out-of-control the issue of politically motivated money is – as they do about the campaign or the candidates. It is the opinion of this writer that there has rarely been a time in recent American history when conservatives and progressives have been so bitterly divided, and have attacked one another with such meanness and fierce antipathy – in particular the reference is to the conservative attacks against progressives – and never has their been an election where millions of dollars flow into campaign coffers from corporations and individuals with zero accountability as to the source. Some suggest that because President Barack Obama is an African American, those opposed to him have been particularly virulent in their attacks. Others suggest this election is really about two competing ideologies – those who are conservative (they are anti-abortion and anti-gay rights and doubt the science of global warming and evolution) versus those who are progressive (they tend to be pro-choice, support same-sex marriage and accept science as reported by bona fide empirically-driven researchers). These issues have been simmering for years and are just now coming to a head with Obama, the Black president, symbolizing for the right wing, the Tea Party, the GOP and conservative Christians (including evangelicals) all that is wrong with America. This election process is bringing bitterly opposing social and ideological divisions into the public view through the media, which itself is taking sides, as expected, but in ways far more potentially harmful to democratic ideals. This paper reviews and provides critical analysis of the media's role – and the role of money interests in the contest between Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama.
Paper Undergraduate
Langston Huges
The Impact of Langston Hughes's Life on His Work:
Paper Undergraduate
Martin Luther King: life, legacy, and civil rights activism
Of all famous twentieth century leaders, few have come to possess as lasting an impact on their people and their culture as Martin Luther King, Jr. In fact, the one man who it can safely be said to have had a greater…
Paper Doctorate
Women drafted to serve in the U.S. Army during wartime
¶ … Women be Drafted to Serve in the Military?
Paper Undergraduate
Culture American Culture Prides Itself
American culture prides itself on its diversity, but still expects a high degree of conformity. I have received mixed messages about cultural norms, because on the one hand Americans celebrate diversity and on the other…
Paper Undergraduate
Students\' Eyes, Look-Alike Lawyers Don\'t
¶ … Students' Eyes, Look-Alike Lawyers Don't Make the Grade" presents the effort of Stanford law students to encourage diversity in law firms in the U.S. with a project in which they give grades to the different law…
Paper Undergraduate
Critical review of the Goddard article
The Power of Trust: Elementary School Evidence of Forces Influencing the Relationship between Academic Achievement and Race
Paper Undergraduate
Crime and Gender First Document
More than any other minority group, blacks remain residentially segregated. That is, they tend to live together in small areas away from other ethnic groups. The segregation is a result of discrimination toward blacks…
Paper Undergraduate
Psychological Testing of African Americans in the Army
For hundreds of years, there has been a common idea that race and intelligence are statistically correlated. Even contemporary debate into this paradigm focuses on the differences in test scores when tabulated using…