Students who complete African American Studies 301 (Policing the Black Experience) will investigate the historical implications associated with African Americans' relationships with American systems of authority. The initiation of the current policing system, based on the London Metropolitan Police model (1880s), will be studied and compared to traditional African practices of conflict resolution. The development of the American system of policing will be analyzed and critiqued along with the cultural expectations that appear to govern it. Students will learn about the social, political, and economic implications of American policing on Black communities, starting with the policing of enslaved Africans in the United States. This course can be used to satisfy University Studies requirements.