Date of Graduation

5-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science Education

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Advisor/Mentor

Hutchins, Rhett

Committee Member/Reader

Adams, Stephanie

Abstract

The review of literature section is to analyze the socialization experiences of African Americans that attend predominately white institutions (PWIs). African Americans are defined as Americans of African and especially black African descent for this research. The term “African American” and “black” will be used interchangeably. The paper highlights an overview of the social experiences of African American college students, distinguishes external, non-academic factors that contribute to the black college experience, and describes how African Americans experience social collectiveness within a predominately white campus. It also moves to identify how this interaction shapes African Americans’ perception of ‘blackness’ amongst the cultural group. The social experiences that are demonstrated in the paper consists of an examination of the academic disparities amongst African American students, the perceptions of black and white students, the campus climate, and the student-faculty interaction. The external, non-academic factors that are emphasized include student identity development, the black inferiority complex, socioeconomic status, and residential background. The matter of which African Americans experience social collectiveness is examined through concepts such as ‘acting white’, the alienation from African American students, and maintaining the black community. An analysis is conducted which highlights the social and academic benefits of furthering research on the socialization experiences of African American students at predominately white institutions.

Keywords

African American college students; predominately white institutions (PWIs); black inferiority complex; identity development; socialization; black college experience

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