Introducing...The "Sinners" Movie Syllabus

A curated educational resource inspired by the 2025 film ‘Sinners,’ directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Michael B. Jordan

From concept to publication, this article took two days. I was also on a podcast retreat and caught a 6 am flight in that time. To make projects like this happen so quickly, I need your support. Become a paid subscriber today.

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If you haven’t seen the “Sinners” movie, go see it.

I’ve watched it twice now, including in IMAX 70 MM format, and I discover more to think about each time.

My podcast co-host, Tyler Burns, and I just recorded a forthcoming two-part series about the movie for the Pass the Mic podcast.

The film is brilliant from a storytelling perspective, but what gripped me was the setting.

From the moment I saw the words “Clarksdale, Mississippi - 1932” during the opening credits of the film, I was locked in.

After college I joined Teach For America and became a teacher.

They placed me in the Mississippi Delta (Arkansas side), and I lived and worked 30 minutes from Clarksdale.

That region of the country is like no other, and I could write a whole book about what it’s like and what I learned there.

In addition, the “Sinners” movie takes place right in the middle of the Jim Crow era.

It depicts life for sharecroppers on a plantation. It talks about the underground economy of bootlegging and juke joints. Blues music is central to the film.

Director Ryan Coogler did his homework, and I loved seeing how accurately he portrayed Black life in that era.

But I know that most people don’t have the time or historical background to readily realize all the subtle messaging about society and culture happening in the film.

I wanted to help us contextualize the historical time period so we could further appreciate this masterful work of art, so I created the #SinnersMovieSyllabus.

The ‘Sinners’ Movie Syllabus is a curated educational resource inspired by the 2025 film ‘Sinners,’ directed by Ryan Coogler. This syllabus delves into the multifaceted historical, cultural, and social contexts depicted in the film, providing audiences with a deeper understanding of its layered narratives. Set in Mississippi in 1932, ‘Sinners’ explores themes such as racial violence, spiritual traditions, Black speculative fiction, and the complexities of African American life during the Jim Crow era.

Drawing inspiration from the #CharlestonSyllabus—a crowdsourced educational resource that emerged in response to the 2015 Charleston church shooting—the ‘Sinners’ Movie Syllabus seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural contexts of the film. By examining these elements through scholarly and popular resources, the syllabus will enrich the viewing experience and foster critical discussions.

This resource has books, movies, poems, music, and more to help you understand the atmosphere in which the “Sinners” movie takes place.

Learning just a bit more about life in this time period and setting will make the film come alive and deepen your thoughts and discussion afterward.

Thank you to Dr. Keisha Blain for collaborating on the project and posting it at Black Perspectives, the blog of the African American Intellectual Historical Society.

You can access the syllabus HERE.

Have you seen the film or do you plan to? What resource from the syllabus intrigues you?

P.S. I’d love for my good friend, Michael B. Jordan, to see this resource 😁 So use the hashtag: #SinnersMovieSyllabus and tag him on social media! @MichaelBJordan + @SinnersMovie