African-American History HST-209-001 Dr. G.A. Harris Spring 2016 Office: 258 Morton Hall Tuesday/Thursday: 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Office Hours: Monday: 11-11:50 a.m. Morton Hall 208 Phone: 910-962-7894 (Office) E-mail: [email protected]
READING LIST-REQUIRED: These books are available in, both, the campus bookstore and Seahawk Books and Supply (910-792-0081). Seahawk is located in University Landing next to Krazy’s Pizza at 415 South College Road.
S. Jonathan Bass, Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Martin Luther King Jr., Eight White Religious Leaders, and the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2001). ISBN: 9780807128008.
M. Giulia Fabi, Passing and the Rise of the African American Novel (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2001). ISBN: 0252072480.
Winthrop D. Jordan, The White Man’s Burden: Historical Origins of Racism in the United States (New York: Oxford University Press, 1974). ISBN: 9780195017434.
Ralina L. Joseph, Transcending Blackness: From the New Millennium Mulatta to the Exceptional Multiracial (Durham: Duke University Press, 2013). ISBN: 9780822352921.
Amy Louise Wood, Lynching and Spectacle: Witnessing Racial Violence in America, 1890-1940 (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2009). ISBN: 9780807832547.
Notes of Consideration ETEAL Supported Experience Participation Notice This applied learning experience is part of ETEAL—Experiencing Transformational Education through Applied Learning. One or more assignments/reflections in this course have been chosen for the purpose of assessing ETEAL’s impact. The assignment/reflection will be graded by your instructor as explained in your syllabus.
Any separate scoring of the assignment/reflection for the purposes of ETEAL assessment WILL NOT affect your grade in the course, or any other course work at UNCW. Through your participation, you will help the university to identify potential ways to improve the quality of applied learning experiences and enhance student learning.
All work submitted will remain confidential and we will remove all identifying information before your work is read and scored. Anonymous excerpts from your reflections may be used for research and documentation purposes. In the process of this experience, photos may be taken of your applied learning activities and may be used for promotions, reporting, or educational purposes. If you do not wish to appear in any photos or would not like your image used in this way, please notify your instructor.
The mid-term exam, which will be posted to our Blackboard account on Thursday, March 3, 2016 (by 12:30 p.m.), must be taken and submitted to the assigned Blackboard program for this course by the end-of-class on Thursday, March 3, 2016.
The final exam, which will be posted to our Blackboard account on Thursday, May 5, 2016 (by 11:30 a.m.), must be taken and submitted to the assigned Blackboard account for this course no later than 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, 2016.
Please use The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) in relation to your citations for both the mid- term and final exams.
This course fulfills University requirements and learning outcomes: http://uncw.edu/learningoutcomes/index.html
REFERENCE BOOK-RECOMMANDED BUT NOT REQUIRED (available in Randall Library)
The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Reference for Writers, Editors, and Publishers 15th Edition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003). ISBN: 0226104036
Synopsis The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) is the essential, authoritative reference for all who work with words: writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers and students in this class. The book covers every imaginable issue regarding style and usage, as well as conventions of editing, manuscript preparation, typesetting, indexing, design, and printing.
The CMS reflects nearly every significant change in style, usage, procedure, and technology. The book is easy to use, rich in illustrative examples, and informed everywhere by the presence of computers in publishing, from manuscript preparation to editing, typesetting, indexing, design, and printing. It is available in Randall Library. You will use the CMS, especially in the bibliography section of your small and major papers in this course. http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/16/contents.html
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
COURSE DESCRIPTON: This course covers the scope of African American history and ideas from the pre-colonial American Era (1620-1680) to the present. Unlike some forms of history, which are little more than memorization of dates and events, the history of ideas instead asks students to assess and interact with the ideas and values of the culture in which they live.
In an attempt to better understand the origins, development, structure, and progression of racial discourse and practice, this course, African-American History, analyzes the cultural politics and ideology of particular debates to comprehend the role these debates played in shaping arguments over what race means in American society.
The fundamental premise upon which this class rests is that Race in modern American society has long been characterized by diversity, that “whites” and “people of color are multiple in their roots and multiple in their branches, and that this multiplicity has been evident in virtually every aspect of their culture and in the social institutions they have constructed since arriving in this country in the seventeenth century.
The debates in this class offer a lens on how different voices, primarily African-American voices, and viewpoints have shaped public opinion in modern American history. The course is not intended to be a complete or linear history of the race in modern America society. Indeed, the thematic divisions of the course are not intended to suggest a natural unity inherent in the body of global discourse as a whole. Rather, the divisions are intended to suggest those ideas that most consistently informed American history during the second half of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty-first century.
Within this context, we will spend a great deal of class time discussing and studying the following: What are the roots of American racism? Indeed, does race matter in American society? What impact can a written document have on the global civil rights movement and the complexity of southern race relations in the United States? How can an examination of the idea of “passing” help us understand what it means to be black and white in the United States? How did lynching become a metaphor for, or a way to understand, race relations? How were culturally resonant appeals to individualism and colorblindness turned around during the 1990s to epitomize a toxic system of quotas, preference, and set-asides?
This HST 209 African American History course hopes to show that members of the intellectual class who participated in these debates were not disorientated because America failed to grant them first-class citizenship. They were deeply aware of belonging to a group that not only was a minority but also was set apart from mainstream (read “white”) intellectual life. Yet, members of the intellectual tradition, although their experiences had given them some appreciation of their own distinct and unique culture, heritage and traditions, wanted to be a part of the American intellectual system. Arguably, they lived the part of the bohemian lifestyle; living for art or ideas instead of money.
OBJECTIVES: By the end of the course, you will be familiar with the basic chronology and major events of African American history and how these events helped shape African American idealism. The goal is to draw a connection between the experience of life--the political, social, economic, and technological changes in the country in various eras--and the ideas that are created to explain and negotiate the reality of any particular period. Students will express their comprehension through written and oral assignments. Students finish the class with a far better knowledge of why African American cultural life and beliefs are the way they are. Because this course teaches the basics of African American thought, it provides students with the tools either to challenge or endorse parts of African American culture.
Students will express their comprehension through written and oral assignments. Students finish the class with a far better knowledge of why our cultural life and beliefs are the way they are. Because this course teaches the basics of American thought, it provides students with the tools either to challenge or endorse parts of American culture.
Students will be able to identify the ideological tradition in America since 1619 and be acquainted with several important works of American fiction.
Students will be able to identify important intellectual, political, social, economic, and artistic figures and movements.
Students will be better able to evaluate the current use of ideological-based critiques of American politics, economics, society, and culture.
Students will be able to think and write analytically and critically about the society in which you live and participate.
Email AND WEB NETIQUETTE: Email and discussion postings are essential to our class, so it is important that students in this course compose emails and postings that are professional, courteous, and concise. When emailing me, and each other, you must observe the following guidelines (please remember that you are emailing your professor, not texting, tweeting, instagraming, Snapchating or any other forms of instant messaging your friend!). In the subject heading, identify the course and the nature of your email (e.g. “HST 209 Question about Critique 1”). You must include a salutation (Dr. Harris or Professor Harris), use proper grammar and punctuation (capitalization, complete sentences, etc.), and identify yourself. I will respond to emails in a timely fashion, but be aware that queries sent after 5pm will likely not receive a response until the following day. The professional email is to draw your attention to the necessity of clear and concise communication in this class. Do take your craft (writing) serious in this class. Certainly, I will.
The following link provides addition insight to online netiquette. http://uncw.edu/oel/documents/pdfs/netiquette.pdf
ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS: In choosing UNCW, you have become part of our community of scholars. We recognize that the UNCW learning experience is challenging and requires hard work. It also requires a commitment to make time available to do that hard work. The university expects you to make academics your highest priority by dedicating your time and energy to training your mind and acquiring knowledge. Academic success in critical thinking and problem solving prepares you for the changes and challenges you will encounter in the future. Our faculty and academic support resources are readily available as partners in this effort, but the primary responsibility for learning is yours.
THE USE OF PERSONAL ELECTRONICS: Cell phone use, including texting, tweeting, etc., will not be tolerated in this class. Please, turn off your cell phones prior to class. Refusal to adhere to this rule will result in dismissal from class from that day with loss of class notes for the entire class. Laptops may be used in this class. For the most part, laptop users should sit in the back row to avoid distracting others. Laptops will be banned from the classroom for the rest of the semester the first time any laptop user is seen engaging in non-classroom related activity.
POSTINGS AND DISCUSSIONS: There are a total of seven (7) Discussion post assignments to complete this Spring semester. Some part of class time will be devoted to a discussion of the issues raised in the readings and PowerPoint presentations. You are responsible for submitting your initial discussion postings on Wednesday of each week. Review classmate’s discussion postings and respond to two of your classmates’ postings by Friday of each week. This is a required and, for the most part, a bi-weekly assignment. You will not be able to do well in the discussions if you have not kept up with your readings. It is expected that you will have finished the week’s reading assignment by the end of any given week. As much as possible, the discussion will be a friendly exchange of ideas and opinions.
The discussions are intended to be fun and enriching, not threatening. Don’t feel intimidated by a lack of background in history. Often there is no one “right” answer to the questions being discussed. Part of your grade for this Spring 2016 semester will be based on your active participation (talking) in the discussions, so it is important to show up and take part. Their purpose is to give you practice speaking about and challenging ideas, instead of just memorizing them.
As such, students should read the material and their notes from the PowerPoint presentations carefully, prepare questions and comments before class, and engage in debate over interpretations, sources, methods, and historiography. Learning the skills necessary for informed debate is an important part of a humanities education.
Although I will read every Discussion post, I will only respond to a selection of the Discussions every week.
The following link provides addition insight to online netiquette in relation to how students should address one another in the discussion area: http://uncw.edu/oel/documents/pdfs/netiquette.pdf
Please use The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) in relation to your citations for your Blackboard posts. This is required.
ATTENDENCE: Attendance is (this includes participating in Blackboard discussions and completing all required assignments on time) required of every student according to university rules and roll will be taken in each class. Part of your discussion grade is a grade for attendance—which means not only attending all classes but also showing up for class on time. If you make a habit of walking in after class begins, you will feel the impact in your semester grade.
The other specifics of attendance follow: three (3) tardies will count as one (1) absence. If you miss more than three (3) days of classes, your final grade will drop one letter grade (from a B+, for example, to a C+). That is, three (3) absences = no penalty, four (4) absences = one (1) grade penalty, five (5) absences = two (2) grade penalty, and six or more absences = an “F” for the course. Exceptions can be made, at the discretion of the professor, in cases regarding religious holidays and university sponsored events.
READINGS and FILM VIEWING: Most of the reading and film viewing in this class is self-directed. With this said, ALL students are expected to have the readings, and when required, film viewing, done prior to each class meeting. Weekly assignments are indicated in the lecture schedule. It is very important for you to do the reading in time to participate in the discussions, as part of your grade for participation is based on your ability to talk about the readings.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OPINIONS: Questions, comments, and opinions that differ from those of the instructor and of other students are always welcome in this course. Each student has the right to express his or her opinion and to have that right encourage and protected.
EXAMINATIONS: All examinations (mid-term and final exams) must be posted to the assigned Blackboard account for this course no later than the end-of-class (or time period in relation to the final exam) on the date that the exam is taken. Examination dates, times, and method of submission are indicated in the lecture schedule.
There will be two exams over the course of the semester—a midterm and a final. Each will be essay-short answer format. The dates for each test are provided in the lecture schedule. There are no make-up exams, so I advise you to be in class, on time, on the day of the exam.
The exams will be judged on the strength of their ideas, their writing, their ability to advance a thesis or interpretation, and evidence from lectures, readings, and class discussions to support your thesis. Make sure to write legibly enough to be understood. As the exams are delivered electronically, please bring your laptops or notebooks to class to take the exams. All exams will be delivered and submitted electronically.
Please use The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) in relation to your citations.
Our general turnaround time on the mid-term exam is one (1) week. For the final exam my general turnaround time is two (2) days.
PAPERS: There will be bi-weekly two-three (2-3) page critiques and one major paper (Due: 26 April 2016) 6 pages in length. The assignments are, for the most part, an exercise in writing for a precise length, so the short papers may not exceed three pages (on occasions, if you wish to write more [one-half to one page more] I will read it). The major paper may be no shorter than 6 pages or longer than 6 pages.
All papers must be double-spaced, 12 pt. font with one inch margins on all four sides, and either typewritten or printed by computer. Handwritten papers will not be accepted. Each page of text should contain 25-27 lines of text. This will mean your page has about 250 words.
Please use The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) in relation to your citations.
Cover Pages: Papers will be submitted electronically as a file uploaded to Blackboard; please submit all papers on the Blackboard account for this class.
Papers should be submitted with a separate title page on the front, with a title, the student’s name, student identification number, name and time of the course, date and my name. Please include, also, the paper prompt on the cover sheet.
Papers are to be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on the due date prescribed in the course syllabus (due dates are provided in the lecture schedule) and on Blackboard.
There are no paper extensions except in cases regarding religious holidays and university sponsored events. Otherwise, for every day the paper is late, it will drop a full grade (from a B+, for example, to a C+). You will receive a failing grade (“F” or “0”) for failure to turn in any work assignment.
The papers are both “think papers” and research papers. Limited research is required (more so for the major paper). But your perceptions and ideas will play a critical role.
SHORT PAPER TOPICS: Your short papers topics will be based on the weeks reading and/or class issues and debates. The assigned topics and due dates are mentioned in the lecture schedule.
Suggestions for writing you short papers: Before you start writing, read all the assigned reading for a given week before you begin writing. You may use reading materials assigned in this class or lecture materials (if they are relevant) in answering the question. Some topics will require you to make a trip to the library for extra research.
When you start writing: Read the question carefully. What does the assignment want you prove or discuss? Make sure that you understand the question. Once you know what it wants, make sure your paper sticks to answering it--don't wander off on some tangent. For your thesis and beginnings of paragraphs: Choose strong topic sentences that will make clear to the reader exactly what you intend to prove. These topic sentences will structure your analysis, and help you write coherent paragraphs that stick to a main idea.
Conclusion: A conclusion makes your paper end with a bang, not a whimper. To whimper, just regurgitate/restate exactly what you said in the essay. A conclusion with "bang" will tell the reader something more than what they read in the previous paragraphs.
For Evidence: A good paper has to have it--but be careful that your evidence is clean and legitimate. Be sure you know and understand the different types of plagiarism. If you are not sure, check with Professor Harris for details.
A good paper usually will have some primary source quotation. Appropriately used quotations will strengthen your argument. But citations and quotes are no substitute for your argument, your analysis--do not quote extensively and then assume that the quote is making the argument FOR you. Explain how a quote fits your thesis.
Be sure, in endnotes, to give credit to the original author of your quote, providing the author’s name, title of the article or text, publishing city, company and year of publication, and the page number.
Please use The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) in relation to your citations.
After you have completed a first draft, go back and reread what you have written. Does it meet the requirements for a well-written paper? Does your argument have enough evidence? Or is your argument not as strong and persuasive as you thought it was originally? The third paragraph may belong in the middle, and the second paragraph at the end. Perhaps the conclusion should be your opening paragraph. Rewrite and reorganize the sections that need help.
Before you hand in your paper proofread for errors. Unfortunately, spell-checking programs are only capable of giving a little help. For example, "there", "their" and "they're" all sound alike (homonyms) and may be spelled correctly by you, but you need to make sure you have used the right one. Check for spelling, correct word usage, punctuation, grammar mistakes, and awkward construction. One test is to read each sentence aloud; sometimes the ear can catch a mistake on paper. Another good suggestion is to have a friend proofread your paper for mistakes.
Additional Resources and Information can be located at the University Learning Center and the Purdue University Writing Online Writing Lab; the links are below: http://uncw.edu/ulc/writing/center.html http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
You will be graded in these areas:
Thesis Statement: Stands out clearly in introduction, arguable, not overly obvious, answers the question or questions, and is clearly based on evidence.
Content (Argument and Evidence): Primary sources analyzed with clarity, secondary sources used appropriately, and main arguments support thesis.
Mechanics (Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation): You can have a wonderful argument and great evidence to support it, but without mechanics, your presentation will fail. To go back to that excellent debater, imagine that he stuffed his mouth full of marbles before he began speaking--you could not understand him, no matter how brilliant he was. Good mechanics enhance your delivery of the argument in your paper, and you cannot do without them.
Your papers should demonstrate all good writing skills necessary to university-level composition. That means your papers should be free from spelling errors, improper grammar, incorrect punctuation, and awkward constructions. History is not merely getting the facts right-- it is also about storytelling.
If you have questions about technical English skills, you can consult a tutor at The University Learning Center (Westside Hall, first floor, office #1056: 910-962-7857: http://uncw.edu/ulc/writing/center.html) or your instructors.
History writing usually is not "first person singular": Unless a question deliberately asks for YOUR perspective, do not write using "I" or "my" in your essays, short or major papers. Unlike scholars in some other fields, most historians still write without saying "I", "me" or "my"--but that does not mean that historians have no opinions. A good writer must learn to write in the "third person" voice. If you need examples, look at the textbook for this class.
Please be especially familiar with UNCW’s position on plagiarism as outlined in the UNCW Student Handbook. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty in which you take someone else’s ideas and represent them as your own. Here are some examples of plagiarism: http://library.uncw.edu/guides/plagiarism_student_guide
1. You write about someone else’s work in your paper and do not give them credit for it by referencing them. 2. You give a presentation and use someone else’s ideas and do not state that the ideas are the other persons. 3. You get facts from your textbook or some other reference material and do not reference that material.
Use of endnotes, to indicate page numbers for any quotes you use, or to tell the reader when you have borrowed ideas from another author, are required. Consult the Chicago Manual of Style and/or the Kate L. Turabian for correct endnote format.
Note: Again, see me if you encounter problems or do not know how to proceed, or for advice and suggestions. Go to The University Learning Center in Westside Hall for assistance. Do not wait until the last minute to write your papers. Allow time for computer and printer problems and other unforeseen circumstances.
HONOR CODE: The University of North Carolina Wilmington is a community of high academic standards where academic integrity is valued. UNCW students are committed to honesty and truthfulness in academic inquiry and in the pursuit of knowledge. This commitment begins when new students matriculate at UNCW, continues as they create work of the highest quality while part of the university community, and endures as a core value throughout their lives.
Students are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published on the website for the Office of the Dean of Students: http://uncw.edu/odos/honorcode/. Persons violating the Academic Honor Code in any assignment or exam in this class will receive at least the minimum penalty of a grade of zero (0) for the assignment in question and may result in a complete failure of the course at the instructor’s option.
GRADES: Each of the components of the class will count a percentage toward the final grade: major paper (50%), interim progress checks (30%), attendance, the short papers, vigorous participation in class discussion, critiques, completion of reading assignments (20% each).
You must complete all elements of the course to receive a passing grade.
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington uses the grade point system and semester hour credit for calculating student achievement. Plus (+) or minus (-) grades may be awarded at the discretion of the professor. The grade symbols used in this course are located in the Undergraduate Catalogue: http://catalogue.uncw.edu/ (p.86-87). Also, I do not give “incompletes” (I) for any reason. You will receive both a numerical and alpha grade on your assignments.
A = 93-100 C- = 71-73 A- = 91-93 D+ = 68-70 B+ = 88-90 D = 64-67 B = 84-87 D- = 60-63 B- = 81-83 F = 59 and below C+ = 78-80 C = 74-77
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students with disabilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act should follow these steps: http://uncw.edu/disability/ 1) Provide documentation of your disability to the Office of Disabled Student Services. (Westside Hall, First Floor: 910-962-7555). 2) Bring a statement from the Office of Disabled Student Services indicating that you have registered with them to the instructor the first week of class. The statement should indicate the special accommodations that you require.
Violence and Harassment UNCW practices a zero-tolerance policy for violence and harassment of any kind. For emergencies contact UNCW CARE at 962-2273, Campus Police at 962-3184, or Wilmington Police at 911. For University or community resources visit: http://uncw.edu/care/about.htm.
LECTURE SCHEDULE AND READING REQUIREMENTS This syllabus is intended to give students a general outline of expectations for HST 303-001. I reserve my right as an instructor to make adjustments to the course schedule and grading policy as needed. Students will be informed of any changes in advance.
Themes: Global Debates in African American History
Week 1: January 12 -14: Nature, Culture, and Race
Introductory class meeting, discussion of course and class goals
Colonial Slavery: (1680-1770)
Discussion: What does it mean to be black in America? What, if any, are the clear distinctions between the idea and reality of being black in America? Define the following: Race, Racism, Prejudice, Internalized Oppression, Discrimination, White Privilege, and Institutional Oppression.
Readings for this week:
Winthrop D. Jordan, The White Man’s Burden: Historical Origins of Racism in the United States.
J. Martin Favor. “Discourses of Black Identity: The Elements of Authenticity,” Authentic Blackness: The Folk in the New Negro Renaissance (Durham: Duke University Press, 1999): 1-23.
Week 2: January 19 - 21: Key Debate: Nature, Culture, and Race
Transition from African to African-American and the growing complexity of slave society in America.
Pro-slavery Ideology (1830-1860)
Readings for this week: David Walker, Article 1, Our Wretchedness in Consequence of Slavery, from Walker’s Appeal (1829).
Film (Tuesday): The Media Education Foundation: bell hooks: Cultural Criticism and Transformation (1997): 31 minutes
bell hooks is one of America's most accessible public intellectuals. In this two- part video, extensively illustrated with many of the images under analysis, she makes a compelling argument for the transformative power of cultural criticism. hooks discusses the theoretical foundations and positions that inform her work (such as the motives behind representations, as well as their power in social and cultural life). hooks also explains why she insists on using the phrase "white supremacist capitalist patriarchy" to describe the interlocking systems of domination that define our reality.
1st Critique: Due January 21, 2016:
The history of race in American cannot be reduced to a story of black and white because this racial dichotomy has functioned in American history less as an accurate description of social reality than as an ideology. This social reality mobilized at critical points to control a much more complex and varied social landscape. Yet, African Americans have had to suffer the social consequences of an ideology that positioned them as the essential "others" of an idealized white America. Discuss the reasons white Americans consistently, despite the diverse nature of the American population and the presence of many groups that were considered distinct in a racial sense, tried to understand the racial landscape through the categories of "black" and "white."
Week 3: January 26 - 28: Key Debate: Religion
Post-1954 and the Black Revolution
Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” engages in two central debates of the 20th Century Civil Rights Movement era simultaneously. It is, first, a direct response to an open letter to the Birmingham Post-Herald from eight white Alabama clergymen who criticized the Birmingham civil rights demonstrations, calling them “unwise,” “untimely,” and “extreme.” King not only rejects their assertions but also characterizes the nonviolent civil rights movement as a model of Christian action. At the same time, King uses this letter to suggest that the more import debate of era is not one between white and black Americans but one between moderate groups (such as King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference) and radical groups (such as Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam). By privileging this second debate, between black political movements, King positions himself as an ally of the white clergymen and others who favor more moderate change over revolutionary change.
Readings for this week:
John Fischer, “What the Negro Needs Most: A First Class Citizens’ Council,” Harper’s Magazine (July 1962):
S. Jonathan Bass, Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Martin Luther King Jr., Eight White Religious Leaders, and the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Film: Karen Thorsen’s James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket (1990)
James Baldwin (1942-1987) was at once a major twentieth century American author, a Civil Rights activist and, for two crucial decades, a prophetic voice calling Americans, black and white, to confront their shared racial tragedy. This film captures the passionate intellect and courageous writing of a man who was born black, impoverished, gifted and gay.
Week 4: February 2 - 4: Key Debate: Religion
The Invisible Man and Black Identity: Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin
Readings this Week:
James Baldwin: “Letter From a Region in My Mind,” from The Fire Next Time.
2nd Critique Due: February 4, 2016:
Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” engages in two central debates of the era simultaneously. It is, first, characterization of the nonviolent civil rights movement as a model of Christian action. Second, King uses this letter to suggest that the more import debate of era is not one between white and black Americans but one between moderate groups (such as King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference) and radical groups (such as Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam). Similarly, James Baldwin’s essay, “Letter from a Region in my Mind,” converses on the uneasy relationship between Christianity and the burgeoning Black Muslim movement.
Discuss the ideas articulated by James Baldwin in his “Letter From a Region in my Mind”, (in relation to twentieth century black identity), and indicate the way in which his ideas either agreed with or contradicted Martin Luther King, Jr’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” and his outlook on American identity.
Is there a way in which either author contributed, somewhat, specifically defining the essence of African American identity? Or, conversely, did either one of them provide a challenge to African American identity? What is, and who decides, African American identity anyway?
Week 5: February 9 - 11: Key Debate: Transcending Blackness
Miscegenation Law and the making of Race in America (1860-1967)
Readings for this week:
Ralina L. Joseph, Transcending Blackness: From the New Millennium Mulatta to the Exceptional Multiracial
Television Show (Thursday): America’s Next Top Model, “The Girl Who is Contagious,” episode no. 38, first broadcast March 30, 2005, by the CW, directed by Luis Barreto, and written by Tyra Banks, Ken Mok, and Kenya Barris.
The exceptional multiracial of America’s Next Top Model, whether in the guise of Tyra Banks or her mini-me contestants, sheds racialized particularity, and often blackness, even more than the exceptional multiracial of Alison Swan’s independent film Mixing Nia (1998). The exceptional multiracial is produced is produced through the white, black, Latino, Asian American, and multiracial contestants learning how to perform racial transcendence.
Week 6: February 16 - 18: Key Debate: Transcending Blackness
Mid-19th Century “Names Controversy” and Black Identity
Readings for this week:
Minkah Makalani. “A Biracial Identity or a New Race? The Historical Limitations and Political Implications of a Biracial Identity.” Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society 3, no. 4 (Fall 2001).
3rd Critique: Due: February 18, 2016:
In a post-civil rights era where race, much less racism, cannot be mentioned without public outcry, anti-black racism remains prevalent yet coded. Contemporary black-white representations do not go beyond the binary of the new millennium mulatta and the exceptional multiracial; instead they operate within the umbrella metaphor black transcendence. Based off your analysis of the past weeks readings, discuss the validity that "ultimately, while America's Next Top Model appears to value race transcendence, and black transcendence for multiracial African American subject, it remains an untenable fantasy because of the show's reliance upon essentialized ideas of race."
Week 7: February 23 - 25: Key Debate: Passing
Frederick Douglass’s critique of American Society (1845-1885)
Readings for this week:
M. Giulia Fabi, Passing and the Rise of the African American Novel
NPR: ‘A Chosen Exile’: Black People Passing in White America; by Karen Grigsby Bates
http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/10/07/354310370/a-chosen-exile-black- people-passing-in-white-america
Week 8: March 1 -3: Key Debate: Passing
Mid-Term Examination
Readings for this week:
Anatole Broyard, “Portrait of the Inauthentic Negro,” Commentary 10 (July 1950): 56-64.
Robert Gutman, Letter to the Editor, “The Authentic Negro,” Commentary 10 (July 1950).
4th Critique: Due: March 3, 2016:
For passing to be a valid concept at all, it must assume racial essence; for if it did not, we could only ask, “passing for what?” Passing requires a cultural fixing of racial boundaries while also making significant links between color and culture. That is, to pass for white, one must “hide” those inherent makers of blackness (which are in fact cultural patterns of behavior) to succeed. Moreover, the logic of passing assumes that whiteness is itself “racial”; otherwise what integrity could be breached by such a performative act? Could an African American “pass” for white if she or he did not have a concept of black identity to begin with? Without that sense, what would there be to pass from and pass into? I wonder, though, what such a notion of passing assumes about the construction of “race.” Can one simply reject a racial identity and assume another merely on the basis of appearance? Or, as appears more likely, is passing made possible only by a solid set of criteria for racial identity?
Week 9: March 10 -12:
Note: No Classes this week: Spring Break
Week 10: March 15 - 17: Key Debate: Lynching and National Character
Lynching in American Life and Literature (1880-1920)
Readings for this week:
Jonathan Markovitz, Legacies of Lynching: Racial Violence and Memory
Film (Thursday): Joel Katz’s Strange Fruit (2002)
Strange Fruit is the first documentary exploring the history and legacy of the Billie Holiday classic. The song's evolution tells a dramatic story of America's radical past using one of the most influential protest songs ever written as its epicenter. The saga brings viewers face- to- face with the terror of lynching even as it spotlights the courage and heroism of those who fought for racial justice when to do so was to risk ostracism and livelihood if white - and death if Black. It examines the history of lynching, and the interplay of race, labor and the left, and popular culture as forces that would give rise to the Civil Rights Movement.
Week 11: March 22 - 24: Key Debate: Lynching and National Character
Note: No Class this week Thursday
Readings for this week:
Read the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution
5th Critique: Due: March 24, 2016: While the Constitution protected local power, it achieved greater symbolic power for guaranteeing the personal liberty and safety won in the American Revolution. Creating a written Constitution promised permanency, unchanging values such as the right to trial by jury and due process. Individuals should be safe in their homes, the framers believed. Accused persons should have a fair trial, the ability to confront witnesses against them, and a calm weighing of evidence by a competent jury. Lynching violated those constitutional principles. In the nineteenth century most white people believed that lynching was an appropriate and constitutional approach to crime control, when courts proved too corrupt or incompetent to handle the problem. Since many whites believed blacks too animalistic for the courts to control, they always viewed lynching as an appropriate response to alleged or real black criminality. Account for the accuracy or inaccuracy of the following: since the Constitution protected the right of local government to control crime without any outside scrutiny or supervision, it also protected the custom of lynching.
Week 12: March 29 - 31: Key Debate: Social Structures and Individual Agency on Human Behavior
American Reflection and the O.J. Simpson Decision
Readings for this week:
Lawrence Linderman, “Playboy Interview: Bill Cosby—a Candid Conversation with Kinetic Comedian-Actor-Singer-Entrepreneur,” Playboy, May 1969, pp. 17-
Lynn Neary, National Public Radio, “Bill Cosby’s Controversial Comments,” July 7, 2004.
Week 13: April 5 - 7: Key Debate: Social Structures and Individual Agency on Human Behavior
Readings for this week:
Audio Clip: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/billcosbypoundcakespeech.htm
Bill Cosby, “Pound Cake Speech,” at Constitution Hall, Washington D.C.: Address at the NAACP's Gala to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary commemoration of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that outlawed school segregation.
Video: (Tuesday): from After Words with Michael Eric Dyson interviewed by Debra Dickerson: "Is Bill Cosby Right: Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?"
Dyson challenges the critical comments Bill Cosby made about poor Black Americans at a NAACP dinner celebrating Brown v. Board of Education in April 2004. He will be interviewed by journalist Debra Dickerson, author of "The End of Blackness: Returning the Souls of Black Folk to their Rightful Owners."
6th Critique: Key Debate: Due: April 7, 2016:
What are the relative roles of social structures and individual agency on human behavior? This so-called “structure versus agency” debate is central to discussions about public policy. Those who emphasize the role of societal structures tend to call for large institutional changes but run the risk of contributing to a sense of individual powerlessness.
Those who stress individual responsibility can inspire persona change but may fail to address structural issues or may promote blame of those who are not able to escape problems. The 2004 NAACP speech by comedian Bill Cosby became a touchstone in the structure versus agency debate. In his talk commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (the Supreme Court decision that eliminated de jure racial segregation in public schools), Cosby called for more responsibility from parents whose children were not studying or were dropping out of school.
In his response to Cosby's speech, professor and Baptist minister Michael Eric Dyson links the problems Cosby cites to structural forces larger affecting poorer African Americans, including underfunded schools and a lack of economic opportunities. In contrast to Cosby's critique of individual behavior, Dyson focuses on the social context that fosters the development of people "snared in unhealthy and unproductive lifestyles: and "robbed of social standing and personal dignity by poverty and racial injustice." Discuss who, Cosby or Dyson, constructed the formable argument.
Week 14: April 12 - 14: Key Debate: The Black Power Movement and the 21st Century
Film: (Tuesday) Swedish Journalist: The Black Power Mixed Tape: 1967-1975 (2011)
“The Black Power Mixtape” is not a comprehensive history. Its impressionistic visual record of recent history is accompanied by the present-day reflections of participants in that history and younger people who have been influenced by it. Ms. Davis, the poet Sonia Sanchez and Abiodun Oyewole of the Last Poets muse on the meaning and legacy of black power, as do the musicians Erykay Badu, Questlove, John Forte and others.
Week 15: April 19 - 21: Key Debate: The Black Power Movement and the 21st Century Film: (Tuesday): Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes (2006)
Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes provides a riveting examination of manhood, sexism, and homophobia in hip-hop culture. Director Byron Hurt, former star college quarterback, longtime hip-hop fan, and gender violence prevention educator, conceived the documentary as a "loving critique" of a number of disturbing trends in the world of rap music. He pays tribute to hip-hop while challenging the rap music industry to take responsibility for glamorizing destructive, deeply conservative stereotypes of manhood.
Week 16: April 26:
Final Examination Review
Final Examination***This is a reminder that the final exam time is fixed by the University and the exam may not be given early.
Thursday: 5 May 2016 11:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. All examinations (mid-term and final exams) must be posted to the assigned Blackboard account for this course no later than the end of class on the due that the exam is taken.
Exams will be submitted electronically as a file uploaded to Blackboard; please submit all papers on the Blackboard account for this class.
Exams should be submitted with a separate title page on the front, with a title, the student’s name, student identification number, name and time of the course, date and my name. All exams must be double-spaced, 12 pt. font with one inch margins on all four sides, and either typewritten or printed by computer.
Please use The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) in relation to your citations.