1 COURSE SYLLABUS Women Preachers, Teachers, Activists and Captives during the Enslavement Era HIST 389-003 Class Location: MTB, Music Theater Building, 1008 Time: TR 10:30 am - 11:45 am INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION Dr. Yevette Richards Preferred contact method: E-mail through blackboard (courses.gmu.edu) Phone: 703-993-1250, History, Robinson Hall B 373C Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:00-2:30 Thursdays, 12:00-1:30 or by appointment Course Description This course examines the history of African American women in antebellum America, both the general experiences of enslaved and nominally free women, and the lives of noted women who were involved in the public arena as orators, writers, preachers, abolitionists and women's rights activists. Within the context of the national political debates and compromises that took place on the issue of slavery and the status of free blacks, the course uses an intersectional analysis in examining the effect of gender, class and race on the development of ideologies concerning abolition, colonization, women’s rights and enslavement. Course Books Marilyn Richardson, Maria W. Stewart, America's First Black Woman Political Writer: Essays and Speeches William L. Andrews, Six Women's Slave Narratives Dorothy Sterling, We are Your Sisters: Black Women in the Nineteenth Century Bert James Loewenberg and Ruth Bogin, Black Women in Nineteenth-Century American Life: Their Words, Their Thoughts, Their Feelings To find journal articles on E-Journal - Go to http://library.gmu.edu/ - Search for electronic journals and publications under “Articles and more.” - Some databases may only have the abstract so try another one if you have a choice In your search with the E-Journal Finder, do not include “The” or “A” at the beginning. If the journal has a hyphen (-) or an ampersand (&) in its name you may have to do the search with or without the hyphen or with the & instead of “and.” 2 Learning objectives At the end of this course, students will … know how the legal system of slavery combined with custom to structure inequality in differential ways for free and enslaved blacks and for women of different race and class backgrounds; know how social movements for women rights arose from the struggle over slavery; know how differences in ideology and strategy contributed to gender and regional splits in the abolitionist movement; understand the role of religion in abolitionist and women’s rights discourse; know the central role of education and literacy for black women in their attempt at self and community improvement as well as agitation against slavery; understand the impact of national debates and compromises on the lived experiences of enslaved and free blacks; understand factors that contributed to the sexual abuse of enslaved women; know the kinds of resistance in which black women engaged as well as the conditions that led them to resist; have a thorough understanding of how patriarchal white supremacist ideology permeated antebellum discourse and institutions and contributed to violence against both enslaved and free blacks. Course Requirements and Methods of Instruction and Evaluation 1. Class participation - 10% 2. Paper incorporating primary documents to the class readings - 25% 3. Paper analyzing one course film - 10% 4. Midterm exam - 25% 5. Final exam - 30% -- 1. Class participation (10%) Attendance: Students are expected to be prepared for each class and to participate in discussion. Instructors may use absence, tardiness, or early departure as de facto evidence of nonparticipation. Four or more absences over the course of the semester will negatively affect this class participation grade. 3 2. Class paper (25%) choice: (A) Research paper (B) Historic site paper (see suggested list at end of syllabus) Plans for paper due on Oct. 29 (A) brief description of your paper topic along with list of sources (B) name of historic site (which will have primary sources there) and list of any other sources Paper due on Nov. 24 Paper parameters - five to seven pages, 12-point font, and double-spaced, one inch margins (anything less than five full pages will incur a significant grade reduction) - minimum of five direct quotes - use at least 5 sources (2 primary sources, 1 secondary, and two others, which can be either primary or secondary sources) -perform a spell and grammar check on your paper -proper citation (Chicago style): https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/ -include a bibliography -for historic site paper, you must provide proof of your visit (ticket or official receipt) -half of a letter grade reduction per day for failure to pass in paper Primary sources: http://www.ala.org/rusa/sections/history/resources/pubs/usingprimarysources http://web.calstatela.edu/library/guides/pswhat.htm Secondary sources: articles in professional journals, books, educational web sites (including PBS programs and National Park Service). Be mindful that some scholarly articles or books written before the 1960s might demonstrate significant or subtle racial bias. 3. Paper analyzing major themes of one of the three films in the Abolitionists series (10%) (student choice), due within a week of class viewing. Paper - minimum of two full pages, 12-point font, and double-spaced, regular one inch margins Anything less than two full pages will incur a significant grade reduction. Half of a letter grade reduction per day for failure to pass in paper. All films may also be viewed in the Johnson Center Library. 4. Midterm exam (25%) Covers material from the beginning of the semester. Will include multiple choice, short answer and longer essay. Missed exams cannot be made up without a doctor’s excuse. 4 5. Final exam (30%) Covers material from after the midterm. Will include multiple choice, short answer and longer essay. Missed exams cannot be made up without a doctor’s excuse. Grade Policy All course work is due on the appointed day. Late assignments will lose a half of a letter grade per day. Exams are only given on the assigned day, unless the student provides a written doctor’s excuse. Grading Scale 100-95 A+ 94-93 A 92-90 A - 89-87 B+ 86-83 B 82-80 B- 79-77 C+ 76-73 C 72-70 C- 69-60 D 59 and below F About Email Please note that I may make communications through Mason email. Please activate and check your Mason email regularly so as not to miss any important announcements. About Blackboard This management system is a very important tool for the course. I will post on blackboard the syllabus, instructions for all course assignments, selected class notes, exam review questions, some required and recommended readings, links to relevant web sites, photographs, instructions for accessing and using library databases, and selected campus services. If any changes occur in the syllabus, I will post an updated document on blackboard. I also will announce any changes to the syllabus in class and through email. About Research Jen Stevens, English, Communication & Women’s Studies Liaison Librarian is available to help anyone with research. [email protected] A244 Fenwick Library 703-993-2211 Office hours, Women and Gender Studies Center 5 Wednesdays, 10-11 am Thursdays, 1:30-2:30 pm George Oberle, History Liaison [email protected] 703-993-4175 You may also schedule individual consultations with librarians. E-mail Reference Service http://library.gmu.edu/research/email/ Call Fenwick Library 703-993-2210, Johnson Center Library 703-993-9070 About Writing Skills Students may elect to visit the Writing Center on their own to get help with writing strategies. After your first writing assignment, I may recommend students to visit the writing center. These services are valuable and free. “The Writing Center will not proofread your work for you, but we will work with you to develop revision and editing strategies that can last a lifetime. Our tutors want to emphasize positive attitudes and helpful ways of thinking about writing. We want you to become more confident and effective writers across the curriculum and in your personal and professional lives.” http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/ 703-993-1200 [email protected] PLEASE NOTE: COURSE POLICIES 1. George Mason University Honor System and Code Honor Code The integrity of the University community is affected by the individual choices made by each of us. Mason has an Honor Code with clear guidelines regarding academic integrity. Three fundamental and rather simple principles to follow at all times are that: (1) all work submitted be your own; (2) when using the work or ideas of others, including fellow students, give full credit through accurate citations; and (3) if you are uncertain about the ground rules on a particular assignment, ask for clarification. No grade is important enough to justify academic misconduct. Plagiarism means using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from another person without giving the person credit. Writers give credit through accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes, or endnotes. Paraphrased material must also be cited. A simple listing of books or articles is not sufficient. Plagiarism is the equivalent of intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in the academic setting. If you have any doubts about what constitutes plagiarism, please see me. All violations of the Honor Code will be reported to the Honor Committee. For more information, see: http://oai.gmu.edu/the-mason-honor-code-2/ 2. Class Registration 6 Students are responsible for verifying the accuracy of their own schedules. Students need to check PatriotWeb regularly to verify that they are registered for the classes that they think they are. This is particularly important since students are no longer dropped for nonpayment. Faculty may not allow a student who is not registered to continue to attend class and may not grade the work of students who do not appear on the official class roster.