HISTORY OF african AMERICANS since 1877

Instructor: Dr. Gregory Conerly

 

Semester: Spring 2008

Office/Phone: RT 1912, 687-3928

Course: HIS 216, Section 2 (4 Credit Hrs.)

Office Hours: MWF 1:30 – 2:30 pm or by appointment

Time/Place: MWF 12:15 pm – 1:20 pm, MC 409

Email: g.conerly@csuohio.edu

Course Description

In this class, we will examine the post-slavery history of African Americans. Central to this history has been the tension among blacks between struggling to participate equally in mainstream U.S. society and asserting their independence from whites by creating their own communities and culture. To explore this, we will focus on three broad topics: the emergence of the “new” South after the Civil War and black life within it, urbanization and its effects on black America, and black responses to racial inequality. The class format will be mostly lecture, though there will be some media presentations, as well as opportunities to discuss primary documents and some of the issues raised in course materials. While there will be some overlap, the lectures, readings, and media presentations are designed to complement each other. You can ask questions at any time, and it is okay to record my lectures for your personal use. To do well, you should have an interest in black history, have the discipline to keep up with the assignments, and have good writing, analytical, and study skills.

Required Materials

Darlene Clarke Hine et al. The African-American Odyssey, Volume II: Since 1863.

The text is available at the CSU bookstore and at the library’s Reserve Desk (1st floor, 2 hour check out). Other items are on Electronic Course Reserve (ECR), accessible via the library’s online catalog, Scholar (scholar.csuohio.edu), through the “Course Reserves” link. Many of the documentaries shown in class can be viewed by appointment in Film Rentals (3rd floor library). Extra copies of the handouts are available in an envelope taped to the outside of my office door (RT 1912).

Evaluation

Three (out of four) Exams: There are three regular exams and a comprehensive final. The final is mandatory for students who miss an earlier exam. It is optional for those who would like to have a regular exam grade dropped. Exams will cover lectures, readings, and media presentations. The format will be a combination of essays and identification. I will provide a study guide before each exam. Blue/green books (available at the bookstore) and black/blue ink pens are required. The scale for overall class/exam grades is as follows: A=95-100; A-=90-94; B+=87-89; B=83-86; B-=80-82; C+=75-79; C=70-74; D=60-69; F=0-59. Essay sections on exams are graded A, B, C, D, or F. To determine your grade for the course, I will average your three highest scores (all equally weighted)—except in cases of cheating. See the “Course Policies” section.

Course Policies

Make Up Exams/Incompletes: Those who cannot take an exam at the announced time can make it up only by taking the comprehensive final. Exceptions and Incompletes (“I” grades) are granted only in documented exceptional circumstances.

Special Accommodations: Students who need special accommodations (i.e. differently-abled students, athletes, military personnel, etc.) should provide official documentation of this from the relevant CSU or government office.

Cheating: Cheating includes copying answers off of another student’s exam, asking other students for answers to questions, and using unauthorized materials (exs. notes, books, cell phones, etc.) as aids during an exam. If you do so on one exam, you will get an F (0 points) on it, and this score will be averaged with your two highest scores to determine your grade for the course. If you cheat more than once, you will not only fail the course, I will charge you with academic misconduct. That means it will go onto your permanent record, where it will remain for three years or until you graduate from CSU. Future instances of academic misconduct will result in your dismissal from the university.

Class Conduct: The following rules, which will guide us in our interactions with each other, are necessary for us to be a successful intellectual community. If you cannot abide by them, drop the course. Disruptive students will be told to leave.

·         Openness: Course materials and discussions may, at times, make some feel uncomfortable or emotional (because of the subject mater, the language used to express ideas, etc.). In this class, we will be open to discussing these subjects in the appropriate intellectual context.

·         Inclusiveness: This course is for anyone who has an interest in the subject, regardless of their social identities, values, or perspectives. We will respect the rights of others to express their views, no matter how different they may be from our own. We will also provide a context where everyone feels comfortable expressing their opinions without being personally attacked or feeling they have to censor themselves.

·         Debate: While it is important that everyone have the chance to express their views, it is also essential that everyone be able to challenge each other’s ideas. In this class, we will provide a forum where everyone is comfortable critically analyzing each other’s viewpoints.

·         Classroom Disruptions: Do not engage in behavior that would distract me or other students. If you occasionally must come to class late or leave early, sit close to a door. Also, please silence noisy devices before class begins.


his 216 SCHEDULE

 

Dates are approximate. Schedule changes will be announced. Finish readings during the periods they are due. Items on ECR (Electronic Course Reserve) are accessible through the library’s online catalog, Scholar (scholar.csuohio.edu), via the “Course Reserves” link.

INTRODUCTION
Jan. 14
Course Overview

I. redefining the color line IN THE post-civil war SOUTH
Jan. 16-Feb. 1

 
Reconstruction and Its Legacy

·         Hine: Chs. 12-13
Mon., Jan. 21
No Class, University Holiday
Fri., Jan. 25
Last Day to Drop Class Without a “W”
Feb. 4-13

 
Rise of Jim Crow

·         Hine: Ch. 14

·         Wright: “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow” (ECR)

·         Barnett: “From  A Red Record” (ECR)
Fri., Feb. 15
Exam I
Mon., Feb. 18
No Class, University Holiday

II. Black Politics, Community, and Culture In the Jim Crow Era

Feb. 20-29

 

 
Black Politics and Community in the Late 19th/Early 20th Centuries

·         Hine: Chs. 15-16 (To section, “Black Men and the Military…”)

·         Washington: “Atlanta Exposition Address” and “Industrial Education for the Negro” (ECR)

·         Du Bois: “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others” and “The Talented Tenth” (ECR)

·         Terrell: “What Role Is the Educated Negro Woman to Play…” (ECR)
Mar. 3-26
Migration, Urbanization, and the “New Negro”

·         Hine: Chs. 16-17 (In Ch. 16, begin with section “Black Men and the Military…”)

·         Garvey: “Aims and Objects of Movement for Solution of Negro Problem” (ECR)

·         Hughes: “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” (ECR)

·         Schuyler: “The Negro Art Hokum” (ECR)

·         Hurston: “Sweat” (ECR)

·         McKay: “Myrtle Avenue” (ECR)
Mar. 9-16
No Class, Spring Break
Fri., Mar. 28
Exam II (Last Day to Withdraw)

III. moving the Racial Mountain: black Protest and Politics, 1930-1980
Mar. 31-Apr. 7

 
Seeds of Change: Depression and World War II

·         Hine: Chs. 18 and 20 (To section “The Transition to Peace”)
Apr. 9-18

 
Civil Rights Movement

·         Hine: Chs. 20-21 (In Ch. 20, begin with section “Transition to Peace”)

·         King: “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (with Alabama clergy statement) (ECR)

·         Malcolm X: “Message to the Grass Roots” (ECR)
Apr. 21-30

 
Black Power Movement/Rise of Black Electoral Politics

·         Hine: Ch. 22

·         King: “Where Do We Go From Here?” (ECR)

·         SNCC: “The Basis of Black Power” (ECR)

Fri., May 2
Exam III

conclusion
Mon., May 5
Final Exam: 1:00 – 3:00 pm