COMMUNICATION & MEDIA INNOVATION DEPARTMENT
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO
FALL 2015
Course name:50 Years of Civil Rights in Chicago
Course number:48=-1105-01
Meeting day:Tuesday
Meeting time:10:30-12:20
Building address & room number:623 S. Wabash, Hokin Auditorium, Ground Floor
Course Description:
Fifty years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. embarked on his "northern campaign," which brought the civil rights movement to Chicago. In your freshman year, 2015-16, the 50th anniversary will be commemorated by the key players in that struggle who are still working for change - Rainbow/PUSH, the Jewish Council for Urban Affairs, the Community Renewal Society (including The Chicago Reporter and Catalyst Chicago) - activist organizations that made history in 1965-66, and are still wrestling with issues of racial, economic and social justice, half a century later. It is true today, as it was then, that "The Whole World is Watching". Students in this course will work in teams to interact with the people and institutions that made our city an international focus for social change. They will use public relations techniques to document and communicate the past and current state of civil rights in Chicago. The ultimate course deliverable will be an online website that tells this story, in words and pictures, from our students to other youth aged 18-20 - filling a niche that might otherwise go undeveloped in the city's 50th anniversary celebration.
Instructor contact information: Alton Miller, Assoc Prof. 312-369-7770
Office hours/location:33 E. Congress, Room 201R
Thursday, 11am-1pm; Friday, 10am-12pm
Course prerequisites:None
Instructional Fee:$50
Learning Outcomes:
Required First-semester Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of the required first-semester course students will:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the City of Chicago as "text" and as a site of questioning and exploration.
- Identify frameworks/epistemologies for new and/or deeper ways of thinking for understanding the urban context and communities that surround Columbia College Chicago.
- Participate in a robust one-to-many/many-to-many learning environment using a combination of large-scale presentation and peer-to-peer (face-to-face and online) learning activities.
- Experience aspects of the city of Chicago first-hand and reflect on those experiences with a cohort of student peers.
Course-specific Learning Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete this course will:
- Gain PR skills of interviewing, and other primary opinion/attitude research methods
- Share in developing PR skills of collaboration with team members.
- Sharpen their writing skills, with exercises in pre-writing, writing, and re-writing.
- Collaborate in planning a PR campaign to raise public awareness of a social cause.
- Acquire and exhibit familiarity with diversity in all aspects of collaborative work.
- Demonstrate understanding of the history of civil rights in Chicago.
- Participate in realizing the Columbia College mission, "to educate students who will communicate creatively and shape the public's perceptions of issues and events."
Required texts and materials:
Recommended reading and materials:
Grading Scale:
100-94 % A
93-90 % A-
89-87 % B+
86-83 % B
82-80 % B-
79-77 % C+
76-73 % C
72-70 % C-
69-60 % D
Below 60% F
Relative weight of course assignments:
10 weekly assignments = 100 each = 1,000
Midterm and Final Exams = 250 each = 500
20 Flashquizzes = 25 each = 500
Course Total =2,000
Grade Changes:
Only an instructor can change a grade. The request for a grade change must be submitted by the end of the semester following the term for which the original grade was awarded. Both the department chair and the dean of the appropriate school must approve the change.
Procedures for Grade Grievance:
The faculty member and chair of the department in which the disputed grade was awarded resolve grade grievances. Every attempt should be made to resolve the grade grievance through consultations between the student and the instructor or among the student, instructor, and the department chair (or subject-area coordinator when that person is charged with resolving grade grievances). In the event that these consultations fail to resolve the grievance, an appeal procedure is available to students. For the procedure to go forward, written documentation is required. All documents must be dated. The grading and evaluation policies outlined in the course syllabus will form the basis for resolution of all grade grievances.
Communication and Media Innovation Department Attendance Policy:
Excessive absences may result in a lowered grade, or in extreme circumstances, failure of the course. Likewise chronic lateness or missed deadlines can result in a lowered grade. Please discuss this with your instructor.
As noted in the learning objectives, professionals are expected to be on time and prepared for each class session. Grades may also be reduced for lateness and leaving early.
Statement of Academic Integrity:
Academic honesty is expected of all students. All quotes and source material must be properly attributed and verified. Your reporting must be original, truthful, accurate and free of fabrication. Any work you present as your own must be your own. Violations of this policy include plagiarism, fabrication and any other form of cheating. An instructor who suspects a violation will discuss the matter confidentially with the student. If the matter remains unresolved, the issue will be referred to the Communication and Media Innovation Department Chair and the Academic Integrity Committee, where both instructor and student must provide documentation of their positions. Consequences of violating the policy may include failing the assignment, failing the course, or a recommendation of suspension or expulsion from the college.
Incomplete Grade Policy:
An “Incomplete” grade will be granted rarely and only in conformance with college-wide policies. For the full policy statement and a copy of the Student-Faculty Agreement of Incomplete Grade, go to
Repeating this course for credit:
If you do not earn the minimum C grade required to count toward your CMI major, you must repeat this course (or take an alternative course if your concentration includes that option). You may take a course a total of two times in your effort to earn a C or better grade. You will not be permitted to take it a third time. The policy applies to any course taken in the Spring 2014 semester and beyond. Students must speak with a CMI faculty adviser before taking a course for the second time.
Services for Students with Disabilities:
Columbia College Chicago seeks to maintain a supportive academic environment for students with disabilities. Students who self-identify as having a disability should present their documentation to the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office. After the documentation has been reviewed and approved by the SSD office, a Columbia College accommodation letter will be provided to the student. Students are encouraged to present their Columbia accommodation letters to each instructor at the beginning of the semester so that accommodations can be arranged in a timely manner by the College, the department, or the faculty member, as appropriate. Accommodations will begin at the time the letter is presented. Students with disabilities who do not have an accommodation letter should visit the SSD office, Room 304, 623 S. Wabash Ave. (312-369-8296).
Links to other academic information:
For general information regarding grades, registration holds, the college advising center, the Learning Studio and more, go to
To learn more about college counseling services, go to
To find out more about the college's Portfolio Center and the Talent Pool database, go to:
Communication:
It is your responsibility to know what’s going on. This includes checking your Loop mail and Moodle every day for announcements, updates and changes in the course schedule. Instructor contact information is at the top of this syllabus and can be used to schedule individual consultations. Note that it is important for the instructor and for each student to be on time or early to each class session and to be fully engaged until each session is over.
Classroom behavior:
No food or drink is allowed in the classroom. Laptops, smartphones and other digital devices may be used only for taking notes and doing in-class work. If you disrupt the class with a digital device or are found to be using it for non-course work, you may be asked to leave the classroom, which could affect your course grade.
Important Dates:
Last day to add: Monday, Sept. 14; Last day to drop: Monday, Sept. 21
Withdrawal date begins: Tuesday, Sept. 22; Last day to withdraw: Monday, Nov. 2
Week / Sat. online & email / In-Class / Friday AssignmentWeek 1
Sept. 8 / Introductions: hybrid mode; team system: syllabus details / Introductions: team organization:
Lecture Topic: Slavery / Find & talk with one person who has a personal of Civil Rights in the '50s/'60s; What made you think, "I didn't know that?" Post a selfie & a quotation of any length. Always include hashtag #FSE-CR
Week 2
Sept. 15 / Overview: Collaboration techniques: how teams work it out / Interviewing techniques: Susan Richardson, editor & publisher, Chicago Reporter; discuss Week 1 assignment
Lecture Topic: Jim Crow / Attend New Student Commons
Week 3
Sept. 22 / Overview: Interviewing; also, Spokesperson selection / Capsule history of civil rights in Chicago; Lecture Topic: The Great Migration / Visit Harold Washington collection; interview director/staff
Week 4
Sept. 29 / Overview: Focus groups and public opinion polling / Overview of the "organization chart" of the Chicago players in the drama of '65-'66
Lecture Topic: Voting Wrongs / Visit The Chicago Reporter: write 3-page paper on "the media and civil rights"
Week 5
Oct. 6 / Introduction to Columbia College's own witnesses to history (mini-bios) / Focus group: Columbia's own '60s activists share perspectives on the issues Lecture Topic: Education for a Nation / Attend New Student Commons
Week 6
Oct. 13 / Overview: YouTube/VNR skills / Presentation on the role of City Council and Mayor Daley in '65-'66 Lecture Topic: Supreme Beings / Visit JCUA; or research Rabbi Robert Marx, Founder of JCUA, who marched with MLK in Chicago & Alabama
Week 7
Oct. 20 / Overview: Social Media skills / Midterm / Visit Rainbow/PUSH; interview Rev. Jesse Jackson and staff
Week 8
Oct. 27 / Overview: Crafting the Message / Lecture Topic: Martin Luther King / Visit any one of Chicago's media outlets
Visit Rainbow/PUSH; interview Rev. Jesse Jackson and staff
Week 9
Nov. 3 / Overview: Web skills / Presentation on the role of Chicago media Lecture Topic: the Northern Campaign / Attend New Student Commons
Week 10
Nov. 10 / Overview: Infographics / Presentation on the role of Community Renewal Society Lecture Topic: Whitelash / Interviews of CPS students
Week 11
Nov. 17 / Alternatives: Capsule history of SNCC and Black Panthers / Lecture Topic: Malcolm X / Infographic timeline of Civil Rights evolution in Chicago
Week 12
Nov. 24 / Online secret ballot: 'MVP' / The Civil Rights situation today Lecture Topic: Poverty, Race & Education / Attend a CRS Rally: write a short paper from a selection of topics
Week 13
Dec. 1 / Overview: PR Campaign Pitch / Presentation, Take One / The Civil Rights situation today (continued) Lecture Topic: The New Jim Crow / Attend New Student Commons
Week 14
Dec. 8 / Overview: PR Campaign Pitch / Presentation, Take Two / Student Team Presentations Lecture Topic: The Road Ahead / Rehearse/polish presentations;
Re-write edited papers
Week 15
Dec. 15 / Online assessment: 'What grade have I earned?' / Final Exam / Papers due
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