Course Description and Syllabus: English 310ProfessorC.C. O'Brien
404 PLC
Office hours MWF 2-3346-0994
African American Prose:
Revolution and Radical Belief
Focusing on major figures in 20thC.African American writing, we will study memoirs, journalism, and non-fiction to understand the social, cultural, political, and economic reasons that major Black intellectuals are frequently understood as "militant," radicals or revolutionaries.Numerous systems of belief emanating from various spaces in U.S. society frame our inquiry, including beliefs in democracy, Pan-Africanism, communism, (white) racial supremacy, uplift, and scientific racism.In addition to bi-weekly exams about Cleaver, Davis, Du Bois, Jackson and Wells, we will use radical journalism in print archives to make a brief class presentation on a relevant system of belief or course theme.Your presentation will set the groundwork for a research paper.We will also read several essays in a course pack, available atThe Copy Shopon 13thAve.
Texts:
Four texts areavailable at Mother Kali's bookstore:
Angela Davis: An Autobiography
Soul on Ice (Eldridge Cleaver)
W.E.B. Du Bois: A Reader(David Levering Lewis, Ed.)
Soledad Brother (George Jackson)
Useful Web Sites:
Class Policies:
1.Attendanceis mandatory. Perfect attendance will be rewarded with a one-increment increase in your final grade. More than two unexcused absences will result in incremental reduction of the final grade for each absence.
2.Discussion and Participationare essential to learning to read analytically. Each student will be asked to compose questions about the readings to stimulate discussion and that would be fair game for exams.
3.Written Requirementsthat will be graded includea paper or a formal presentation, four short answer exams as well as brief quizzes.
4.Gradesreflect your attainment of Course Goals and will be determined according to the following 300 point scale:
Discussion50 points
Four bi-weekly exams30 points each
Presentation/Paper70 points
Quizzes60 points
5.Plagiarismis a serious offense, a separate handout explains department policies.
6.Late papers or missed exams/quizzeswill be docked one increment per day, including weekends.
7.Extra Helpwill be offered during office hours, over email, and by special appointment. The classroom is a community for learning that extends beyond our weekly meeting times, so I encourage you to see me if you are having trouble and to work collaboratively with your classmates so you can succeed in the course.I am particularly interested in active use of Blackboard for discussion and development of critical thinking.
8.You will notice that I am very energetic and animated in class. To ask questions or inform me of important issues, please use email rather than approach me before or after class. My mind is very focused on the material at these times.I may not be paying attention to your story about a broken printer, stalled car, or family reunion or your questions about assignments that are spelled out on Blackboard, in handouts, and on the syllabus. I can give you my full attention during OFFICE HOURS.
9.On the other hand, please refrain from emailing me about grades.I do not sympathize with those needing to tell me that they really want an "A."I will not answer emails about grades, during or after the term.Do not expect an A; I reserve A's for truly exemplary work and full credit on quizzes and exams does not guarantee an A.
10.Finally, we will all respect the community of ideas that forms our class. Central to this community is the understanding that racism is not a mere personal proclivity. To take this course, you must explore the ways racism has functioned historically and still functions today through political, economic, social, and educational structures of power. Should your classmates have more contemporary knowledge of racism thus defined, you should listen actively rather than debate whether racism exists. Certainly, personal experiences of racial or ethnic prejudice are very powerful and worthy of discussion, but please respect the difference between prejudice and racism.
Due Dates for Assignments:
*Bi-weekly exams will be onFridays of even-numbered weeks.
*The final paper is duein class on Monday, March 12.
*The final evaluationis duein my office March 17.
*During the first week of class, you will select a journal or newspaper from which to find an article for your presentation and paper.
Agenda:
Week One:Ida B. Wells--Race, Rape, and Lynching
1/6--1-72
1/8—73-120
1/10—Read “Coalition Politics”
Week Two:W.E.B. Du Bois--Knowledge as Liberation
1/13--1-81, 105
1/15--169-231
1/17--291-361
Week Three:Du Bois--Pan-Africanism and Global Politics
1/22--577-697
1/24--Exam
Week Four:Eldridge Cleaver--Prison Politics and Confrontation
1/27--"On Becoming," "Soul on Ice" and "Initial Reactions to the Assassination…"
1/29--"Lazarus, Come Forth" and "The Black Man's Stake in Vietnam"
1/31--"The Allegory of the Black Eunuchs"
Week Five:Angela Davis--Incarceration, Education, Organization
2/3--1-73
2/5--77-113
2/7--117-279
Week Six:Angela Davis--Struggle and Liberation
2/10--283-346
2/12—349-400
2/14--Exam
Week Seven:George Jackson
Week Eight:George Jackson--Soledad Brother
2/17--
2/19--
2/20—
Week Nine:Presentations
3/3:
3/5:
3/7:
Week Ten:Presentations
3/10:
3/12
3/14
What was Wells’ role in theFree Speechnewspaper in Memphis, Tennessee? Page 1
- How die Wells permit codes of etiquette to be broken? Page 2
- Who were Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell and Will Stewart? Why were they killed? Page 2
- How does Wells define lynching? Page 3-4
- What was Wells’ immediate response to the lynchings? Page 4
- What did reconstruction mean for African Americans? Page 4
- What function did the Freedman’s Bureau server? Page 5
- What did the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction state? Page 5
- Who did Lincoln say should have voting privileges? Page 5
- What is the philosophy behind the Slave Codes and Black Codes? Why is this significant? Page 6
- Which events marked the period of Radical Reconstruction? Page 7
- After the passage of the 15thamendment, how were African Americans continually excluded from voting? Page 7
- What are the possible origins of the term “lynch law?” Page 9
- What is frontier justice? Page 9
- Who were the common victims of lynchings in the antebellum period? Page 10
- What was the chief reason for the failure of reconstruction? Page 11
- What purpose did the Jim Crow laws serve? Page 12
- Who was T. Thomas Fortune and what were his accomplishments? Page 13
- Why were Fortune and the other editors unable to garner support for the Afro-American League?
- What is a “race” man or woman? Page 14
- Wells had a keen sense of duty to what three things? Page 15
- How old was Wells when she assumed responsibility for her family, and what did she do to support her siblings? Page 15
- How did Wells become the editor of theEvening Star? Page 16
- Why did Wells sue the Chesapeake, Ohio and Southwestern railroad companies? What was the outcome of this case? Page 17
- Why was Wells no longer teaching? Page 17
- Why and how was Wells forced into exile? Page 18
- Why was Wells’ public status so unusual? Page 18
- What did 19thcentury women learn from the abolitionist movement? Page 19
- What prevented women from having economic and legal authority? Page 19
- What were good women supposed to be? Page 20
- How has the job of a secretary been transformed between 1870-1900? Page 20
- What kinds of professions did women enter after reconstruction?
- What was the importance ofWoman’s Era? Page 24
- What did the first women’s clubs seek to do? Page 25
- How did Wells seek to recast lynching? Page 27
- Wells believes that the public perception of lynching as a defense of white women’s virtues is untrue. What were the actual reasons given for many of the lynchings? Page 28
- Why was lynching rationalized as necessary? Page 28
- Why did Wells describe the supposed “crimes” or many lynching victims as “achievements?” page 29
- What racial and gendered stereotypes does Wells suggest lynching encoded with regard to pleasure and desire? Page 30
- What were the differences in portrayals of white and African American women? Page 30
- Why did Wells say that the term “rapist” applied more logically to white men than to black men? Page 31
- Why was rape viewed as an assault on male honor, not an act of violence against women? Page 32
Journalism Project for Papers or Presentations:
The Knight Library holds many examples of African American magazines and journals includingThe Colored American Magazine, Crisis, Opportunity, Muhammed Speaks,and even original copies of Eugene's own Black Panther publication.I recommend using one of the sources mentioned; if you find another source you should ask me to approve it.The goal of this assignment is for you to understand the historical context of a particular issue or topic and to familiarize yourself with the ways authors described the problem, the evidence they used, and the solutions they proposed.
Browse--the publication until you find an essay or article that exemplifies a specific topic or question.Consider topics germane to the course such as U.S. imperialism, cultural contributions, sexuality, the justice system, cultural uplift, organizing, "miscegenation," images of Africa, historical references and the creation of Black History, gender roles, terrorism, and other topics subject to my approval.Collaborating with classmates to combine a selection of interrelated documents is an excellent idea.
Reproduce--When you find the document you would like to work with, make a copy of it or transpose it if it cannot be reproduced.It's a good idea to copy the front page of the magazine or table of contents as well; it will give the date and the other articles included are interesting to see.
Look for Images--you might use photos or illustrations from the magazine itself or you can check history and art books to find images relevant to your topic.Political cartoons from "dominant" publications might also illustrate the context of your essay.Archives from the Schomburg Center for Black Culture and the American Memory collection from the Library of Congress (both online) are excellent resources as well.
Narrate--as a blueprint for a presentation or an outline and introduction for a paper what the essay you have chosen means and what the images and accompanying illustrations reveal about the topic at hand.
Question--how to interpret your information and what it means to be radical, revolutionary, or activist.Don't interpret your material at face value; consider how it connects with a set of related questions and how it might challenge fundamental beliefs.Is your material controversial?How might different audiences react to it?
Contribute--your specialized knowledge to the class, either by planning and organizing a presentation or your materials or by writing a five page paper.Your materials, questions, and interpretations will help the entire class better understand the motivations, ideas, and issues circulating in a particular historical moment.
More specific guidance and direction will be forthcoming--this description of the assignment is to help you understand the goals and methods for a project that is experiential, preferably multimedia, and geared toward collaborative learning.
Scoring Matrix for Essays and Assignments
On what qualities or standards do I score your work? While I do this intuitively, I want to share with you the formula that makes a strong essay or presentation. To evaluate your interpretation of a text (in this case, a magazine or newspaper article written by an African American Radical in the 19th or early 20th Century) I award points for successful communication of ideas. The basic rubrics—argument, examples, organization, language, tone, focus, creativity and critical thinking are described in more detail below. For purposes of example, I use a sixty point scale.
Argument: 20 points
*10 points for having an observation AND an explanation
*5 points for synthesizing numerous points into a multifaceted yet unified thesis
*2 points for mapping out those numerous points in a sentence or two
*2 points for "signposting" or referring back to how points reflect on thesis in paragraphs other than the introduction
*1 point for rephrasing your thesis
Examples: 15 points
*2 points for having an example that coincides with each of your points
*10 points, maximum, awarded one at a time for integrated references to the text
*3 points for fully developing and describing how each of these references yield your interpretation
Organization: 5 points
*One point for each transition that links examples in one paragraph to the next
*This implies that you have paragraphs with topic sentences
*This also implies that your sentences have subjects and objects or actions
Language: 5 points
*This is the only category that involves point deduction for each time you fail to:
*Use active verbs
*Describe concrete subjects performing an action, preferably on an object
*Use pronouns or modifiers with clear referents
Creativity/Critical Thinking: 5 points
*Up to 2 points, 1 for each original idea/interpretation
*Up to 2 points, 1 each for each application of an idea to another relevant situation
*Up to 1 point for variations in sentence structure
Tone: 5 points
*1 point for enthusiasm
*2 points for creating a dialogue with the reader
*1 point for respecting the text
*1 point for adapting your tone (word sounds, sentence length, rhythm) to the text and thesis at hand
Focus: 5 points
*2 points for arguing consistently in each paragraph
*2 points for convincing the reader that your point is valid (not necessarily "right" or "best")
*1 point for integrating your points and thesis into the conclusion and answering the "so what" question
DISCUSSION GOALS AND GUIDELINES FOR STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING
"Teaching by discussion can be an extremely effective means of helping students apply abstract ideas and think critically about what they are learning. In his now classic study, Bloom (1953) concludes that when the purpose of a class is to develop problem-solving skills and abilities, the least efficient discussion is superior to most lectures. However, fostering effective discussion is difficult--even for experienced faculty--and especially when class size exceeds 20" (Penn State Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching).
As the quote above suggests, it is impossible for more than twenty people to speak in any given class period.Since we want everyone to contribute to the course, there should be various ways for us to participate in discussion.You may have noticed that points for discussion/participation in this course exceed most other assignments.This information should help you understand why that is so and how to earn your discussion points effectively.
8.You can create"reading guides" and discussion questionsIN ADVANCE of when the class is responsible for reading a selection.These materials can help your classmates read actively and productively if you make them available the class period before the reading selection is due.
9.Planned and approved WELL IN ADVANCE you might share particular expertise or experience to develop our understanding of a topic integral to course material.Bring visual or auditorylearning objectsto class.
10.Using theDiscussion Board Feature on Blackboardis one surefire way to earn points.I track your "hits" on the discussion feature to assess your participation quantitatively based on the number of other people's ideas and questionsyou have read.Blackboard is space where your contributions can exceed the average maximum classroom contribution of three verbal responses over a two-week period.I can evaluate your responses qualitatively according to the following criteria, which also govern expectations and appropriate methods of commenting verbally in class:
To communicate my ideas better:
focuscontributions on COURSE MATERIAL
present reasons behind opinions.
take turns speaking (and listen to what the others are saying!)
To help set goals and keep on topic:
suggest a direction to work toward (i.e. a topic of conversation on which to focus).
help get the discussion on task when we get side tracked.
To help quiet members participate:
unobtrusively attempt to get quiet members to speak.
reinforce their attempts to participate.
say things like "Pat, what is your opinion of...?"
To keep from dominating discussions:
listen attentively to others' ideas and suggestions.
not talk more than my share of the time.
focus on issues, not personalities.
Dominationis not only interrupting others or speaking excessively; domination can also involve replicating and espousing DOMINANT CULTURAL VIEWS in a class room space specifically designed to address UNDERREPRESENTED CULTURES and MARGINALIZED WORLDVIEWS.Respecting this class space implies that we do not speak disrespectfully of aspects of personal identity including religion, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, economic class, family structure, or political affiliation.Respect extends toward whites, males, or other people with dominant affiliations just as it does toward members of underrepresented groups.
Keep in mind, moreover, that we must distinguish between disrespect and critical analysis.Some "mainstream" identity components go unquestioned and accepted as normative.Consider how the following questions might lead us to understandings of social power in ways that complement and challenge more mainstream beliefs in U.S. culture and society: Is Whiteness a race or ethnicity?Can Christianity be a religious cult?What makes people choose heterosexual lifestyles?What is "civilized" about a cash-based economy and consumer culture?Such questions are designed to help us question the marginalization of people of color, religious groups, so-called "Third World" cultures and economies, and people whose intersecting lines of identity create subject positions with perspectives that can expand everyone's worldview.THIS COURSE IS ABOUT UNDERREPRESENTED IDEAS and VOICES; THEREFORE THOSE WILL BE OUR FOCUS.This does not mean dominant opinions cannot be spoken, but rather that they should be critically analyzed with the same scrutiny as underrepresented ideas.
To help keep others from dominating the group: