#BLACKLIVESMATTER
The Struggle for Civil Rights from Reconstruction to the Present
AAAS 156A
Spring 2017
T/Th 2:00 pm-3:20 pm
Mandel Auditorium (G03)
Professor Chad Williams
781-736-3250
Mandel 219
Office hours: Wednesday, 12:00-2:00; by appointment
TA: Marisa Carey
Rabb 246
Office hours: Thursday, 5:00-7:00
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Following the July 13, 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman, on trial for the shooting death of unarmed African American teenager Trayvon Martin, community activists Alicia Garza,PatrisseCullors, andOpal Tometiresponded by co-founding an online movement under a simple yet powerful hashtag: #BlackLivesMatter. #BlackLivesMatters has since become the most important movement for black freedom, civil rights and racial justice in the 21st century, and arguably in the past forty years. Nevertheless, misconceptions exist about the meaning of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and its historical significance. This course adopts a historical approach to understanding the #BlackLivesMatter movement, situating it the context of a long black freedom struggle beginning in the aftermath of the Civil War and continuing to the present. We will interrogate the various issues that have given rise to the #BlackLivesMatter movement, both historically and contemporarily. We will also critically examine the particular dynamics of the #BlackLivesMatter movement itself and its implications for the future.
LEARNING GOALS
-Situate the current #BlackLivesMatter movement within the broader historical context of black struggles for freedom, civil rights and racial justice.
-Understand the role of racial violence and terrorism, both vigilante and state-sanctioned, in the lives of peoples of African descent in the United States.
-Center the experiences, activism and leadership of black women in the #BlackLivesMatter movement and earlier movements for freedom, civil rights and racial justice.
COURSE READINGS
You are expected to complete all readings and assignments on time as indicated on the course schedule. Bring all assigned readings with you to class and have them out of your bag before class begins.
Books
All required books are available for purchase at the Brandeis University Bookstore
-Sarah Haley, No Mercy Here: Gender, Punishment, and the Making of Jim Crow Modernity. (The University of North Carolina Press, 2016).
-Khalil Gibran Muhammad, The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America. (Harvard University Press, 2010).
-Assata Shakur, Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur. (Lawrence Hill Books 2001).
-Mychal Denzel Smith, Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man's Education. (Nation Books, 2016).
-Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation. (Haymarket Books, 2016).
-Chad Williams, Kidada E. Williams and Keisha N. Blain., eds., Charleston Syllabus: Readings on Race, Racism, and Racial Violence. (The University of Georgia Press, 2016).
Essays and Articles
Assigned essays and articles, as indicated on the weekly course schedule with (L), will be made available through our LATTE page.
Recommended Readings
The following books offer valuable insight into the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the various issues that have shaped it. This list is by no means exhaustive.
-Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
-Carol Anderson, White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide
-Jordan T. Camp,Policing the Planet: Why the Policing Crisis Led to Black Lives Matter
-Jeff Chang, We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation
-Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me
-Angela Y. Davis, Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine and the Foundations of a Movement
-Angela Y. Davis, Are Prisons Obsolete?
-Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul
-Marc Lamont Hill, Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond
-Elizabeth Hinton, From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America
-Irbam X. Kendi, Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
-Wesley Lowrey, “They Can’t Kill Us All”: Ferguson, Baltimore and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement
-Naomi Murakawa, The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America
-Claudia Rankin, Citizen
-Christina Sharpe,In the Wake: On Blackness and Being
-Robyn C. Spencer, The Revolution Has Come: Black Power, Gender, and the Black Panther Party in Oakland
-Beth E. Richie, Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence, and America’s Prison Nation
-Clint Smith, Counting Descent
-Heather Ann Thompson, Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING
Class Participation
Engaged participation is essential for success in the course. You are expected to complete all reading assignments and contribute to classroom conversations. We will be adopting a “Team Based Learning” approach to the course, meaning that you will be assigned a group to engage in class discussion based activities focused on the course readings and assignments, as well as the teach-in project (see below). Your participation in the group activities is mandatory.
Reading Reflections and Check-In
In 100 words or more, respond to the day’s reading on LATTE. Articulate moments of theoretical excitement, confusion, or engagement with your classmates. Posts should be succinct and include details from the reading (vague responses will be treated as a non-submission). Additionally, you must prepare at least one question drawn from the readings that you would like addressed in our class lecture and discussion for that day. I will randomly call on three students at the start of each class to pose their questions.
Posts will be graded on a full credit/partial credit/no credit scale:
Full credit:At least 100 words; well written with minimal syntax and grammatical errors; clearly thought out and articulated; based on the assigned readings and topic; one or more questions clearly and originally posed
Partial credit:At least 100 words; lack of attention to syntax and grammar; superficial engagement with assigned readings; question posed does not reflect deep engagement with assigned readings
No credit:Less than 100 words; poorly written with substantial grammatical errors; no engagement with the assigned readings; no question(s) posed for discussion
Reading reflections and questions are due by 12:00pm on the day of class.
BLM Symposium Teach-In Group Project
On March 23 and 24, the Department of African and Afro-American Studies is sponsoring a two-day symposium titled “Black Lives Matters: Local Movements, Global Futures.” The program of Thursday, March 23 will feature a series of campus-wide teach-ins devoted to various topics related to the Black Lives Matter movement. The goal of these teach-ins is to engage the entire campus community and offer intimate spaces for critical learning and discussion.
Your group will be tasked with organizing and leading a teach-in. This assignment will allow you to engage in both individual and collective research on a specific topic, develop a pedagogical plan, create a logistical structure and lead the teach-in with members of the Brandeis community as participants.
The assignment and completion schedule for the teach-in project is as follows:
-January 24:As a group submit your top three preferred topics via LATTE. Your group will be assigned a topic based on one of your three choices.
-January 26:Topics assigned. Arrangeto meet as a group to begin working on your proposal.
-February 7:Submit preliminary proposal for teach in that includes the following: learning goals, themes to discuss, format, location, and allocation of responsibilities.
-February 28:Each group member submits an annotated bibliography of at least three sources for your reading/resource guide. Annotation should be a detailed paragraph summarizing the source.
-March 9:In-class workshop. This will be an opportunity for you to work as a group and prepare for your teach-in.
-March 15:Submit final proposal for teach-in that includes the following: learning goals, format, lesson plan, resource guide,poster board design, allocation of responsibilities and RSVP list.
-March 23: Campus teach-ins
-April 5:Group self-evaluation signed by all members of the group. Self-evaluation will focus on the following points: Participation of all group members; Execution of teach-in plan; Achievement of learning goals
Your individual grade for this assignment will be based on your contribution to the preliminary proposals, specific contribution to the resource guide, and completion of allocated responsibilities for the final proposal and teach-in itself.
Midterm Exam
The take-home midterm exam will consist of a number of short answer essays. The exam will be based on the course readings and lectures. The exam questions will be distributed in class on February 16. The exam is due on February 28by 5:00pm on LATTE. Late exams will not be accepted.
Final Exam
The take-home final exam will consist of a number of short answer essays. The final exam will be comprehensive and based on the course readings, films and lectures. The exam questions will be distributed in class on May 2. The exam is due on May 9 by 5:00pm on LATTE. Late exams will not be accepted.
Grading Breakdown
Class Participation:10%
Reading Reflections:20%
Group Teach-In Project:20%
Midterm Exam:20%
Final Exam:30%
POLICIES
Weekly Time Commitment
This is a Four-Credit Course (with three hours of class-time per week). Success in this 4 credit hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.).
Attendance and Tardiness
Attendance is absolutely mandatory. The presence of every student is valued and absences risk disrupting the cohesion of the class. Repeated absences are disrespectful to me, as your professor, as well as your fellow classmates. If you plan to miss a class, you must have a valid excuse (ie. injury, family emergency, athletic commitment, etc.) and inform me ahead of time. More than three absences for any reason will result in a one-third reduction of your final grade.
Class will begin promptly at 2:00pm. If for some reason you arrive late please enter quietly and sit in the back of the auditorium.
Classroom Conduct
Your classroom conduct will be a factor in your participation grade. You are expected to arrive to class on time, be attentive (no falling asleep), focused (no cellphones, i-pods, etc.), and maintain the highest standards of collegiality with your classmates. Please use the restroom BEFORE you come to class. Disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.
Computer Use
Laptop computers, I-Pads, smart phones or other relevant electronic devices are allowed for the specific use accessing the assigned course readings on LATTE or if you have a document disability. Use of your electronic device for any other purpose is strictly prohibited. Any violation of this policy will result in the prohibition of your electronic device for future use in the classroom.
Disabilities
If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately.
If you have questions about documenting a disability or requesting academic accommodations, you should contact Beth Rodgers-Kay in Academic Services (x6-3470 or .)
COURSE SCHEDULE
KEY SCHEDULE DATES
February 20-24:Midterm Recess
February 28:Midterm Due
March 23:Black Lives Matter Symposium
March 24:Black Lives Matter Symposium
April 10-18:Passover and Spring Recess
May 9:Final Exam Due
WEEK 1
Jan. 17:Historicizing #BlackLivesMatters
Readings:
-Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter From Birmingham Jail” (L)
-Judith Butler and George Yancy, “What’s Wrong With ‘All Lives Matter’?” (L)
-Brittney Cooper, “11 Major Misconceptions about the Black Lives Matter Movement” (L)
Jan. 19:Reconstruction and the Paradoxes of Black Freedom
Readings:
-Charleston Syllabus (Robert Brown Elliot, Thomas Holt, Hannah Rosen)
WEEK 2
Jan. 24:Redemption and Black Life and Death in the “Nadir”
Readings:
-No Mercy Here, ch. 1-2
-Charleston Syllabus (Tera Hunter, “Plessy v. Ferguson”)
-W. E. B. Du Bois, Black Reconstruction, “Back Toward Slavery” (excerpt) (L)
Jan. 26:No Mercy Here
Skype Visit: Sarah Haley, Assistant Professor of Gender Studies and African American Studies, UCLA
Readings:
-No Mercy Here, ch. 3-5
WEEK 3
Jan. 31:Constructing the “Negro Problem” and Black Criminality
Readings:
-Condemnation of Blackness, ch, 1-2
-W. E. B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk, ch. 1 (L)
-Anna Julia Cooper, “The Status of Woman in America” (L)
Feb. 2:Racial Violence and American Terrorism
‘DEIS Impact College, Shapiro Campus Center Multipurpose Room
Readings:
-Charleston Syllabus (Ida B. Wells, Crystal Feimster, “Strange Fruit”)
-Equal Justice Initiative, “Lynchingin America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror” (L)
-Koritha Mitchell, "What I Learned About Police Brutality Videos From Studying Images of Lynching" (L)
WEEK 4
Feb. 7Searching for Freedom and Confronting White Supremacy
Readings:
-Condemnation of Blackness, ch. 3-5
Feb. 9New Negroes
Readings:
-Condemnation of Blackness, ch. 6
-Charleston Syllabus: “If We Must Die,” Marcus Garvey and the UNIA, Du Bois
-Amy Jacques Garvey, “Women as Leaders” (L)
WEEK 5
Feb. 14:Black Art and the Politics of Representation
Readings:
-George Schuyler, “The Negro Art Hokum” (L)
-Langston Hughes, “The Black Artist and the Racial Mountain” (L)
Feb. 16:Theories of Black Liberation and Anti-Colonial Struggle
Readings:
-AimeCesaire, Discourse on Colonialism (L)
-Franz Fanon, “On Violence” from Wretched of the Earth (L)
-Claudia Jones, “An End to the Neglect of the Problems of the Negro Woman!” (L)
WEEK 6
Feb. 21/23:No Class (Midterm Recess)
WEEK 7
Feb. 28:Birth of the Modern Black Freedom Struggle
Readings:
-Charleston Syllabus: Danielle McGuire
-John Dittmer, Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi, ch. 3
March 2:Terror and Resistance in the Civil Rights Movement
Readings:
-Charleston Syllabus, Charles Marsh, Fannie Lou Hamer, AkinyeleOmowaleUmoja, “Mississippi Goddam”
-James Baldwin, "My Dungeon Shook — Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of Emancipation"
In-Class Film:Four Little Girls
WEEK 8
March 7:Or Does It Explode?
Readings:
-Jeanne Theoharis, “Alabama on Avalon” (L)
-Assata, ch. 1-11
March 9: Teach-in Workshop
WEEK 9
March 14:Black Power Politics and Culture
Readings:
-From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation, ch. 1
-Charleston Syllabus: National Black Political Convention, Matthew Countryman, Genna Rae McNeil
-Assata, ch. 12-21
March 16:Backlash and “Law and Order”
Readings:
-From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation, ch. 2-3
-Julia Azari, “From Wallace to Trump, the Evolution of Law and Order” (L)
WEEK 10
March 21:Prisons and Policing
Readings:
-From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation, ch. 4
-Charleston Syllabus: Kali Nicole Gross
-Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow, ch. 5 (L)
March 23:Black Lives Matter Symposium
-Campus Teach-ins
-Khalil Gibran Muhammad keynote
March 24:Black Lives Matter Symposium
-Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor keynote
WEEK 11
March 28:Hip Hop and Black Consciousness
Readings:
-Smith, Invisible Man,Got the Whole World Watching, ch. 1-3
-Marcyliena Morgan, "Hip-Hop Women Shredding the Veil: Race and Class in Popular Feminist Identity” (L)
March 30:Obama, Trayvon, and the Emergence of #BlackLivesMatter
Readings:
-Smith, Invisible Man,Got the Whole World Watching, ch. 4-7
-From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation, ch. 5
-Charleston Syllabus: Thomas Sugrue
WEEK 12
April 4:Ferguson and Black Rage
Readings:
-Charleston Syllabus: United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
-Jelani Cobb, “What I Saw in Ferguson” (L)
-Darnell Moore, “Black Freedom Fighters in Ferguson: Some of us Are Queer” (L)
-Brittney Cooper, “In Defense of Black Rage: Michael Brown, Police and the AmericanDream” (L)
-Carol Anderson, “Ferguson Isn’t About Black Rage Against Cops. It’s White Rage AgainstProgress” (L)
April 6:Woke
Readings:From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation, ch. 6
In-Class Film:Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement
WEEK 13
April 11/13:No Class (Passover and Spring Recess)
WEEK 14
April 18:No Class (Passover and Spring Recess)
April 20:Building and Defining a Movement
Readings:
-From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation, ch. 7
-Charleston Syllabus: Barbara Ransby
-Cathy Cohen, “Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens: The Radical Potential of Queer Politics?” (L)
-Alicia Garza, “A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement (L)
-“‘Our Demand is Simple: Stop Killing Us’: How A Group of Black Social Media Activists Built the Nation’s First 21st-Century Civil Rights Movement” (L)
WEEK 15
April 25:#SayHerName
Readings:
-African American Policy Forum, “Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women” (L)
-Kimberlé Crenshaw, “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, andViolence Against Women of Color”(L)
-Jamilah Lemieux, “Sandra Bland: A Black Woman’s Life Finally Matters” (L)
April 27:From the Campus to the Streets and Back Again
Readings:
-Robin D. G. Kelley, “Black Study, Black Struggle” (L)
In-Class Film:2 Fists Up
WEEK 16
May 2:The Future of #BlackLivesMatter
Readings:
-“A Vision for Black Lives: Policy Demands for Black Power, Freedom and Justice” (L)
-PatrisseCullors, “Trump’s Election Means More Police Brutality Towards Black People” (L)
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