CENTRAL MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
Department of History and Anthropology
SYLLABUS
HISTORY 4309: African American History
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Yvonne Johnson
I. COURSE CONTENT:
African American History is an upper level course that combines a general survey of the history of African Americans with an examination and analysis of specific autobiographical narratives that helped shape and define the African American experience. Topics for written and oral discussion will include cultural and gendered analyses of the lives of nineteenth and twentieth century African Americans.
II. COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Read textbook assignments.
2. Participate in class discussions.
3. Complete three examinations.
4. Analyze and present a 20th century African American narrative.
5. Submit 2 short papers containing your analyses of two African American autobiographical narratives.
III. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AND MATERIALS:
Franklin, John Hope, and Moss, Alfred A. Jr. From Slavery to Freedom: A History of Negro Americans. Sixth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1988.
Gates, Henry Louis Jr., Ed. The Classic Slave Narratives. New York: Penguin Books, 1987.
IV. COURSE COMPETENCIES:
1. State orally or in writing the causes and effects of the political, social and cultural movements intersecting with African Americans in the United States.
2. Make comparisons: for example, identify the similarities and differences between political movements or cultural developments of African Americans in the United States.
3. Use critical thinking skills by analyzing and discussing selected slave narratives and by comparing those narratives to twentieth century African American autobiographies.
4. Give examples of how the African American community evolved and changed through time.
5. Analyze and discuss African retentions (in art, culture, religion and politics) within the African American community in the United States.
6. Analyze and discuss the impact of gender on the lives of various African Americans.
7. Identify and discuss key people, groups and events in African American history.
IV. METHOD OF PRESENTATION:
We will use lectures, group discussions, and audio visual materials such as maps, films, transparencies, and video tapes.
V. METHOD OF EVALUATION:
1. TESTS - Three examinations are required for the course, with each exam counting 20% of the total grade. Two of the three exams will be non-comprehensive, but the essay portion of the final exam will be comprehensive. The exams will consist of a section of matching terms with definitions (20 points), a section of identifications (30-36 points), and an essay section with two essay questions (50 points).
Each exam will comprise 20% of the final grade for this course.
The Grading Scale is as follows: 90 - 100 = A
80 - 89 = B
70 - 79 = C
60 - 69 = D
0 - 59 = F
2. GUIDELINES FOR PAPERS: Hand in two copies of your paper. One will be returned to you. The other I will keep for my files. Do not use any special covers -- only a title page with the title of the paper, date, your name and History 4309. Stapl e in the upper left hand corner.
Proof read your paper carefully. Errors in grammar, sentence structure, or spelling WILL MOST DEFINITELY ADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR PAPER GRADE.
Your paper must conform to the documentation guidelines found Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers. Any student who does not understand the guidelines for these papers may make an appointment for a consultation. The inst ructor cannot pregrade the paper; however, if the student wishes to REWRITE the FIRST paper, that grade will be changed (Up to 10 points may be added). The WRITING CENTER is also available to help students formulate and write papers.
FIRST PAPER - Each student is to select one of the last three narratives from The Classic Slave Narratives and write a 3-5 page paper describing and analyzing the characteristics of one of these classic slave narratives.
The paper is to include a CULTURAL COMPONENT which discusses the intersection of Atlantic cultures and any African retentions which may be located within the narrative.
The paper is also to include a GENDER COMPONENT which analyzes the impact of gender on relationships within the African American community as well as with the larger society. (For example: How did Harriet Jacobs=s gender and her role as a mother affect her decision to remain in the South after she decided to escape from slavery?
PRESENTATION AND SECOND PAPER - Each student is to select a narrative from the list provided to present to the class. We will be seeking to establish the characteristics of early African American autobiographical narratives, and to compare and contras t the development of earlier characteristics with those found in late twentieth century narratives.
PRESENTATION - Each presentation should be 10 minutes in length. Students are encouraged to use audio-visual or other supplemental material with their presentations. Each student should allow for a 5-10 minute question-answer period after his/her pre sentation.
PAPER - Each student is also to submit a second paper that both summarizes the major events of the narrative and also critically analyzes the narrative. The paper should address the following questions:
(1) What specific events occasioned the writing of this narrative?
(2) What is the purpose of the narrative?
(3) To whom is the narrative addressed, or who is the audience?
(4) What characteristics does it have in common with earlier narratives?
(5) How does it differ from earlier narratives?
(6) How does the individual's gender shape major life decisions and relationships within his/her smaller community and/or larger society?
UNDERGRADUATE PAPERS - should be 7-10 pages in length, with an analysis of one narrative, and a minimum of two additional outside sources.
GRADUATE PAPERS - should be 10-15 pages in length. Graduate students should select two narratives from the list provided and compare and contrast the narratives selected, keeping in mind the guidelines listed above. A minimum of three additional outsid e sources should be included in the Graduate papers.
The FIRST PAPER that each student writes will be graded for content and mechanics and will comprise 15% of the final grade for the course.
The grade for the SECOND PAPER will comprise 25% of the final course grade.
3. The FINAL GRADE for this course will be the average of the three exams (20% each), the preliminary paper (15%) and the second paper (25%).
VI. MAKE-UP TESTS:
Make-up tests will be given during the week of final exams. If you cannot take an exam on the announced date, you may take the exam earlier; otherwise, you must make arrangements to take the exam during finals. (Only those who missed a test because o f a school-sponsored activity will be allowed to take a make-up test prior to finals week).
VII. ATTENDANCE:
Students are expected to attend all classes are fully responsible for their attendance. Withdrawal from this course is the responsibility of the student. If a student simply stops attending, she/he could receive an "F" instead of a "W" for the course . THE LAST DAY TO DROP THIS COURSE WITH A "W" IS OCTOBER 30, 1997.
VIII. ACADEMIC ETHICS:
Students are expected to perform all assignments and take exams without notes or outside assistance. ALL WORK IS EXPECTED TO BE YOUR OWN. If cheating OR PLAGIARISM is detected, all parties involved will be denied any points for that exam or paper.
IX. TENTATIVE COURSE CONTENT AND DUE DATES:
I. FROM FREEDOM TO SLAVERY - CHAPTERS 1-7
First Meeting - Introduction.
Week One - Chapters 1 & 2 - Franklin.
Week Two - Chapter 3 - Franklin - The Life of Olaudah Equiano. Class Discussion & Narrative Assignments.
Week Three - Chapters 4 & 5 - Franklin - Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Class Discussion
Week Four - Chapters 6 & 7 - Franklin - Class Discussion. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass & The Travels of William Wells Brown. <
Week Five - Chapter 8 & EXAM I.
II. FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM & AFTER - CHAPTERS 8-15
Week Six - Chapters 9 & 10 - Franklin.
Week Seven - Chapters 11 & 12 - Franklin.
Week Eight - Chapters 13 & 14 - Franklin.
Week Nine - Chapter 15 - Franklin - FIRST PAPER DUE.
Week Ten - Chapter 16 - Franklin - EXAM II
III. FROM WORLD WAR I TO THE PRESENT - CHAPTERS 16-22
Week Eleven - Chapters 17 & 18 - Franklin.
Week Twelve - Chapters 19 & 20 - Franklin.
Week Thirteen - Chapter 21 - Franklin - SECOND PAPER DUE.
Week Fourteen - Chapter 22 - Discussion of Second Papers
FINAL EXAM
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL READING LIST
Choose one of the books from the following list. You are to write a 4-5 page paper on the book. (Graduate students should submit a 7-10 page paper). You must submit your paper on the date indicated on the syll abus.
Angelou, Maya. The Heart of a Woman. New York: Random House Publishers, 1981.
Baldwin, James. The Fire Next Time. New York: The Dial Press, 1963.
Beals, Melba Pattillo. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High. New York: Pocket Books, 1994 .
Davis, Angela. With My Mind on Freedom: An Autobiography. New York: Random House, 1974.
Delany, Sarah and A. Elizabeth. Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters
>First 100 Years. With Amy Hill Hearth. New York: Kodansha International Press, 1993.DuBois, W.E.Burghardt. Dusk of Dawn: An Essay Toward An Autobiography of a Race Concept. New York: Schocken Books, 1970.
DuBois, W.E. Burghardt. The Souls of Black Folks. New York: Vintage Books, 1990.
Gates, Henry Louis. Colored People: A Memoir. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
Himes, Chester. The Quality of Hurt: The Autobiography of Chester
Himes. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press,1972.
Hughes, Langston. The Big Sea: An Autobiography. New York: Hill and Wang, (1940) 1981.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Dust Tracks on a Road. 1942. New York: HarperPerrenial, 1991.
Jamison, Judith. Dancing Spirit: An Autobiography. New York: Doubleday, 1993.
Johnson, James Weldon. Along this Way: the Autobiography of James Weldon Johnson. New York: Viking Press, 1933.
Keckley, Elizabeth. Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. New York: Oxford UP, 1988.
Mathabane, Mark. Kaffir Boy in America: an Encounter With Apartheid. New York: Scribner's, 1989.
McCall, Nathan. Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America. New York: Random House, 1994.
Mills, Kay. This Little Light of Mine: the Life of Fannie Lou Hamer. New York: Dutton, 1993.
Moody, Anne. Coming of Age in Mississippi. Coming of Age in Mississippi. New York: Dell Publishing, 1968.
Murray, Pauli. Song in a Weary Throat: an American Pilgrimage. New York: Harper & Row, 1987.
Nelson, Jill. Volunteer Slavery: My Authentic Negro Experience. Chicago: The Noble Press, Inc., 1993.
Norris, Clarence. The Last of the Scottsboro Boys: an Autobiography. New York: Putnam, 1979.
Pickens, William. Bursting Bonds: The Autobiography of a "New Negro." Ed. William L. Andrews. Indianapolis: Indiana UP, 1991.
Robeson, Paul. Here I Stand. Boston: Beacon Press, 1971.
Rosengarten, Theodore. All God's Dangers: The Life of Nate Shaw. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1974.
Washington, Booker T. Up From Slavery. New York: Penguin Classics, 1986.
Wells, Ida B. Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B.Wells. Ed. Alfreda M. Duster. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970.
White, Walter. A Man Called White: The Autobiography of Walter White. Foreword by Andrew Young. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 1995.
Wideman, John Edgar. Brothers and Keepers. New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston, 1984.
Wilkins, Roy. Standing Fast: the Autobiography of Roy Wilkins. New York: Viking Press, 1982.
Wright, Richard. Black Boy. New York: HarperPerennial, 1993.
X, Malcolm. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. With the assistance of Alex Haley. New York: Ballantine Books, 1973.