F A L L 2 0 0 7

Dr. Wali R. Kharif
Office Hours: MW, By Appointment

Tuesday, 11:00 - noon 

Thursday, 3:00-4:30 p.m.

Friday, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Office: Room 111-B Henderson Hall
Phone: (931) 372-6322
E-mail: wrkharif@Tntech.edu
Web-page: gemini.tntech.edu/~wrkharif

HIST 4390-001: TOPICS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES. The course will 1) examine “Civil Rights: Rhetoric, Organizations, and Leaders”; 2) chronicle the struggle of African Americans to obtain Civil Rights in the United States; and 3) cover what was said, the organizations and individuals who said it, and the impact of organized expression in challenging the customs and laws throughout American history.

Course Outcomes. Students completing this course are expected to: 1) be aware of the historic exclusion of African Americans from amenities of United States citizenship; 2) be aware of the complexity of race in the American way of life; and, 3) develop an appreciation for cultural diversity. The successful student will a) complete a writing project to demonstrate the ability to research a historical topic, prepare a quality essay, and document supportive information used; b) complete an oral presentation addressing the research project, or a directly related issue; c) contribute to meaningful class discussions, including critiques of the oral presentations noted in item “b” above; and, d) demonstrate reasonable comprehension of course material through written examinations.

Meeting Days, Time, and Room: Tuesday and Thursday, 1:30-2:50 p.m., HH 108.

Text: John Bracey, Jr. & Manisha Sinha, African American Mosaic
Jeffrey Ogbar, The Civil Rights Movement
David Howard-Pitney, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil
Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s

Examinations (45%): There will be three examinations including a final examination. Exams will cover text and class notes; much of the material in Part 1 below will come from handouts in class.  These will constitute fifteen (15) percent of the course grade, each. 
Examination #1:  Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Examination # 2: Thursday, November 8, 2007
Final Examination:  Tuesday, December 11, 2007, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Research Project (45%): Student must complete an original research paper. Student must submit to the instructor a typed abstract containing 1) an approved topic, 2) a thesis statement, 3) an outline, and 4) a preliminary bibliography. These are due no later than 1:30 p.m., Thursday, September 13, 2007.

The final paper must be typed (using 12 point type), double-spaced, cite at least seven non-internet sources- not including the textbooks (one of which must be a primary source), contain at least ten pages, but must not exceed thirteen pages (not including end-notes, bibliography, and title page), and must be turned in no later than 1:30 p.m., Thursday, December 6, 2007. Two copies of the completed research project must be turned in. Papers not meeting the guidelines above, or due dates, will be penalized accordingly.

Presentation (5%): At times to be determined by the professor the student will give: 1) a 2-3 minutes introduction to the class; and, on a separate occasion, 2) a 4-6 minutes presentation on the research project.  These presentations will account for 5 percent of the course grade.

Participation (5%): Each student is expected to attend class and contribute to meaningful class discussions.

Academic Honesty: Students are expected to produce original works and must give credit to authors from whom they borrow concepts and ideas, or otherwise cite in their research. Failure to cite may constitute plagiarism. Plagiarism -- intentional or not -- is a very serious violation that could result in failing of this course.

Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend class sessions. Attendance and contribution to class discussion will be used to generate participation credit above. Since reasonable participation is a course requirement, excessive absences will adversely effect the course grade.

Deportment: University students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the TTU Student Code. Students failing to comply with Section III. Academic and Classroom Conduct (0240-3-6.02), in addition to possible action by the University may, at the discretion of the instructor, have the course grade lowered proportionally to the magnitude of the offense.

Grading Policy: The course grade will be determined by totaling the exam average, the research project score, presentations, and taking into consideration absences and class participation, subtracting for improper deportment. Letter grades will be based on the following scale: A = 89.5 and above B = 79.5 - 89.4 C = 69.5 - 79.4 D = 59.5 - 69.4 F = 59.4 and below.

ADA: Any student who believes that he or she will require special consideration to meet the requirements of this course, must consult the Office of Disability Services (RUC-112, phone 372-6119) during the first week of classes. Ultimately this instructor will determine whether to agree completely, or in part, with any recommendations made by the Office of Disability Services.

(Students will be notified of lecture topic changes or other class emergencies by e-mail. It is your responsibility to monitor your university e-mail account.)

TOPICS

 
PART 1. Background: The Pre-Civil Rights Era – August 28-September 13
 
1. Exclusion from American Civil Rights
a. Military Exclusion
b. Limitations on Mobility
2. Strategies Used to Fight for Inclusion
a. Free African Society
b. Antislavery Movements
c. American Colonization Society
d. The Black Convention Movement
3. Some of the Early Advocates
a. Richard Allen
b. Paul Coffee
c. Frederick Douglass
d. Sojourner Truth
 
PART 2. Civil Right: The First Reconstruction, Gilded Age and Progressive 
 Eras (see readings below) – September 18 – October 11
1. Reconstruction Amendments
2. Civil Rights Acts (1866) (1875)
3. The Advocates
a. Frederick Douglass
b. Booker T. Washington
c. W. E. B. Du Bois
d. Noble Drew Ali
e. Marcus Garvey
4. The Organizations
a. NAACP
b. National Urban League
c. Universal Negro Improvement Association
d. Moorish Science Temple Movement
e. Nation of Islam
f. Ida B. Wells
 
PART 3. The Modern Civil Rights Era: World War II to the Seventies 
  (see readings below) – October 18 – November 13
 
1. Desegregation of Colleges and Universities
2. Desegregation of Public Schools
3. Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
4. The Civil Rights Acts, 1957, 1960, 1964
5. The Voting Rights Act of 1965
6. The Advocates
a. Elijah Muhammad
b. Thurgood Marshall
c. Malcolm X
d. Martin Luther King
e. Muhammad Ali
f. Fannie Lou Hamer
g. Coretta Scott King
7. The Organizations
a. Montgomery Improvement Association
b. Southern Christian Leadership Conference
c. CORE
d. SNCC
e. Black Panthers 
 
PART 4. Contemporary Civil Rights Activism (see readings below) – 
 November 15 – December 6
 
1. The Issues 
a. Affirmative Action
b. Reparations
2. Significant Events
a. The Million Man March
3. The Leaders
a. Jesse Jackson
b. Al Sharpton
c. Louis Farrakhan 
 

Readings: From Bracey, Jr. & Sinha, African American Mosaic
 (Part 2)
1. U.S. Constitution: Reconstruction Amendments, 15-16
2. “Letters from the South….,” 37-48
3. Civil Rights Act of 1875, 48-50
4. Frederick Douglass Protests … Civil Rights Cases, 59-65
5. Francis Ellen Watkins Harper, “Colored Women of America,” 66-69
6. Ida B. Wells, 102-115
7. Plessy v. Ferguson, 126-138
8. Booker T. Washington, “Industrial Education for the Negro,” 138-144
9. W.E. B. DuBois, “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others,” 146-153
10. Negro National Anthem, 156
11. Activities of the NAACP, 187-200
12. Marcus Garvey, “Speech…Second International Convention of Negroes,” 206-211
 (Part 3)
13. A. Philip Randolph, “Call to March…,” 270-272
14. Executive Order 8802, 272-273
15. Harry S Truman, Executive Order 9808, 301-307
16. Segregation in Washington, 307-317
17. Brown v. Board of Education, 332-336
18. Malcolm X, “Message to the Grassroots,” 354-361
19. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Voting Rights Act of 1965, 364-372
20. Stokely Carmichael and Black Power, 379-382
 (Part 4)
21. A Black Feminist Statement, 416-422
22. Louis Farrakhan, “The Million Man March Pledge,” 493-494
23. “Kwanzaa,” 503-507
 
Readings: From Ogbar, The Civil Rights Movement
 
 (Part 1)
1. Woodward, “Of Old Regimes and Reconstruction,” 3-13
 (Part 2)
2. Neiman, “Equality Deferred,” 13-39
3. Payne, “Setting the Stage,” 39-57
4. Martin, “Shades of Brown,” 61-82
 (Part 3)
5. Sitkoff, “We Shall Overcome,” 107-129
6. Martin Luther King and Nonviolent Direct Action, 155-165
7. Meier & Rudwick, Additional Information on Direct Action, 165-190
 
Readings: Howard-Pitney, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X
 
 (Part 3)
 Read entire book.