AFAM357

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AFAM357

Black Protest Movements AFAM357 FA

Crosslistings: HIST357

Next Offered in 9899 FA

What are black protest movements? Unlike many black history courses which pursue prominent people, this class attempts to address this question though focusing upon the relationship between mass movements and their leadership. We begin with emancipatory protests against slavery and conclude with an evaluation of the current fracturing of black politics. Some of the specific issues we will explore include the following: what are the pre-conditions for protest movements? How do they take-off, what are their social origins, and how similar/different are they? Do they produce the leadership or does the leadership produce them? Who leads whom? What is the tradition and the legacy of these protest movements? We shall also breifly explore African anti-colonial and liberationist movements in pursuit of global understanding of black protest in the modern world. At the course's end, students should have a good sense of what is movement, what is protest, and what is black. Course requirements include weekly readings of c.200 pages; several 1-2 page discussion papers; leadership of one seminar session and related 5 page paper; and a final 15-20 page research paper. Grades are determined as follows: 33% (class participation); 33% (seminar leadership); and 34% (research paper). All students are required to have a firm grasp of African-American history.

MAJOR READINGS

The books below are CORE readings and
are available from Atticus Bookstore. One copy of each text
is on Olin Library Reserve.
Ira Berlin et al., SLAVES NO MORE
Thomas Holt, BLACK OVER WHITE
Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, RIGHTEOUS DISCONTENT
Jill Watts, GOD, HARLEM, U.S.A.
Nancy Weiss, FAREWELL TO THE PARTY OF LINCOLN
Robin Kelley, HAMMER AND HOE
CLR James, NKRUMAH & THE GHANA REVOLUTION
Clayborne Carson, SNCC

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Course requirements include weekly readings of c. 250 pages; several 1-2 page discussion papers; leadership of one seminar session and related 5 page paper; and a final 15-20 page research paper.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Discussion Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UG Credit: 1.00 Gen Ed Area & Dept: SBS HIST

Prerequisites: None

Last Updated on MAR-03-1998

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