HISTORY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
(History 4469-01 for Undergraduate Students)
Instructor: Cita Cook Spring Semester 2004
Office: 3210 TLC (770-836-4555) email: ccook@westga.edu
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, 1:30-3:00; Tuesday, 2:00-5:00
Other times, by appointment
Class Meetings: Monday and Wednesday, 3:30-4:45, 208 Pafford
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will learn basic developments in the history of the people and organizations who struggled to gain civil rights for African Americans, especially in the South. In their exams and other assignments, they will demonstrate the ability to summarize and analyze the different approaches and actions taken as a part of this movement, the problems they faced, what they did to try to overcome those problems, and how this all varied according to the historical context.
TEXTBOOKS
Raymond D’Angelo, The American Civil Rights Movement: Readings and Interpretations
Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63
Any Volume II of a U.S. History textbook (covering the history since 1865)
There will also be handouts of other readings, some for all students and some only for graduate students. You also might find it beneficial to find a copy of any text on southern history and/or African American history covering since 1865.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
I. Class Attendance, Participation, and Short Assignments - 10% of the semester grade
A. Class Attendance: The typical class will involve a combination of lecture, discussion, videotapes, and possible speakers and field trips. Some of the information and ideas of the course will be presented or explained only in class, so you should take some notes during the lectures. Regular attendance is required. If you have to miss a class, you are responsible for discussing with me whether it is excused and for arranging to get any handouts, to find out what was covered in class, and to make up any missed assignments. You should average at least six hours of study a week for the class (two hours for every hour in class). If you are doing this and still feel confused or overwhelmed, it is a good idea to make an appointment to meet with me or to discuss your concerns by telephone. Too often instructors find out too late about problems that could have been solved fairly easily with earlier notification.
B. Weekly Reading and Comment Sheets: Each assignment will include a list of study questions and identifications to indicate what you should be learning from the reading and what you need to study for the tests. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ANSWER THE STUDY QUESTIONS IN WRITING and I do not have time to correct attempts to do so. If you are not sure of the answer to any of the questions, please ask about them in class and/or in your weekly comments. The assignment sheets will include a list of the basic developments in American history that you need to know to understand the reading. If they are unfamiliar to you, refer to your American history text and only then, if necessary, ask about them.
The class discussions will be conducted on the assumption that everyone has read all of the reading assigned for that day. Ask any questions or say what you had trouble understanding, but always be prepared to present some kind of reaction to the reading.
Everyone is required to hand in a Comment Sheet each week, indicating briefly any thoughts you have about the material covered in the reading and in class (possibly including messages you would like to send to the people you read about), and/or any questions you have, including any positive or negative reactions to the reading or class. Prospective teachers may add thoughts on how you might teach the material we have covered that week. Although the comment sheets will not be graded, THE CREDIT YOU RECEIVE FOR PARTICIPATION WILL DEPEND ON WHETHER OR NOT YOUR COMMENTS SHEETS SHOW THAT YOU HAVE DONE THE READING. They will be handed back so you can receive feedback from me and use them for review.
C. Short Assignments: There may be a few short graded homework assignments.
II. Essays - 30% of the semester grade
Two 4-7 page essays (typed, unless you have special permission) will be assigned, one due on February 9 and one on April 27. You will receive a handout with specific directions at least two weeks before each essay is due.
Every spring the History Department awards the Elizabeth L. Parker Prize for the best paper on the history of Georgia, with an award of $100. Students who wish to submit a paper for this award may substitute for the second essay a research paper of 10-30 pages on the history of some aspect of the civil rights movement in Georgia based on an approved list of at least four primary and four secondary sources, one of which must be a journal article. Students earning an A or B on this paper will also receive some extra credit toward the semester grade. Anyone wishing to do such a paper should make an appointment within the first two weeks of the semester to discuss a possible topic and the requirements set by the contest.
III. Open Book In-Class Essay - 10% of the semester grade
On January 28, you will answer in class an essay question using any books or notes that you wish. This is to give you a chance to gain feedback on the kinds of essay questions that will be asked on the (closed book) exams.
IV. Exams - 50% of the semester grade
There will be a two hour midterm (on February 23) and a final examination (on May 3) based on both the reading and the class lectures. The final exam will include some choice between questions covering the whole semester and questions covering just the second half of the semester. The exams will not require any specific information that was not covered in the study questions, but you may have to think about the information in a new way. Each test will involve a combination of identifications and essay questions of varying lengths. If you miss a test because of a validated excuse and prior permission of the instructor, you are responsible for arranging a time to make it up.
V. Extra Credit
You may earn up to 3 extra credit semester grade points for short written reports (usually 1 point per report) about activities outside of class such as movies, lectures, museum trips that helped you understand the material we are studying. You will receive a list of suggestions.
VI. Academic Honesty
All work handed in at the State University of West Georgia should reflect only the work of an individual student. This does not mean that students should not study together, only that they need to work alone when doing the final version of an assignment. Any use of the ideas, information, or words of anyone else, including paraphrasing of the words and ideas, without crediting them is plagiarism and is a crime. A direct quote of the words (even only a few words) of someone else must be in quotation marks as well as have a note of its source. Any clear evidence of plagiarism or any other kind of cheating on a test or any other graded assignment (after consultation with the student) will result in a permanent zero for that assignment. See the section on Academic Honesty in the Catalog or Uncatalog.
SCHEDULE
This schedule is tentative. Pay attention to the weekly assignment sheets and class announcements for any changes, as well as for the details of what you are required to read and/or write.
1. January 7 - Introduction
2. January 12, 14 - Civil Rights Activism to 1929
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HOLIDAY - MONDAY, JANUARY 19
3. January 21-23 - Civil Rights Activism in the Thirties and Forties
4. January 26-28 - The Brown Decision
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28: IN CLASS OPEN-BOOK ESSAY
5. February 2, 4 - Montgomery Bus Boycott
6. February 9, 11 - Desegregating Central High School in Little Rock
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9: ESSAY I DUE
7. February 16, 18 - Sit-ins and Founding of SNCC
8. February 23, 25 - Freedom Rides
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23: MIDTERM EXAM
9. March 1, 3 - Organizing in Albany and Birmingham
10. March 8, 10 - 1963 March on Washington
11. March 15, 17 - Voting Rights Campaign and Civil Rights Act
SPRING VACATION, MARCH 22-26
12. March 29, 31 - Selma March and Voting Rights Act
13. April 5, 7 - Black Power Movement
14. April 12, 14 - King in Memphis
15. April 19, 21 - Issues since 1970
16. April 26-27 - Conclusions
TUESDAY, APRIL 27: ESSAY II DUE
MONDAY, MAY 3 (2:00-4:00) - FINAL EXAM