Introduction to African-American Studies

Fall 2009 Syllabus

Instructor: Professor Roneka Matheny

Course Number: Day/Time: Location:

AAST 200-001 MWF 11:00-11:50 B08 Lightsey Conference Center
AAST 200-002 MWF 12:00-12:50 B08 Lightsey Conference Center

Office Location: 429 JC Long Bldg. Office Hours: By appointment

(That’s 9 Liberty St. across from the cafeteria) Email: mathenyr@cofc.edu
Office Phone: (843) 953-1991 Cell Phone: (843) 709-0393 - (TEXT ONLY)

America would not and could not be precisely the America it is, except for the influence, often silent, but
nevertheless potent, that the Negro has exercised in its making.
—James Weldon Johnson, writer and activist

History does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history
comes from the fact that we carry it within us, unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is
literally present in all that we do.
—James Baldwin, novelist and essayist

Course Introduction:
This course will provide a rough overview of the history of African-Americans. We will begin
with a brief discussion of the discipline of African-American Studies, highlighting its beginnings,
its original goals, its successes, and its failures. We will then take a journey through history
from Africa to the Civil Rights Movement and the social, economic, and political gains that
followed. We will highlight the contributions of important African-Americans along the way.
The course will end with a thorough discussion of contemporary African-American society. This
course is required for all African-American studies minors. It also fulfills a Humanities
requirement.

Required Texts:
1. Talmadge Anderson and James Stewart, Introduction to African American Studies:
Transdisciplinary Approaches and Implications, (2007)
2. Selected readings from various other texts

The textbook can be either purchased at the College Bookstore or ordered online. All required
readings that do not appear in the two textbooks will be available for download from the WebCT
site for the course. The WebCT site will be an integral part of this course, so make sure that you
understand how to access it and use its various function.

Course Grading Scheme:

Your grade is based on a total of 100 points. Assignments will be graded as such. For example,
your Election Paper may be graded as 13/15 points. Extra Credit points will be added to your
final point total, but grades will not be allowed to exceed 100 points. For example, a student
with a point total of 96 and 5 Extra Credit points will still have a final grade of 100. All
assignments must be completed on time. Excused absences are required to make up missed

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assignments; however, Extra Credit opportunities can not be made up under any circumstances.
Detailed information about all assignments can be found at the end of this syllabus.

Assignment Due Date Point Value

Class Participation N/A 10 Points
Topic Paper Varies 15 Points
Midterm Exam Oct 7 25 Points
Activism Project Nov 30 25 Points
Final Exam Varies 25 Points
Extra Credit N/A 10 Extra Points

The grading scale for this class will be as follows:

100-90 (A); 89-86 (B+); 85-80 (B); 79-76 (C+); 75-70 (C); 69-60 (D); 59 and below (F)

Class Rules:
1. Come to class! Even though there is no formal attendance policy, it will be IMPOSSIBLE to
do well in this course without coming to class. Other students have tried and failed! We will
mix lecture with discussion, so if you must miss class, make sure to find out what was discussed.
2. Be on time! We have a lot to cover in only 15 short weeks, so the sooner we can get started
the better. Also, Extra Credit quizzes must be taken during the first few minutes of class. If you
arrive late, you will have missed an Extra Credit opportunity. Remember, these quizzes can not
be made up.
3. Do the reading assignments! Class discussion can not work if you don’t know what you’re
talking about, so review and follow your syllabus each week. My goal for this course is to help
you learn as much from your classmates as you will learn from me.
4. Participate! Class discussion also can not work if you don’t participate in class. Show me
that you have done the readings by engaging in meaningful discussions with your classmates.
Since participation counts for 10 points of your grade, this will benefit you as well as everyone
else.
5. Respect everyone’s opinion! In this course, we will deal with the very sensitive topic of race.
The class will likely be composed of students from diverse racial, ethnic, religious, and class
backgrounds. Each student will thus approach the topic from a unique vantage point. While
comments may be made this semester that are difficult for you to hear and/or understand, it is
important to respond to them calmly and on intellectual, rather than personal grounds.
Remember, the goal is to learn from each other, not to attack each other.
6. Ask questions! There is no such thing as a stupid question. If you are thinking it, then other
students are also thinking it; they just don’t have the guts to ask it first. Your questions will help
me to further organize and streamline the course for future semesters.
7. Come to office hours! I have designated time each week to address your needs, so use it. I
am always happy to discuss your progress in the course or any anxieties that you may be feeling
about the readings and/or the assignments. I encourage you to come to me BEFORE you begin
to fall behind in the course. Don’t wait until finals time to tell me that you do not understand
something. If you let me know earlier, then I can help you earlier.
8. Take advantage of all opportunities for learning! Keep up with the news and pay attention to
current events. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by to get involved. Apply the knowledge that
you are gaining through the readings and class discussions to the world around you. What will
you understand better by the end of this course? What have you been taking for granted for
years that no longer makes sense?

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9. Turn off your cell phone! We all forget sometimes (even me), but please try to minimize
ringtones and other distractions during class time.
10. Have fun! I will try to make the course as exciting as possible, so try to stay awake!

College Policies:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to
the fullest extent. You are expected to have read and understood the current issue of the
student handbook (published by Student Services) regarding student responsibilities and
rights, and the intellectual property policy, for information about procedures and about what
constitutes acceptable on-campus behavior.
Basically, Don’t cheat, don’t plagiarize, and you will be fine.

ADA STATEMENT: Students with medical, psychological, learning or other disabilities

desiring academic adjustments, accommodations or auxiliary aids will need to contact a
CCSN Disability Resource Center, as the Centers determine eligibility for, and authorize, the
provision of services: Cheyenne: 651-4045; Charleston: 651-5089: Henderson: 651-3086
If you do have a disability, please let me know on or before the first day of class.

Reading Schedule and Course Outline:

I have chosen to organize the readings for this course by week instead of by day, like most other
courses. I believe that this will give us more flexibility and time for discussion. Students should
strive to complete the readings by the BEGINNING of the week, so that comments and class
discussions will be informed and enlightened. All required readings that do not appear in the
textbook will be available for download from the WebCT site for the course.
Week 1: What is African-American Studies Anyway?
(Wednesday, Aug 26, and Friday, Aug 28)
• Karenga, Introduction to Black Studies (IBS), pg 13-26
• Omi and Winant, Racial Formation in the United States, pg 53-55

Week 2: Black History Begins in Africa

(Monday, Aug 31, Wednesday, Sept 2, and Friday, Sept 4)
• Karenga, IBS, pg 77-78, 83 (map), 85-120, 130-134

Week 3: Slavery and Resistance

(Monday, Sept 7, Wednesday, Sept 9, and Friday, Sept 11)
• Stewart, Introduction to African American Studies (IAAS), pg 49-64
• Darwin, “On the Races of Men”
• “David Walker’s Appeal”

Week 4: Emancipation and Reconstruction

(Monday, Sept 14, Wednesday, Sept 16, and Friday, Sept 18)
• Stewart, IAAS, pg 65-68, 69-78
• Tate, Black Faces in the Mirror, pg 27-34

Week 5: The Black Intelligentsia: Philosophers, Inventors, and Booker T. Washington

(Monday, Sept 21, Wednesday, Sept 23, and Friday, Sept 25)
• Stewart, IAAS, pg 11-13, 15-22

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 • Karenga, IBS, pg 178-181
• Booker T. Washington, “The Atlanta Compromise Speech”
• W.E.B. Dubois, “The Talented Tenth”

Week 6: The Black Intelligentsia: DuBois, Woodson, and Garvey

(Monday, Sept 28, Wednesday, Sept 30, and Friday, Oct 2)
• W.E.B. DuBois, “The Conservation of the Races”
• Marcus Garvey, Biography, “Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the
World,” and “Africa for the Africans”
• Carter G. Woodson, The Mis-Education of the Negro, pg vii-x (preface), 1-16, 86-100

Week 7: MIDTERM WEEK

(Monday, Oct 5 – Midterm Review, Wednesday, Oct 7 - MIDTERM, and Friday, Oct 9 – NO
CLASS: FALL BREAK)

Week 8: The Civil Rights Movement

(Monday, Oct 12 – NO CLASS: FALL BREAK, Wednesday, Oct 14, and Friday, Oct 16)
• In-Class Movie – Where Do We Go From Here?
• Stewart, IAAS, pg 79-85

Week 9: The Civil Rights Movement

(Monday, Oct 19, Wednesday, Oct 21, and Friday, Oct 23)
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream”

Week 10: The Black Power Movement

(Monday, Oct 26, Wednesday, Oct 28, and Friday, Oct 30)
• Stewart, IAAS, pg 215-216
• Karenga, IBS, pg 190-202
• Malcolm X, Biography and “The Ballot or the Bullet”
• “Black Panther Party Platform”

Week 11: The Modern Era: Politics

(Monday, Nov 2, Wednesday, Nov 4, and Friday, Nov 6)
• Stewart, IAAS, pg 85-91, 206-218, 224-234, 202-206

Week 12: The Modern Era: Economics

(Monday, Nov 9, Wednesday, Nov 11, and Friday, Nov 13)
• Stewart, IAAS, pg 253-292

Week 13: The Modern Era: Sociology

(Monday, Nov 16, Wednesday, Nov 18, and Friday, Nov 20)
• Stewart, IAAS, pg 97-164

Week 14: The Modern Era Continued

(Monday, Nov 23, Wednesday, Nov 25 – NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING, and Friday, Nov 27
– NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING)

Week 15: Course Conclusions

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(Monday, Nov 30 – ACTIVISM PROJECT FORUM, Wednesday, Dec 2, and Friday, Dec 4)

Week 16: FINALS REVIEW WEEK

(Monday, Dec 7)

FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE:

AAST 200-001 (11:00 Class) - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2009 12:00-3:00PM
AAST 200-002 (12:00 Class) - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2009 12:00-3:00PM

Assignment Details:
There are six essential requirements for the successful completion of this Introduction to
African-American Studies course:

Class Participation
Class participation accounts for 10 points of your final grade. All students should strive to
attend class regularly because attendance will be factored into your class participation points.
However, as the name suggests, class participation will measure your engagement in class
discussions and the amount of preparation that is apparent from your commentary in class.

Midterm Exam
All students must take the Midterm Examination. It will be offered on Wednesday, October 7,
during our scheduled class time. You must notify me in advance if you will not be in class on
this date. All make-up exams must be taken before the scheduled test date, and will be an
alternative version of the test.

The Midterm will be comprehensive, covering the totality of information presented from
readings, lectures, discussions, etc., up to the point of the exam. It will combine true/false,
multiple choice, and short answer questions. The midterm accounts for 25 points of your final
grade.

Topic Paper
All students must write an 4-6 page paper about one of the weekly topics that will be covered in
this course. The weekly topics are as follows:

• Black History Begins in Africa

• Slavery and Resistance
• Emancipation and Reconstruction
• The Black Intelligentsia: Philosophers, Inventors, and Booker T. Washington
• The Black Intelligentsia: DuBois, Woodson, and Garvey
• The Civil Rights Movement
• The Black Power Movement
• The Modern Era: Politics
• The Modern Era: Economics
• The Modern Era: Sociology

The paper should give me your understanding and interpretation of the readings for your topic
week. After reading your paper, it should be clear to me that you have completed the assigned

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readings. However, this is not a book report. I also want to know what you think about what
you have read. Did you learn any new information? How is what you read similar or different
from what you have been taught in other classes? If the information is new to you, then why do
you think that you were never taught it before? You may consult additional sources for your
paper, but this is not required.

All papers should be typed and double-spaced using Times New Roman 12-point font. You
MUST cite your sources when you use quotations, paraphrase, or cite facts that were found
somewhere other than your own brain. End notes, footnotes, and parenthetical citations are all
acceptable methods of doing this—pick ONE. You must also list all of the references that you
consulted in a reference page or bibliography. I am not picky about citation style, so use the one
that works best for you. Please take the time to check for spelling and grammatical errors
because they WILL affect your grade! The paper will be graded on content, thoroughness in
answering the questions, organization, length, and professionalism. Please see me if you need
any additional explanations of this grading criteria.

Your Topic Paper will be due by the beginning of class on the Monday of the weekly topic that
you chose. For example, if your topic is Slavery and Resistance, your paper will be due on
Monday, September 7. It will account for 15 points of your final grade.

Activism Project
All students must plan and execute a project that will transform them from scholars that are
researching racial problems in our community into activists that are working to address these
problems. It can be pretty discouraging to spend fifteen weeks talking about racial injustice.
Therefore, we will end the semester by doing something about it. Using the readings, lectures,
and discussions of the course, identify a specific racial problem occurring either on campus or in
the larger Charleston area. How can you call attention to this specific problem? What can be
done to address (begin to fix) the problem? How can you and your classmates make this
happen?

At first this may sound like a really big assignment, but all it will really take is a little time, a
little thought, and a little creativity. Your problem need not be as big as RACISM. It could be
something as small as self-segregation at lunchtime (why do all of the black students sit together
in the cafeteria?) How could you, as a student, address this problem?

The Activism Project will be completed in groups of 3 or 4 students. You may select your own
groups. It will consist of three parts: the project, the report, and the presentation. Part 1 will be
completed once you turn in documentation of your project. Either pictures, videos, audiotapes,
or handouts will serve as proof that you and your partners actually carried out a solution to the
problem that you identified. Part 2, the report, should be 3-5 pages, typed, and double-spaced
in Times New Roman 12-point font. It should explain your project: What is the specific problem
that you are addressing? How have you addressed it? Why did you choose to address it in this
way? How do your problem and project relate to the content of this course? What role did each
member of the group play in completing the project and report? Part 3, the presentation, will
give you the chance to share your project at a public forum attended by other students, faculty
and staff members, and members of the general community. The forum will take place on
Monday, November 30, from 11:00am-1:00pm. Attendance during your class time on this day is
mandatory! The presentations should last for approximately 5 minutes, and they should
address the same five questions as the report. The necessary equipment for Powerpoints,
internet, videos, audiotapes, etc. will be provided. These types of presentation aids are not
required, but they are nice to use.

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The Activism Project, report, and presentation will be graded on the relevance of the project to
the content of this course, the appropriateness of the project as a realistic way to address the
identified problem, the creativity and difficulty of the project, the length and thoroughness of
the report in answering the questions listed above, and the professionalism of the presentation.

The Activism Project, report, and presentation are all due by the beginning of the Activism
Project Forum at 11:00am on Monday, November 30. The Activism Project, report, and the
presentation will account for 25 points of your final grade. Please see me if you need any
additional explanations.

Final Exam
All students must take the Final Examination. (See the “Reading Schedule and Course Outline”
section of this syllabus for your specific exam date and time.) You must notify me in advance if
you will not be able to take the exam on your exam date. All make-up exams must be taken
before the scheduled test date, and will be an alternative version of the test.

The Final will be comprehensive, covering information presented from readings, lectures,
discussions, etc., throughout the entire course. It will combine true/false, multiple choice, and
short answer. The Final Exam accounts for 25 points of your final grade.

Extra Credit
There will be 10 opportunities to earn Extra Credit points this semester. These opportunities
will include pop quizzes, short papers in reaction to the readings, and attending events on
campus that are related to the content of this course. Each one of these opportunities will add
one point to your final grade point total.

The pop quiz dates will be a surprise, therefore regular class attendance is strongly encouraged.
Each quiz will pertain to the readings, lectures, and discussion of the week that it is given. The
quizzes will consist of multiple choice, fill-in the blank and/or true/false questions. Many of
these questions will also appear on the Midterm and Final Exams, so it is a good idea to add
them to your exam reviews. The quizzes will be distributed and taken during the first few
minutes of class. Quizzes that are missed as a result of absence or tardiness will result in a quiz
grade of zero, regardless of the reason for the absence or tardiness.