Hist 20111 20Spring 202015 20MW 20

COURSE SYLLABUS—History 111

African American History in the US, 1877-Present
Spring 2015-El Camino College/MW 9:30am

3 units; 3 hours lecture
Recommended Preparation: eligibility for English 1A
Credit, degree applicable, Transfer CSU, UC

Instructor: Dr. Daniel E. Walker
E-Mail: dwalker@elcamino.edu
Phone: 310.660.3593 ext. 3564
Office: SOCS 107
Office Hours: MW 8:15am-9:30am & 12:40pm-1:35pm, TTH 7:15am-7:45am

Course Description:
This course is a survey of the history of the United States from 1877 to the present with particular emphasis on the role of African Americans in shaping American society. The contributions of African Americans to the American society as a whole will also be examined.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to develop and persuasively argue a historical thesis in a written assignment that identifies and explains major social, economic, political and/or cultural historical themes or patterns related to the history of African Americans in the U.S. from 1877-present, and apply appropriate historical methods to analyze and use primary and/or secondary sources as evidence to support the thesis.

Required Textbooks:

From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans (9th Edition)
Author: John Hope Franklin, et al.

Additional On-Line readings will also be assigned.

Course Objectives:

1. Explain and assess the different methods of inquiry and theoretical models used by historians in interpreting American history and the African American experience.

2. Discuss the political, economic and social climate of American society in the aftermath of Reconstruction and evaluate the status of African Americans.

3. Describe the economic changes that occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and analyze the political, economic and social impact of industrialization.

4. Assess the political developments of the Gilded Age including the Spoils System and policies towards racial minorities.

5. Identify and evaluate the demographic changes that took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries including the impact of immigration and migration.

6. Compare and contrast changes in rural and urban life at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

7. Identify and assess the political and social basis for reform movements at the end of the nineteenth century including the pre-Civil Rights movement.

8. Assess the significance of the Spanish American War to the development of American foreign policy.

9. Examine the reasons for the United States' entry into World War I and analyze the role played by Americans in the war including the contributions of racial minorities and women in the war effort.

10. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Treaty of Versailles and evaluate the United States' policy of isolationism after the war.

11. Identify major social and cultural developments of the 1920s, and discuss the lives of urban and rural racial and ethnic minorities.

12. Explain why the Stock Market crashed in 1929, and compare and contrast the role of government during the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression eras in addressing economic and social issues.

13. Analyze the origins of World War II and the reasons the United States entered the conflict, and discuss the American war effort including the roles of African Americans in the military and women in the work force.

14. Compare and contrast the domestic changes produced by World War I and World War II in race relations, the work force, the status of women, family values and material culture.

15. Identify the origins of the Cold War and analyze its impact on American foreign policy and domestic politics.

16. Explain the origins and evaluate the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s and 1970s.

17. Discuss the origins and course of the Viet Nam War and assess the role played by African Americans in the war and Social Revolt of the 1960s and 1970s.

18. Evaluate recent trends that have influenced legislation and attitudes towards women.

ADA Statement: El Camino College is committed to providing educational accommodations for students with disabilities upon the timely request by the student to the instructor. A student with a disability, who would like to request an academic accommodation, is responsible for identifying herself/himself to the instructor and to the Special Resources Center. To make arrangements for academic accommodations, contact the Special Resources Center.

Assignments and Grading:

Your grade in this course will be determined by your performance on two exams (mid-term and final), two response/reaction papers, and in-class and out-of class participation.

Midterm 20%
Response/Reaction Paper 40%
Final Exam 20%
Out-of-Class Participation 10%
Attendance/In-Class Participation 10%

Total 100%
Exams:

The mid-term and final will be made up of 25 multiple-choice questions and one essay. A week prior to the mid-term and final exam I will give you a detailed study guide containing 50 terms and two (2) possible essay questions. The class prior to the exam will be dedicated to reviewing the study guide. Multiple-choice questions are worth 3 points each (3 x 25=75) and the essay question is worth 25 points.

Reaction Paper (3 pages. The title page counts as one page)

There are two reaction papers due. One on the “Atlanta Exposition Speech” by Booker T. Washington and the other on Martin Luther King’s “A Time to Break the Silence.” These are not book reports or event-by-event narratives. Instead, I want to know what things stuck out for you and why. If something the speaker says peaks your interest or makes you utterly angry or optimistic let me know what it was and why you think it evoked these emotions. There are no right or wrong answers. As long as you turn in the paper following the correct format (Title page, times 12pt. font, double-spaced, one-inch margins all the way around, and one and a half full pages of text after the title page) you get the points. There are no make-ups for response papers and no papers will be accepted late. (Note: The papers must be well written and grammatically correct.)

In-Class/Out-of-Class Participation
Out-of-Class Assignments (10%)

All students will be required to have 4 immersion experiences related to African American History. These can include African American History Month events on campus or in the community, a museum or historic site visit, or a film expressly related to the historic African American Experience (e.g. Selma). You can sign the sign-in sheet at a campus event, provide me with a ticket stub or proof of admission, or e-mail me a selfie of you at a historic site or event to get credit.

In-Class Assignments (10%)

As long as you attend 80% of class sessions, you get the points. This amounts to missing a total of 6 classes throughout the semester. YOU CANNOT RECEIVE AN A IN THIS COURSE IF YOU DO NOT GET THE IN CLASS PARTICIPATION CREDIT!!! No combination of points or extra credit will change this!

Readings and Class Schedule

Week of
1/19 Introductions/Historical Foundations--Reading: Chapter 10 & 11 (FSF)

1/26 Reconstruction/National Backlash--Reading: Chapter 11 & 12 (FSF) 2/2 Post-Emancipation Alternatives/Self-Help and Self Determination--Reading:
Chapter 13 (FSF)

2/9 War and Migration--Readings: Chapter 14 (FSF)

Paper Due-Booker T. Washington Atlanta Exposition Address—February 10, 2015

2/16 New Urban Realities--Readings: Chapter 15 (FSF)

2/23 A Revolution in the Arts: Blues and Jazz--Readings: Chapter 16 (FSF), Blues Lyrics—TBA

3/2 A Revolution in the Arts: Prose, Poetry and Visual Art--Readings: “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”—Langston Hughes “How it Feels to be Colored Me”—Zora Neale Hurston

3/9 Review and Midterm

Midterm: March 11, 2015

3/16 Spring Break

3/23 The Great Depression, the New Deal and WWII--Reading: Chapter 17 (FSF)

The Black Church and the Foundations of the Civil Rights Movement--Reading: TBA

3/30 Civil Rights/Black Power Movement--Readings: Chapter 19 (FSF) The Letter from a Birmingham Jail-Martin Luther King Jr.

4/6 Civil Rights/Black Power Movement--Readings: Chapter 20 (FSF)
Ballot or the Bullet-Malcolm X A Poem About My Rights and I Must Become a Menace to My Enemies-June Jordan

4/13 Post-Civil Rights and the Birth of Hip Hop Culture Readings: Chapter 22 (FSF), “It’s Nation Time”-Jesse Jackson 1994 Democratic Convention Speech-Jesse Jackson

4/20 Post Civil Rights and Mainstreaming of Hip Hop Culture--Readings: Chapter 22 (FSF)

4/27 The New Millennium and the Rise of Barack Obama

Readings: Chapter 23 (FSF)
“A More Perfect Union”-Barack Obama

5/4 Continued

5/11 Finals Week—FINAL MAY 13, 2015