Category: Syllabus

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African American Women at William & Mary Syllabus

African American Women & William & Mary

African American Women & William & Mary

HIST XXX-XX / AFST XXX-XX

1/6/20-1/17/20

 

Course Description

William & Mary often promotes its long history as an institution without critically examining the racism and oppression inherent in its existence. In honor of The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation, this two week introductory course will examine the contributions African American women have made to the university throughout its 327-year-long history. Students will learn more about the university that they attend and learn to examine established narratives and institutions through the study of primary and secondary sources.

 

Content Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students should be able to understand:

  1. The direct and indirect ways in which William & Mary as an institution has benefited from the labor of African Americans
  2. A general timeline of William & Mary’s relationship with African American women
  3. Current issues of African American women at William & Mary

 

Skills Objectives

By the end of the course, students should have improved upon their skills to:

  1. Look at historically dominant narratives with a critical eye
  2. Effectively use primary and secondary sources

 

Grading

Class Participation: 25%

Blackboard Discussion Posts: 20% 

Response Paper #1: 15%

Response Paper #2: 15%

Final Project: 25% 

 

Blackboard Discussion Posts

Each night, you will be expected to write 150-300 words about that day’s assigned reading, lectures, and in-class discussion. We encourage you to be in conversation with the material as well as with each other, so you can include quotes from any of our sources, presenters, or students. Tangents are welcome. 

 

Response Papers:

These 2-3 page response papers will provide an opportunity for you to think deeper about a question posed in class. You will receive these questions in class.

 

Final Project

Examine the dominant narratives of another university in Virginia and provide an untold narrative or perspective of African American women that challenges it. Your project can be in the form of a paper, oral presentation, video, etc.

 

Course Schedule

Week 1

1/6 Topic: Williamsburg and Slavery

Readings: “The Dark Side of Thomas Jefferson” by Henry Wiencek, The Angela Site

 Receive Paper #1 Prompt 
1/7 Topic: William & Mary: A University Built on Slave Labor

Readings: “Thinking about Slavery at the College of William and Mary” by Terry L. Meyers
1/8 Topic: William & Mary: Pro-Slavery Thought at the University

Readings: “The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation – Report of the First Eight Years” (pages 38 – 49)
1/9 Topic: Reconstructing the Reconstruction Era: Primary Sources w/ Special Collections 

(Meet in Swem)

 Paper #1 Due

Receive Paper #2 Prompt 
1/10 Topic: Integration at William & Mary

Readings: Interview w/ Janet Brown Strafer, Karen Ely, and Lynn Briley (Special Collections Research Center: Oral Histories. William & Mary Libraries)
Week 2: 

1/13 Topic: Integration at William & Mary

Readings: “Integrating the College of William and Mary” by Lois Bloom, Ph.D
1/14 Topic: Trip to Colonial Williamsburg

Readings: “Slavery is a tough role, hard sell at Colonial Williamsburg” by J. Freedom du Lac

 Paper #2 Due
1/15 Topic: Current Experiences & Activism

Readings: Interview w/ Mallory Walker (Special Collections Research Center: Oral Histories. William & Mary Libraries);

“BLM educates for change: Black Lives Matter conference addresses College’s history” by Sarah Smith
1/16 Topic: Current Experiences & Activism

Readings: “BLM organizers march for change: Tension, discussion over ‘demands’ follows week-long conference” by Sarah Smith;

“[Hunger] striking against VCE: Student withdraws from College as groups question conduct process” by Sarah Smith
1/17 Topic: Student Presentations Final Project Due
Categories
African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement Syllabus

Syllabus: Black Women Leaders in the Civil Rights Movement

William & Mary 

Black Women Leaders in the Civil Rights Movement

Professors: Alexis Dorsey, Connor Kennedy, Sonia Kinkhabwala

Wednesdays 3:30-6:20

Spring 2020

 

Course Description

 

This course will examine the distinct leadership styles of Black, female leaders of the Civil Rights movement spanning the mid-20th century. Students will explore the civil rights movement beyond charismatic leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. to learn more about women change-makers. We will examine all spheres and levels of the Civil Rights movement, from local organizing to nation-wide coalitions to advocacy by Black women elected at the federal level. Students will examine the lives and work of these women, and their lasting legacies today. 

 

Content Objectives

 

Students will have a working understanding of:

  1. The variety of roles Black women had in the Civil Rights movement
  2. The unique set of obstacles Black women faced in both activism and governance 
  3. The lives of three women, Dorothy Height, Gloria Richardson, and Shirley Chisholm and how they navigated patriarchal institutions
  4. The lasting legacies of women in the Civil Rights movement

 

Skills Objectives 

 

  1. Students will be able to analyze oral histories, name strengths and weaknesses of oral histories
  2. Students will be able to model how different leadership styles can be used to create social change. 
  3. Students will be able to engage in academic discussions across difference and hold space for different narratives. 

 

Assignments/Exams

Oral History Assignment: This assignment will allow students to develop and fully understand the skills needed to conduct an oral history. Record the oral history of a classmate. Write a paper reflecting on the oral history itself as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the methodology in general. 

Final Paper: Choose a black woman from the civil rights era similar to any of the 3 women this class highlights. Defend how their leadership style is similar to Height, Richardson, or Chisholm. Also discuss where they differ and any unique obstacles or viewpoints which they held. Students will have to present their chosen topic on the final day of class. 

 

Course Schedule

Week 1: Introduction to Course, Oral History Tutorial 

Week 2: Dorothy Height Background 

Watch: Dorothy Height Speech at the 2004 National Book Festival

https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-3598/

Week 3: Dorothy Height Leadership Styles 

Read: Dorothy Height and the Sexism of the Civil Rights Movement

https://www.theroot.com/dorothy-height-and-the-sexism-of-the-civil-rights-movem-1790879502

Week 4: Dorothy Height Impact 

Watch/Read: Dorothy Height Oral History On Work in Mississippi 

https://wm.thehistorymakers.org/story/18171;type=2;pgS=30;pg=1;spec=—;q=dorothy%20height;sT=0;sS=0

Week 5: Gloria Richardson Background 

Read: Gloria Richardson Interview with Joseph Mosnier (BB)

Week 6: Gloria Richardson Leadership Style “The Militant”

Watch: “Social Change Needs Engaged Communities, Not Heroes” Gerardo Calderón 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdHBWL4LK88

Read: “Ella Taught Me: Shattering the Myth of the Leaderless Movement” by Barbara Ransby

https://www.colorlines.com/articles/ella-taught-me-shattering-myth-leaderless-movement

Read: Generation on Fire: Gloria Richardson Dandridge: The Militant 

Oral History by Gloria Richardson Dandridge, Jeff Kisseloff

https://asp6new.alexanderstreet.com/sixt/sixt.object.details.aspx?id=1001188571&view=dualview&searchurl=2PP6

Week 7: Gloria Richardson Impact

Read: “Recasting Civil Rights Leadership: Gloria Richardson and the Cambridge Movement” by Sandra Y. Millner 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2784860?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

Week 8: Shirley Chisholm Background 

Read: “Chisholm, Shirley (1924-2005), Representative (DNY), U. S. Congress” in

Ralph J. Bunche Oral Histories Collection on the Civil Rights Movement

Read: Newspaper articles “Shirley Chisholm Wins Support of Black Political 

Figures” and “Winners!”

Week 9: Shirley Chisholm Leadership Style “Fighting Shirley”

Reading: “Mrs. Chisholm insists on running, much to the dismay of many 

politicians”

Watch: Oct 3, 1983 “A Coalition of Conscience” speech at Greenfield High School Greenfield, Mass. https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/shirley-chisholm-lecture?context=channel:american-history-in-video

Week 10: Shirley Chisholm Impact, Paving the Way for Women Today

Reading: “Democratic Hopefuls Summon King’s Legacy While Shaping Their

Own”/”Following in Chisholm’s Steps, Harris Plunges into 2020 Field”

Week 11: Final Presentations

Categories
Syllabus Women in African American Families

Women in African-American Families

Women in African-American Families

AFST 150

2-3:30 PM, TR, ISC 1111

Spring 2020

Instructors and Office Hours

Prof. Makayla Cutter: ISC 4093, 3-5 PM Mondays

Prof. Abraham Lin: ISC 4116, 1-4 PM Wednesdays

Prof. Joseph Nguyen: ISC 4220, 9:30-11:30 AM Thursdays

 

Course Description

This 10-week course provides an opportunity for students to learn about African-American women and families. The first half of the course will consist of reading articles on African-American family structure, the various roles of African-American women, and sociocultural explanations for their roles. The second half of the course will consist of listening to oral histories from African-American women to provide a firsthand understanding of their experience. Before each class period, students will read an article or listen to an oral history to discuss during class.

 

Content Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students should understand:

  1. The role of African-American women in families
  2. The structure of African-American families
  3. Structural, social, and cultural explanations of the aforementioned topics

 

Skill Objectives

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

  1. Search for journal articles through online databases
  2. Interpret and draw information from oral histories and transcripts
  3. Synthesize information from journal articles and primary sources to produce cohesive narratives

 

Required Texts

All required materials can be found on Blackboard.

 

Grading

10% Reading Summaries

25% Class Participation

25% Midterm Paper

40% Final Paper

 

Reading Summaries

A discussion board post is due on Blackboard at 1 PM before every class. This post should contain a brief (~1 page) summary of the reading or listening for the class as well as three discussion points based on it.

 

Class Participation

Students are expected to attend and participate in class discussions. Grades will be assigned based on attendance, as well as the quality and quantity of comments during classes. Each student is permitted to miss two classes without penalty.

 

Papers

The midterm paper (1400-1700 words) and the final paper (1700-2000 words) will be due halfway through the course and at the end of the course, respectively. Students may write about any topic related to the course’s readings or oral histories, but must receive instructor approval no later than one week before the due date. Primary sources, books, oral histories, and journal articles may be used (citation guide on Blackboard). Late assignments will not be accepted.

 

Schedule

  • Week 1 (1/27 – 1/31): Introduction
    • 1/28: “The Negro Family: The Case For National Action” (Moynihan 1965)
    • 1/30: “African-American Families In The New Millennium” (Marriage and Family Encyclopedia)
  • Week 2 (2/3 – 2/7): Structural Roots
    • 2/4: “The Origin of Black Female-Headed Families” (Ricketts 2007)
    • 2/6: “Where Have All the Black Men Gone?” (Maciag 2019, from Governing)
  • Week 3 (2/10 – 2/14): Structural and Cultural Roots
    • 2/11: “The Origins of African-American Family Structure” (Ruggles 1994)
    • 2/13: “The Growing Racial and Ethnic Divide in U.S. Marriage Patterns” (Raley et al. 2015)
  • Week 4 (2/17 – 2/21): Consequences
    • 2/18: “Role Strain in African-American Women: The Efficacy of Support Networks” (Lewis 1989)
    • 2/20: “African American Women Stand Out as Working Moms Play a Larger Economic Role in Families” (Economic Policy Institute)
  • Week 5 (2/24 – 2/28): Midterm Paper
    • 2/25: In-Class Midterm Paper Workshop
    • 2/27: No Class, MIDTERM PAPER DUE
  • Week 6 (3/2 – 3/6): Spring Break
  • Week 7 (3/9 – 3/13): Oral Histories
    • 3/10: “Elnora Daniel Recalls her Schooling and Authoritarian Upbringing” (The History Makers)
    • 3/12: “Rochelle Brown Remembers Women In The Neighborhood Who Mentored Her As A Young Girl” (The History Makers)
  • Week 8 (3/16 – 3/20): Oral Histories
    • 3/17: “Dr. Patricia Bath Remembers Her Home Life” (The History Makers)
    • 3/19: “Marian Edelman Recalls The Tradition Of Independent Women In Her Family” (The History Makers)
  • Week 9 (3/23 – 3/27): Oral Histories
    • 3/24: “Billie Allen Describes The Women In Her Maternal Family” (The History Makers)
    • 3/26: “Dina Ruth Andrews Talks About Her Mother’s Blindness And Moving To Valinda, California” (The History Makers)
  • Week 10 (3/30 – 4/3): Final Paper
    • 3/31: In-Class Final Paper Workshop
    • 4/2: No Class, FINAL PAPER DUE

 

Categories
Memorialization at W&M Syllabus

Syllabus: Memorials and Their Significance on College Campuses

The College of William & Mary

Memorials and Their Significance on College Campuses

June 10th-14th, 9am-12pm

Summer 2019

Meg Jones, Matthew Thompson

 

Course Description

This one week, discussion-based, summer course offers a deep dive into memorials on college campuses and their significance. With the current development of the Memorial to Enslaved Labor at William & Mary underway, attention is being drawn back to the racism and cruel disregard for human rights, formally known as the transatlantic slave trade. The College is one of many institutions exploring their historical involvement and taking steps towards apologetic restoration, but what exactly does this journey towards justice entail? This course will explore the meaning and importance of memorialization in its various mediums and challenge students to think critically about the actions being taken by William & Mary and its academic peers.

 

Course Goals:

Students will…

  1. Discover how and why memorials and monuments are used on college campuses
  2. Understand William & Mary’s current memorial plans and connect the College’s attempts to apologize to other universities
  3. Look at the importance of memorialization, reparations, and apologies in an institution’s journey towards reconciling its past
  4. Be able to understand why a community may react negatively or positively to different types of memorial
  5. Explore universities’ possibilities of continuing the rectification of their involvement in slavery beyond memorialization

 

Course Skills:

After completing this course, students will be able to…

  1. Communicate academically about collegiate recognition, apologization, and rectification surrounding the academy’s historical use of slave labor.
  2. Communicate non-academically about the social significance of memorialization and the institutions fueling both the support and opposition of its implementation.
  3. Read, analyze, and interpret secondary sources surrounding the topic in order to convey and gather the selections’ central topics and themes.
  4. Use class discussion, personal experience, current events, historical documents, and scholarly works to think critically and form their own strong, substantiated arguments regarding class material and the implications of actions being taken.

 

Assignments

  1. Create plans for your own memorial and write a 2-5 page paper explaining its meaning and how a community of your choosing may react to it. This memorial may represent any historical event of your choosing, but also must integrate themes and topics that we have discussed in class.
  2. Extra Credit – American Vandal: After our discussion on vandalization, you may choose a historical monument or memorial and show how you would vandalize it in a meaningful way. A recent example was a student placing blood on the hands of the Thomas Jefferson statue here at William & Mary.

 

Schedule

 

Date Topics and Assigned Readings Assignments

(due the following week)
6/10 Main topic: Understanding why a monument may be built and looking at our own institution as a case study
Read https://www.wm.edu/sites/enslavedmemorial/about/index.phpBe prepared to discuss the significance of this memorial and why you think it is being implemented
6/11 Main Topic: Looking at other examples of memorials on college campuses
Read: Each of the different colleges on this page’s efforts as well as UVA’s
6/12 Main Topic: Community Reaction to memorials and monuments
Read: CNN article, point out examples of what you see as “meaningful vandalism”, perform additional research for examples of “meaningful vandalism”		 Begin work on American Vandal
6/13 Main topic: The importance of apology and reconciliation
Read: Weyeneth’s paper on the power of apology, pay specific attention to parts concerning memorials and monuments.
6/15 Main topic: What are the next steps an institution can take to apologize for its past? What comes next?
Begin work on the final project		 Final Project due next week
Categories
100 Years of Coeducation at W&M Syllabus

A Century of Coeducation Syllabus

A Century of Coeducation

HIST XXX-XX / GSWS XXX-XX

Wednesdays, 12-1PM

Spring 2019

Kelsey Wright, Ahlexus Bailey, Abigail Fitzsimmons

                                                                                                                                                     

Course Description

This course offers an overview of one hundred years of women at William & Mary and the College’s commemoration of the anniversary. This class aims to challenge students to think critically about the reasoning behind coeducation at W&M. We will analyze the College’s motives behind its introduction, as well the importance of coeducation on both the university-specific and national levels. This course will also explore the discrepancies between portrayal and realities of the introduction of and motivations behind co education. We will discuss how the College should address this centennial, and in turn, the ways in which it can be more engaging and supportive of the different people among this campus. Are there elements the college should have acknowledged that they haven’t, or things that shouldn’t have been addressed at all? We will strive to address the significance of the introduction of women to this university and the ways in which the College has commemorated this milestone.

Content Learning Objectives

  1. Students will understand how, when, and why coeducation was introduced to William & Mary.
  2. Students will be able to articulate of the sentiments offered by the president of the College at the time of the introduction of women, as well as the efforts of his successor.
  3. Students will understand the differences between white and intersectional feminism.
  4. Students will have a thorough knowledge of the College’s 100 Years of Women campaign.

 

Skills Objectives

  1. Students will be able to examine primary and secondary sources in the fields of history and gender studies.
  2. Students will be able to critique, analyze, and construct arguments.
  3. Students will be able to understand how an author’s perspective can impact the narratives they tell.

Required Texts, Materials, or Equipment

All readings are posted on Blackboard.

 

Assignments and Exams

There will be weekly readings students should have prepared for the start of class, which are listed in the outline below. In addition, students will design their own newspaper article in which they act as a journalist in the time it was announced that the university would become a coeducational institution. This will be due at the beginning of the third class. There will also be a short-answer assignment due at the beginning of Week 8 asking students to analyse William and Mary’s commemoration of this anniversary in terms of white feminism as opposed to intersectional feminism.

The midterm exam (Week 6) will be an in-class essay about the introduction of coeducation—William and Mary’s causes and reasoning behind it. For the final project, which will be due the last day of class, students should design an event that they feel could be included in the celebration of 100 Years of Women at William and Mary. Within this assignment, they will include the event’s layout and structure, and how this event will improve the already existing campaign.  

 

Preliminary Schedule of Topics, Readings, Assignments, and Exams

Week Topics/Assigned Readings/Assignments Major Assignments
1 Topic: Introduction to the Class and a History of Coeducation

Readings: A Reply to Dr. E.H. Clarke’s “Sex in Education”, Putting the Co in Coeducation: Timing, Reasons and Consequences of College Coeducation from 1835 to Present
2 Topic: William & Mary and Women at the College In and Before 1918

Readings: Introduction of When Mary Entered With Her Brother William: Women Students at the College of William and Mary, 1918 – 1945
3 Topic: Introduction and Reception to Women to the College

Reading: Chapter 1 of When Mary Entered With Her Brother William: Women Students at the College of William and Mary, Farewell Address of Lyon Gardiner Tyler

 Create a newspaper article capturing a response to the implementation of coeducation at W&M during this time period; the response can be from the viewpoint of the student’s choosing
4 Topic: Lives of Women at the College

Readings: Chapters 3-5 of The Life Histories of Ten of the First Women to Attend the College of William and Mary (1918-1930), Installation Address of Dr. J.A.C. Chandler
5 Topic: Socratic Seminar on President Tyler and President Chandler Prepare points to compare and contrasts the stances taken by President Tyler and President Chandler on the College’s educating of women
6 In-class Midterm Paper: Write a paper that outlines the causes that led to and the reasoning behind the implementation of coeducation at William & Mary.
7 Topic: Commemoration and “100 Years of Women at William & Mary”

Readings: Review wm.edu/100yearsofwomen, The Social Context of Commemoration
8 Topic: Criticisms of “100 Years of Women at William & Mary”

Reading: Kimberle Crenshaw on Intersectionality

 Short answer response—Analyze the 100 Years of Women at William & Mary campaign through an intersectional lens
9 Topic: Criticisms of “100 Years of Women at William & Mary” cont.

Reading: Schedule of Women’s Weekend
10 Topic: Presentation Week Create a proposal for the implementation of a potential element of the 100 Years of Women campaign. Include annotations on how your plan would improve upon the existing campaign.

 

Categories
Syllabus The Rowe Presidency

Syllabus: Breaking the Glass Ceiling

from https://stylecaster.com/2018-midterm-election-highlights/

Professor West and Professor Maison

August 5th-9th, 2019 MTWRF 2-5pm

Tucker 217

GOVT 150: Breaking the Glass Ceiling

Course Description

This course offers an overview of the importance ofwomen in positions of leadership and why there are so few women in positions of power in order to understand the impact of traditional gender roles and passive normatives on societal dynamics. By discussing traditional gender roles and perceptions of women, we can understand why women in leadership positions are so scarce and how societal perceptions of femininity challenge the traditional masculine model of leadership. In order to analyze the importance in upsetting the normative expectation of leadership, we will cover the 100th year anniversary of coeducation at the College of William and Mary and the importance of the first woman President, Katherine Rowe on future possibilities for younger generations of females.

 

Content Learning objectives

By the end of this course you should have a working understanding of:

  1. The impact of gender roles on the glass ceiling and the facilitation of negative stigmas/lack of representation
  2. What the impact of President Rowe’s inauguration means to the William & Mary community and how it challenges the normative expectations of male leadership
  3. Perceptions of women in power and how it challenges the perceived traditional style of leadership
  4. The roles women have in society and how these roles mean different qualities and experiences

 

Skill Objectives

The purpose of a COLL 150 course is to engage in deep discussions and analyses of articles, data, and other forms of research. By the end of this class, you should have learned and improved skills such as

  1. Conducting analysis and research on discussion topics while relating them to current events
  2. Analyzing the importance of the first female president of William and Mary and the implications it has on future change and growth in the context of 100 years of coeducation
  3. Discussing in an academic context conversations about the perceptions of women and how this impacts the small amount of women in leadership positions
  4. Writing critical responses to class topics while making clear and concise arguments based on scholarly research

 

Articles and Assignments

This course will consist of multimedia homework assignments that are expected to be completed before class in order to be prepared for classroom discussion and a general knowledge of class topics.

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

  • Topic for the day: Wrap up and Final Assessment
  • HW DUE: FINAL ASSESSMENT. Research a Woman in a leadership position and prepare a 2-3 page excerpt on her experiences, job qualifications, and her role in breaking the glass ceiling. This woman can be a either a politician, activist, businesswoman, or anything other person in a widely known form of power. Contact professor with questions or proposals. Due by Sunday, August 11th at 11:59pm

 

Assessments

This class is focused on the understanding and comprehension of class materials, thus the assessments will be based solely on class participation in discussions, one in-class presentation, and two writing assignments. The in-class presentation will be based on a student researched Ted-Talk that is presented to class. The two writing assignments will be 1) a beginning response paper in relation to President Rowe and the class and 2) the final assessment which is a 2-3 pagepaper on a Woman in leadership of your choice. These assessments are designed to examine your knowledge in skills in applying the topics we have learned in class in a broader scope.

Categories
1619 Commemoration Syllabus

Remembrance, Reparations, and Reconciliation: 400th Anniversary of the First Arrival

Remembrance, Reparations, and Reconciliation:

400th Anniversary of the First Arrival

 

Instructors:

Brendan Boylan

Sharon Kim

Course Overview:

This course explores the history of the first Africans in America and the evolution of slavery throughout the 17th century. Students will investigate the daily lives of African Americans in the 17th century and investigate and identify the turning point in which slavery started to become institutionalized. Students will then examine the legacy of slavery in present times and discuss ways to reckon with that history in terms of remembrance, reparations, and reconciliation.  

Course Objectives

By the end of the course students should be able to understand:

  1. The basic history of African Americans from 1619 to 1723
  2. How the system of slavery evolved in Virginia between the first arrival of Africans in America in 1619 through the aftermath of Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676
  3. How race and blackness was institutionalized throughout the the 17th century
  4. The effects that the institution of slavery had on African Americans and which still persist to this day
  5. Analyzing the effects of the institution of slavery in contemporary issues of race, politics, and economics.

Skill Objectives

By the end of the course students should have improved upon their skills to:

  1. Read, annotate, and analyze primary and secondary sources
  2. Identify, examine, and critique the author’s purpose and point of view as well as the intended audience for sources
  3. Evaluate the relevance and significance of a primary source
  4. Conduct individual research on a specific topic
  5. Construct critical arguments with a clear thesis supported with evidence
  6. Compare different perspectives of an argument
  7. Evaluate the impact of historical events
  8. Think critically and creatively about ways to remedy the legacy of slavery on current day Black Americans

Assignments

Readings. Throughout the course we will have multiple readings that relate to the topic we are covering. The readings are assigned to give historical context and background. They are also exercises for students to improve upon reading primary and secondary sources, and are expected to be annotated and analyzed. These readings are critical to succeeding in the class as most classes will be mostly discussion based.

Discussion/Content postings. Throughout the course we will create discussion forums with daily prompts relating to the assigned readings. Students are required to create and comment on posts.

Creative Project. At the end of the course, students will have two options to use their creativity and present the themes and arguments of the course materials.

  1. Create a documentary about a specific modern issue stemming from the institutionalization of slavery.
  2. Create three songs, poems, or short stories relating to one common theme related to slavery or modern systematic oppression of Blacks

 

Class Structure

Weekly Socratic Seminars. Throughout the course we will have Socratic Seminars which are discussions with open-ended questions based on the assigned readings. Students can ask and answer questions while also thinking critically and formulating individual responses. The purpose of these seminars are to gain a better understanding about the text in a collaborative setting. This allows for a safe space to talk about ideas and hear different perspectives from others. Come prepared with a list of questions to ask regarding the texts.

Course Schedule

Week Day Topic Required readings
1 1 Introduction. Overview of syllabus and goals and expectations of the course.
What is a Socratic Seminar?		 Virginia’s First Africans by Martha McCartney

Letter to Sir Edwin Sandys by John Rolfe
2 1619: Arrival of the Africans. History of the first African Americans in Jamestown

Discussion Post Due

 Free Blacks in Colonial Virginia by Brendan Wolfe

Ch. 6 of African Americans on Jamestown Island by Martha McCartney
3 African American Life in the 1600’s. Socratic Seminar  – How did the life of African Americans differ from that of your expectations?

Discussion Post Due

 Ch. 7 of African Americans on Jamestown Island by Martha McCartney

“American Heartbreak” by Langston Hughes
4 Bacon’s Rebellion: The Turning Point. Socratic Seminar – Why was this the major turning point?
Discussion Post Due		 “An American Tragedy” by Glenn C. Loury

UN 72nd Session
5 Modern Day Issues. Socratic Seminar: What are modern day problems rooted in the institution of slavery?
Introduction to Debate		 “Road to Zero Wealth”
Prepare for the debate

End of Week 1
2 6 Debate: Slavery by Another Name. Students construct arguments for and against the statement that mass incarceration is a form of modern-day slavery.
Introduction to Final Project		 Come up with project idea!
7 Why Behind the What Why did people continue to rely on the systematic oppression and forced labor of African Americans? Work on your project!
8 Roundtable Talk: Reparations. How can we make amends for Virginia’s crimes on African Americans? What would provide justice for former slaves? Work on your project!
9 Now What. 400 Years: How should we remember it? How did VA schools teach the 17th century? How should it be taught? Keep working on your project!
10 Presentations

Final Projects DUE!

 

Categories
50 Years of African Americans in Residence at W&M Syllabus

Course Syllabus for Coll 150: Creating Community Spaces: A Legacy of African Americans at William and Mary

Course Syllabus for Coll 150: Creating Community Spaces: A Legacy of African Americans at William and Mary

Professors: Isabella Lovain, Jioni Tuck, Kamryn Morris

Tyler 123, T 5-7:50

Course Description

This course gives an overview of the history of African Americans at the College of William and Mary, specifically since the 1950s. We will explore what it means to be a Black student on campus, particularly when contextualized with changing norms and historical events at a state and national level. We will analyze the ways in which Black students thrived on campus by creating their own community spaces in order to subvert long standing racism and discrimination at a institutional, explicit, and implicit level. Students will build and strengthen their writing, debating, and analytical skills through multidisciplinary approaches in this course. Ultimately, students should walk away from this class with an understanding how students’ experiences today fits into the complex history of race relations at William and Mary, and how those experiences fit into the larger history in the United States.

 

Content Objectives

At the end of this course, students should have a working understanding of:

  1. The varied experiences and legacies of Black students at William and Mary;
  2. The ways in which the campus’ racial climate has reflected the cultural norms in Virginia and in the United States on a large scale;
  3. The community spaces created for and by Black students at William and Mary and the larger implications of these networks of support;
  4. How African Americans at William and Mary have subverted, challenged, and overcome long standing racial norms in the face of discrimination

 

Skill Objectives

By the end of this course, students will have improved skills in:

  1. Analyzing primary and secondary sources in American Studies;
  2. Presenting original ideas, theories, and arguments from a collection of sources;
  3. Debating over complex themes, ideas, and arguments in order to strengthen persuasion skills in oral speech skills;
  4. Reading and synthesizing various arguments to formulate their own written arguments;

 

Assignments

    1. Discussion on the points of view of Brown v. Board of education as well as recent affirmative action policies
      1. Do background research on Brown v. Board of education and affirmative action policies, and the impact of this history and these policies today
      2. Come to class prepared for an in class discussion
        1. Prepare at least 3 discussion questions/topics to discuss
      3. The discussion will be on Week 2
    1. Create a timeline of important events in William & Mary’s history based on the readings and class discussions so far
      1. The timeline should include at least 7 events with a short 50-100 word description of the event and its significance
      2. The timeline can be digital or physical
      3. Due week 5
    1. Interview 3 students, staff, or alumni about their experiences and perceptions of race relations at the College of William and Mary.
      1. Interview at least three people, at least one person of color, and write a 500 word memo summarizing and analyzing the interviews
      2. Draft at least five questions for your interviews, and try to focus on the connections between the past, present, and future of race relations on campus.
      3. Due Week 7
    1. Create a project that answers the question: How do different students experience William and Mary and why?
      1. Examples of projects are documentaries, zines, or spoken word performances
      2. 10 minute presentations will occur during the last week of classes
      3. Due Week 10

Course Overview

 Topic Readings Assignments
Week 1: A Brief Overview of African Americans at William & Mary
Week 2: Brown v. Board of Education, HBCUs, and Affirmative Action Prepare for in-class debate
Week 3: Admissions and the First African American Students
Week 4: The First African American Students in Residence Work on timeline
Week 5: Examining the Experiences of the First Women on Campus Submit timeline
Week 6: The Creation of Spaces for Minority Students Conduct interviews on students’ racial experiences
Week 7: Racism on Campus Conduct interviews on students’ racial experiences
Week 8: Building Legacies
Week 9: Preparation for Final Projects/ Class Review
  • Review older readings
  • Discuss the final project, Q&A
 Work on final project
Week 10: Final Project Presentation Present final project (10 mins)