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	A First Look at the Worst: Slavery and Race Relations at the College of William and Mary “So Large a Family as the College”: Slavery at the College of William and Mary by Jennifer Oast
Week 2: Brown v. Board of Education, HBCUs, and Affirmative Action	Access and Equity in Higher Education(p. 393-402) NCSL Affirmative Action overview	Prepare for in-class debate
Week 3: Admissions and the First African American Students	Integrating the College of William and Mary by Lois Bloom African Americans at the College of William and Mary from 1950 to 1970 The Cultivation of the Black Experience: Student Voices at William and Mary 1954-2014
Week 4: The First African American Students in Residence	Watch interview with Legacy 3 Review the 50 years website	Work on timeline
Week 5: Examining the Experiences of the First Women on Campus	Review the 100 year website Listen to at least 1 oral history from the website	Submit timeline
Week 6: The Creation of Spaces for Minority Students	The Need Still Exists for Black Student Unions	Conduct interviews on students’ racial experiences
Week 7: Racism on Campus	Confederates on Campus “Dixie” and Secession by Lois Bloom 1971 Commencement Speaker at William & Mary	Conduct interviews on students’ racial experiences
Week 8: Building Legacies	Building on the Legacy and think about what legacies mean to you
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)