EDU 101W - Fall 2009

Education 101W (Fall 2009)
Growing up Jim Crow

Professor: Hilton Kelly, Ph.D.

Semester: Fall 2009

Office: Chambers 3015

Class Time: T/Th 1:00-2:15

Voice: (704) 894-2704

Class Location: Chambers 1086

E-mail: hikelly@davidson.edu

Office Hrs: M/T 2:30-3:30 & by appt.

What is the origin and legacy of “Jim Crow” in the United States? During the Age of Jim Crow, how did generations of white and black children learn race and racism? What are the public and hidden transcripts of resistance to white supremacy across race, gender, and class? What are examples of continuity and change in race relations from roughly the 1870s to the 1970s? These are some of the questions that we will encounter in this course. From the perspectives of white and black southerners, we will examine oral histories, literary narratives, and visual representations of numerous topics: “Jim Crow” education, white supremacy, disenfranchisement, lynching, rape, resistance, interracial harmony, and desegregation. Students will be introduced to various approaches to writing for critical engagement and for college success. Students will also analyze films and videows as complex tests that can be viewed through multiple and intersecting lenses. Course requirements include various writing assignments, such as film analyses, critical book reviews, short analytical papers, and a major research paper.

Required Texts:

Chafe, W. H., Gavins, R., Korstad, R. (Ed.). (2001). Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South. New York: Free Press.

Graff, G., and Birkenstein, C. (2006). They say, I say: The moves that matter in academic writing. New York: W. W. Norton.

Packard, J. M. (2002). American Nightmare: The History of Jim Crow. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin.

Ritterhouse, J. (2006). Growing Up Jim Crow: How Black and White Southern Children Learned Race. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press.

Aug. 25 Introduction to the course

Aug. 27 Starting from the Very Beginning

Packard, American Nightmare, Preface, Prologue, & Chapter 1

Graff & Birkenstein, They Say, I Say, Introduction

Sept. 1 The Birth of Jim Crow

Woodward, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, Introduction & Chapter 1

Graff & Birkenstein, Chapters 1, 2, & 3

Sept. 3 The Birth of Jim Crow: A Debate

Woodward, Chapter 2

Rabinowitz, "From Exclusion to Segregation: Southern Race Relations, 1865-1900"

Summary Essay Due: Constructing Reasonable Arguments

Sept. 8 American Nightmare

Packard, Chapter 3

Graff & Birkenstein, Chapters 4 & 5

Sept. 10 Film Analysis: “Birth of a Nation” (1915)

Research and Retrieval: Locate and read reviews of this film.

Sept. 15 American Nightmare

Packard, Chapters 4

Graff & Birkenstein, Chapters 6 & 7

Sept. 17 Film Analysis: “Within Our Gates” (1920)

Research and Retrieval: Locate and read reviews of this film.

Argumentative Essay Due: Evaluating Arguments

Sept. 22 Remembering Jim Crow

Chafe, et al., Remembering Jim Crow, Editorial method and Introduction

Wright, “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow: An Autobiographical Sketch”

Sept. 24 Library Orientation: Research, Databases and Plagiarism

Seminar Paper Proposal Due

Sept. 29 American Nightmare

Packard, Chapters 6 & 7

Oct. 1 American Nightmare

Packard, Chapter 8

Graff & Birkenstein, Chapters 8-10

Oct. 6 Film Analysis: “Rosewood” (1997)

Research and Retrieval: Locate and read reviews of this film.

Oct. 8 Film Analysis: “Rosewood” (1997)

Research and Retrieval: Locate and read reviews of this film.

Critical Book Review Due

Oct. 13 No Class: Fall Break

Oct. 15 Growing up Jim Crow

Ritterhouse, Growing Up Jim Crow, Introduction & Chapter 1

Oct. 20 Growing up Jim Crow

Ritterhouse, Chapter 2

Annotated Bibliography Due

Oct. 22 Growing up Jim Crow

Ritterhouse, Chapter 3

Oct. 27 Film Analysis: “Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored” (1995)

Research and Retrieval: Locate and read reviews of this film.

Oct. 29 Growing up Jim Crow

Ritterhouse, Chapter 4

Nov. 3 Growing up Jim Crow

Ritterhouse, Chapter 5 & Conclusion

Nov. 5 No Class: American Educational Studies Association Conference

Nov. 10 Making Revolution Irresistible

Kelley, “’We Are Not What We Seem’”

Moody, “Coming of Age in Mississippi”

Critical Book Review Due

Nov. 12 There Goes My Everything

Sokol, There Goes My Everything, Introduction & Chapter 2

Nov. 17 Film Analysis: “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989)

Research and Retrieval: Locate and read reviews of this film.

Nov. 19 - Seminar Paper (Individual Meetings)

Nov. 24

Nov. 26 No Class: Thanksgiving

Dec. 1 Seminar Paper (First Draft Due)

Dec. 3 Seminar Paper (Second Draft Due)

Dec. 11 SEMINAR PAPER DUE @ 12:00 noon

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS*

SUMMARY ESSAY: Constructing Reasonable Arguments

After reading the assignments for September 1 and 3, you will write a short essay (3 pages) on how C. Vann Woodward constructed his argument about the origins of Jim Crow. Address the following questions:

· What is the argument?

· How might the author’s social and intellectual context shape the argument made?

· How does the author establish credibility?

· What kind of evidence is used to “back up” his thesis?

· How does the author address opposing arguments?

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY: Evaluating Arguments

This writing assignment will build upon the previous assignment on “constructing reasonable arguments.” Choose one of the following:

Evaluate two competing arguments about the origins of Jim Crow. Write a short essay (3 pages) in which you construct an argument based upon your evaluation of C. Vann Woodward’s and Howard Rabinowitz’s work.

Evaluate two competing arguments about the nature and character of racial segregation. Write a short essay (3 pages) in which you construct an argument based upon your evaluation of D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation and Oscar Micheaux’s Within Our Gates.

CRITICAL BOOK REVIEWS

A critical book review describes the content of a book and provides a thorough analysis and evaluation of its ideas and purpose. Being “critical” demands an analytical approach in your assessment of the book’s strengths and weaknesses, rather than making vicious attacks of the book that cannot be substantiated. The descriptive element of a review should give the reader an understanding of the author’s arguments, while the evaluative element should detail your assessment of the book’s ideas and methodology.

Film analysis and research

You will research and retrieve scholarly reviews and background information on each film. The purpose is to find any information (popular culture and historical) that could inform your analysis of a film, such as funding sources, director’s background, possible controversies, relevant commentary upon its first showing, and other film reviews. You MUST incorporate at least one film into each critical book review.

Writing the first draft

On the first page of the critical book review, provide the bibliographic citation for the book that you will review. At the end of the review, write your full name and university affiliation.

The first paragraph(s) should contain:

· A statement of your thesis

· The author’s purpose in writing the book

· The author’s thesis (Is it convincing?)

· The author’s theoretical orientation

· Comments on how the book relates to other work on the same subject

· Information about the author’s reputation or authority in the field

The body of the review should:

State your arguments in support of your thesis
Include quotations from the book (and from other reviews) which illustrate your main ideas (Yes, you have to provide a reference section.)
Address issues with methodology (Is the methodology appropriate to answer the research questions?)
Note strengths and weaknesses (Are there strong or weak arguments?)
Relate the ideas in the book to other ideas and arguments on the same topic (You have read other scholarship in the field which allows you to make a comparison)
Assess the book’s reliability, validity, and trustworthiness.
Address the author’s bias and how might it affect the book? (Does the author provide enough information so that you can form your own judgments of the evidence?)
State how the author addresses issues of power and conflict in her research strategy
Establish the significance of the book
State the limitations of the book

The concluding paragraph should:

Summarize the review
Restate your thesis
State the contribution(s) of the book

Revising the first draft

Grammar, punctuation, and writing errors
Organization and logical development of your thesis
Errors in quotations or in references

SEMINAR PAPER

In 1990, the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University initiated the Behind the Veil Project to record and to preserve the living memory of African American life during the age of legal segregation in the American South. Drawing from published interviews in the Behind the Veil project, you will write an original research paper illustrating your ability to conduct a scholarly investigation, to make a persuasive argument, and to communicate ideas effectively. Choose any of the following topics to construct an argument:

· Violence

· Heritage and Memory

· Families and Communities

· Education

· Work

· Resistance and Political Struggles

Topics listed above correspond to sections found in Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South. You will set up an individual meeting with the instructor to pitch ideas for your seminar paper and to discuss outside sources to consider. You might also contact Davidson professors and other community members who may have expertise on a particular topic.

You must adhere to the American Psychological Association (APA) manual style for writing. The research paper must be a minimum of 10 double-spaced pages and should draw heavily upon oral history interviews already conducted by researchers in the Behind the Veil project.

Important Due Dates for Seminar Paper

Sept. 24 Seminar paper proposal due (maximum of 150 words)

The proposal must explain the topic, describe the data sources (e.g., oral interviews), and state the research question. You will not be able to change the seminar paper topic without prior permission from the professor.

Oct. 20 Annotated bibliography due (8 sources)

Dec. 1 First draft due (Peer review)

Dec. 3 Second draft due (Peer review)

Dec. 11 Seminar paper due @ 12:00 noon

*For all writing assignments, please use W. W. Norton’s Guide to Writing (free access) for grammar, punctuation and APA refreshers. Go to handbook:

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/write/fieldguide/index.asp

GRADING

Class Participation 5%

Writing & Concomitant Assignments

Summary Essay 10%

Argumentative Essay 10%

Reading Quizzes & In-class writings 10%

Critical Book Review 1 15%

Critical Book Review 2 15%

Seminar Paper 35%

Letter grades will correspond to the following numerical scale:

A 96-100 D+ 66-69

A- 90-95 D 60-65

B+ 87-89 F 0-59

B 83-86

B- 80-82

C+ 77-79

C 73-76

C- 70-72

LATE PAPERS

Unless you have been given prior approval, writing assignments will NOT be accepted late.

READINGS

The readings are an essential component of this course. They provide additional information and perspectives, aid in broadening your understanding, and prepare you for writing assignments. You will be expected to complete all readings before class. Reading quizzes will be random and calculated as a concomitant assignment. The articles will be made available on Blackboard.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance to all classes is critical. If you are unable to attend class for any reason, you should provide a written explanation for your absence. Five points will be deducted from class participation (total of 100 points) for each “unexcused” absence. No points will be deducted from class participation for “excused” absences. I reserve the right to decide whether an absence is unexcused or excused. (ATTENTION: Job interviews, doctor appointments, taking a test for another class, leaving early, or coming back late from vacation are not acceptable reasons for missing class.) Whether unexcused or excused, three absences or more may result in failure.

DOCUMENTED DISABILITIES

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. The ADA requires that students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation. Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately as soon as possible to discuss his or her specific needs. I rely on the Office of the Dean of Students to verify the need for reasonable accommodations.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The students and faculty of Davidson College are committed to the Honor Code and will not tolerate any violation of this principle. Academic honesty, the cornerstone of teaching and learning, lays the foundation for lifelong integrity. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, providing or receiving assistance in a manner not authorized by the instructor in the creation of work to be submitted for evaluation. This standard applies to all work ranging from daily homework assignments to reviews. Students must clearly cite any sources consulted—not only for quoted phrases but also for ideas and information that are not common knowledge. Neither ignorance nor carelessness is an acceptable defense in cases of plagiarism. It is the student's responsibility to follow the appropriate format for citations. As indicated in Davidson College’s Student Handbook, I must refer every act of academic dishonesty; violations may result in failure in the course, as well as suspension or expulsion.

Davidson Home Page | Search Davidson | Email the Department of Education