|
|
Get on the Bus: In Search of America's Civil Rights Movement LHSP 113.001 Joe Gonzalez and Alyssa Picard Note: Each Professor had a different syllabus for the course. Both are included below. Gonzalez Syllabus LHSP 113.001 This course is an experiment in experiential and participatory education. As a consequence, this syllabus represents the opinions, suggestions and wishes of each and every one of you. In every sense, it is a community document. Description. If you like boring lectures, multiple choice
tests, and lots of assigned readings, then this course is not
for you. This course is for people who want something different
form their university and themselves. In this course, we will study the most successful non-violent movement
in American history: The Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1965. At times,
we will learn about this movement from books. Just as frequently,
we will learn from experience, traveling throughout the South and
designing a social activism project of our own. Make no mistake:
This semester you will do more than read about the Civil Rights
Movement; you will experience it. The course is divided into three parts. In January and February,
we will read about the history of the Civil Rights Movement, discovering
its origins and defining its conclusion. During spring break, we
will take the trip, visiting the people and places about which we
have read. After our return, during March and April, we will consider
the Movement's legacy in such issues as affirmative action, racial
profiling and capital punishment. Just as important, we will explore
the role of social activism in our own lives, designing an activism
project in conjunction with the Ginsburg Center for Community Service
and Learning. During the semester, you will write two essays in two drafts, one
before the trip, one at the close of the class. You will also keep
a detailed journal of your experience on the trip and with the activism
project, putting your journals in a web site of your own design. What does this course have to teach you? Our course is an
experiment; it is an attempt to combine academic learning with experiential
learning, scholarly understanding with self-understanding. What does it take to do well in this course? In most courses, a teacher teaches a specific set of academic skills, and expects you to master them. This will not happen in this class. Here I will evaluate you purely on how well you commit yourself to the learning process. Nothing more. Nothing less. I do not care if you learn how to write gracefully, or speak with eloquence. Instead, I care about your commitment to learn what this class has to teach you. Texts and Required Materials. There are three required books:
These books are available from Shaman Drum, located at 313 S. State
St. (The textbook department is located on the second floor.) There
will also be, from time to time, required coursepacks, available
from ACCU-Copy, located at 518 E. William St. Assignments. As we decided in class, there will be no formal
essays and no exams. Instead, you will undertake the following:
Grading Standards. As suggested in class, I will apply the
following standards: Response papers. I will look for response papers that are
thoughtful, relevant to the question (whether of my design or yours),
and demonstrate a knowledge of the reading. I want you to use these
papers as a way to explore issues in the readings, as well as your
relationship to the Movement. Participation. When evaluating your participation, I will
look at both quantity and quality. Certainly a certain quantity
is important, but I am more interested in how you demonstrate your
knowledge of the reading, and how well you "move" the
conversation: Are you talking to hear merely to fulfill a requirement?
Or are you contributing ideas, responding to other students and
the material. I will also consider your enthusiasm and receptivity
to the ideas of others. Portfolios. Please keep all your written work in a portfolio. I will ask to see it at the semester's end. I will not keep a record of your grades during the term; the portfolio will serve as your record of all that you did. Keep everything that you write for me. Attendance. Class attendance is crucial to the success of our community. You may miss one class session without an excuse. For every additional unexcused absence, I will deduct two points from your semester total. (See section on "course grades" below.) Medical and personal urgencies will be handled differently Tardiness. Please be on time. We have a large class in a small room, and it is disruptive to everyone if you are late. To be sure, circumstances arise, but please strive to be on time. Course grades. I will compute your grade in the following way.
I will follow this scale to determine grades for assignments and
course grades.
You must complete all assignments in order to pass the class. Deadlines. As suggested in class, for every late paper, I will deduct one point from your semester total. After class discussion, you may add to your response paper for extra credit if you wish; I would enjoy reading what you have to say. Office Hours. For this semester, my office hour will be on Wednesdays, from 4:30 to 5:30 in the Writing Center of Lloyd Hall. I am also available by email, a medium I particularly enjoy. My address is joegon@umich.edu.
Th, 1/04 Introduction to the course T, 1/09 Defining the syllabus Th, 1/11 Origins of Slavery and Racism T, 1/16 Winthrop Jordan, "Thomas Jefferson: Self and Society"(CP) Th 1/18 Reconstruction and the First Civil Rights Movement T, 1/23 Foner, "The Making of Radical Reconstruction," "Retreat from Reconstruction," "The Crisis of 1875, " Booker T. Washington, "The Atlanta Exposition Address," and DuBois, "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others" (CP)
T, 1/30 The Nashville Student Movement Th, 2/1 The Founding of SNCC and the Freedom Rides T, 2/6 McComb, Mississippi and the Failure in Albany Th, 2/8 Victory in Birmingham T, 2/13 The March on Washington Th, 2/15 Freedom Summer '64 T, 2/20 The March from Selma and Troubles in SNCC Th, 2/22 The Disintegration of SNCC and King's Failure in Chicago
Picard Syllabus What's this class about? If you like lectures and tests, and are content believing that
ordinary people can't create change, then this course is not
for you. This course is for students who want something different
from their university and themselves-who are open to the idea that
they can, and should, affect both their educations and the social,
political and economic conditions that will shape the rest of their
lives. In this course, we will study what may have been the most successful
non-violent movement for social change in American history: the
civil rights movement, as it occurred between 1954 and 1968. The
course is divided into three parts, and it's organized not chronologically,
but in a way that previous students have suggested might be more
useful for you. In January and February, we will read about the
history of the civil rights movement, discovering its origins, course,
and conclusion. During spring break, you will travel through the
South, and possibly to Washington, DC, visiting the people and places
about which we have read. After your return, during March and April,
we will consider the conditions and ideas that led up to the civil
rights movement, and the movement's legacy in contemporary activism
around such issues as affirmative action, racial profiling and capital
punishment. During the semester, you will take two exams-one midterm (before the trip) and one final exam, both of which will be take-home. You will also, for two days of the course, be responsible for writing and circulating discussion questions to the class. On the days when you're not writing the discussion questions, you'll be responsible for a short (one-page) response to one of the questions circulated by another student. Why are we teaching this course? Why are you taking it? Our course is an experiment; it is an attempt to combine academic
learning with experiential learning, scholarly understanding with
self-understanding. Joe and I have undertaken this experiment for
reasons he describes in our forthcoming article about this class
(Journal of American History, March 2002): "[Before
this class], I enjoyed teaching and my students, but felt frustrated.
Though charming and competent, my students seemed passive, more
like guests than participants, learning only enough to write their
essays. Their learning--and my teaching--stopped at the classroom
door." I teach this class because I'm not interested in participating
in the education of people who are content to be only charming and
competent. There are plenty of well-educated, charming, competent
folks already wasting their time and talents, and the hours I spent
teaching them, on mergers, acquisitions, and portfolio management:
this country doesn't need any more of those people. I am interested
in teaching people who are inquisitive, analytical, independent
thinkers who want to learn not only how to identify, but how to
solve, the major problems of our time. Here's a question: in the light of the events of September 2001, is it unpatriotic to say that there are problems that need solving? One very prominent, extremely nationalist political scientist suggests an answer to that question this way:
This is a hard time to engage oneself in the work of a class that asks us to consider the ways in which America has disappointed itself, and others, both in the past and today. But let's not forget that our national anthem is itself a question-one which, with its every performance, demands that we re-examine our national conscience. I submit to you that among the duties of the citizen and the patriot there are none more pressing than honest self-examination. I hope that you will receive my insistence on these points as evidence of my great respect for you, for this country, and for your mutual potential. Here's what I said about teaching this class in the article Joe and I wrote together: "The greatest lesson of both the Civil Rights Movement and our civil rights trip is that what young people do (and, therefore, what teachers do with them) really matters. Among the Montgomery bus boycotters, the marchers in Selma, and the Freedom Riders were college students, high school students, and young teachers and parents who risked their lives because they didn't want their children to grow up under Jim Crow. The past happened because its makers, some of whom were just our students' age, sought to affect the future: as history teachers and conscientious historians, we are obligated to bring our knowledge of, and respect for, this fact to bear on our relationships with our students. Even when they are quiescent today, they have to potential to be powerful beyond their-and our--wildest imaginations. For me, as for many political and pedagogical progressives, helping students realize that power is one of the central purposes of teaching itself." I also hope that you will understand that I'm not expecting you to toe any particular ideological line, or even to accept without question my foundational belief that that you have a special obligation to use your college education, and the unique skills and experiences it gives you, to help make the world more liveable for people who don't share your opportunities. I want you to engage every idea you encounter in this class with extreme intellectual vigor. When I am wrong, I want you to prove me wrong. When a book is wrong, I want you to prove it wrong, too. I hope, as another professor advised one of my undergraduate classes, that we will be rigorous with ideas, and gentle with each other. In this class, you will learn a great deal about the history of racism and African-American resistance to racism. But just as important, you will think about your own life-your role as an agent in history--and about the giants on whose shoulders our generation is standing. Like other historians, I've taught a lot of social history, examining with my students the nature of large, evolutionary changes in which the actions of individuals come to seem insignificant in contrast to the overwhelming historical forces they have faced-or ridden to victory. These narratives are accurate, and they have a lot to offer for which I, as an historian and as a teacher of history, am grateful. But this time around, I am making a conscious decision that this class will not be about that kind of history. This class is about how ordinary people did extraordinary things, and changed the way life will be lived in this country forever. This narrative is also accurate, and I think that it has something to offer that may be life-altering for you. What does it take to do well in this course?
What are the texts and required materials? There are two required books for the period before spring break: This class is a seminar, not a lecture. Everyone must participate in class every time we meet. What are the assignments? Two exams: one midterm, one final. These will each consist of three essays (about two to three pages each), and they will be take-home. Discussion questions: twice during the semester, due three days before our class meets. Journal responses: every day during which you are not responsible for discussion questions. What are the grading standards? I will apply the following standards, and any others you convince
me to apply: Response papers. I will look for response papers that are
thoughtful, relevant to the question (whether of my design or yours),
and demonstrate knowledge of the reading. Participation. When evaluating your participation, I will look at both quantity and quality. I am interested in how you demonstrate your knowledge of the reading, and how well you "move" the conversation: Are you talking merely to fulfill a requirement? Or are you contributing ideas, responding to other students and the material? I will also consider your enthusiasm and receptivity to the ideas of others. This doesn't mean that you have to agree with your classmates, or with me, all the time-or any of the time. Remember: rigorous with ideas, gentle with each other. What else? Portfolios. Please keep all your written work in a portfolio. I will ask to see it at the semester's end. I will not keep a record of your grades during the term, though I will grade your exams, and your journal assignments if you ask me to. The portfolio will serve as your record of all that you did. Keep everything that you write for this class. Attendance. Class attendance is crucial to the success of this experiment. For every unexcused absence, I will deduct five-hundredths from your semester total (where an "A" is a 4.0). (See section on "course grades" below.) Medical urgencies and religious holidays will be handled differently, at my discretion. The following are inexcusable reasons for missing class: the alarm clock didn't go off, the tickets for spring break were cheaper if you left a day earlier, you were participating in a pledge activity last night, your parents are coming to town (they are welcome to visit class, however), the dog ate your homework. Don't bother telling me about these. Tardiness. Please be on time. We have a large class in a small room, and it is disruptive to everyone if you are late. Electronic devices. Our classroom is a sanctuary in which
you and I are temporarily unreachable to others. Cellular phones,
beepers, pagers, Blackberries, and all other means of communicating
with the world outside our classroom must be disabled before class
begins each day. Course grades. I will compute your grade in the following way.
Deadlines. Late response papers and discussion questions are not useful to the class, and therefore will not be accepted. After class discussion, you may add to your response paper for extra credit if you wish; I would enjoy reading what you have to say. Exams, as they are take-home, are due when they are due, or before, with no exceptions for any reason except your total, medically documented, incapacitation for the entire period of your possession of the exam questions. Office Hours. For this semester, my office hour will be on Tuesdays from 12:30-1:30 in room 547 Angell, on the ground floor of Alice Lloyd Hall. You can reach me there at 764-4902. I am also available by email, a medium I particularly enjoy. My address is picarda@umich.edu. Schedule of Readings and Assignments
Additional Note from Professor Picard (not on original syllabus): Joe's experience in teaching this class during Winter 2001 was
that he didn't get to cover both the movement proper and all the
background to the movement--slavery, scientific racism, Reconstruction,
Jim Crow, etc.--before spring break. I therefore foregrounded the
civil rights movement itself in this syllabus, and am leaving the
classes after the break unscheduled so that we can pursue the topics
that interest the students the most thereafter. This temporal inversion
runs counter to my instincts as an historian, but I think it's the
best way to prepare the students for the spring break trip, which
is the most important part of this learning experience. Itinerary for the Get on the Bus 2001
Monday, Feb. 26th Toured the Holocaust Museum. Tuesday, Feb. 27th Wednesday, Feb. 28th Thursday, March 1st. Visited Selma, Alabama. Toured the Brown Chapel, and met with Mrs.
Jean Drove to Greenville MS. Toured the Center for Constitutional Rights, a non-profit advocacy group devoted to the defense of workers and prisoners rights. Met with the director, Jaribu Hill. Drove to Memphis. Saturday, March 3 Links to related Web site requested by the authors, but not included in the original syllabi The Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities: "The Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities was created as an experiment in bringing the long-term poor out of poverty and into a life of participation at the family, community, and state level. Earl Shorris, the essayist and novelist who first thought of such
a Course in 1995, understood that real civic participation would
follow from the self-reflection naturally encouraged by reading
and studying the traditional humanities -- literature, philosophy,
history, art. Following from the success of his first Clemente Course
Seattle was the first city in the U.S. outside of New York to offer
the same rigorous eight-month engagement with important works -
the so-called Great Books. The work expected of students in the
seminar is roughly equivalent to what would be expected of a student
at a first-rate In Seattle, the Course is hosted by El Centro de la Raza, a Chicano/Latino civil rights organization rich in a history of service to the community. El Centro has also long offered many kinds of continuing and adult education to the Beacon Hill neighborhood, and indeed to the city of Seattle." http://www.humanities.org/clemente/ The National Civil Rights Memorial Museum: "The National Civil Rights Museum offers the first and only comprehensive overview of the civil rights movement in exhibit form. It is an educational institution designed to help visitors understand the civil rights movement and how this movement impacted movements for social rights worldwide. Museum visitors experience the sights, sounds, and emotions of the movement through its exhibits and programs. The Museum houses over 27,000 square feet of permanent exhibits,
an auditorium, a http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/ The Majic Bus: Douglas Brinkley, of the University of New Orleans' Eisenhower Center, had this idea before we did. http://www.uno.edu/~eice/majic.html The Lloyd Hall Scholars Program at the University of Michigan:
the living-learning program in which the idea for this class was
born. http://www.lsa.umich.edu/lhsp/ North By South: At Kenyon College, Peter Rutkoff and Will
Scott run a two-semester Great Migration travel course. Their course,
like ours, includes a student-assembled website: for one example
from their class, see http://www.northbysouth.org/1999/flyaway/flyaway.htm
|
