Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2022 - HIST 382 B100

African-American History, since 1865 (4)

Class Number: 4535

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Location: TBA

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units including 9 units of lower division History.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines black history from the end of the American Civil War. The course focuses on the external and internal forces which shaped black communities across the nation. Special attention will be paid to these communities' struggles against the forces which sought to confine black people to an inferior place in society.

COURSE DETAILS:

DC Protest

Photo taken at the Lincoln Memorial on June 6, 2020, during a Washington, D.C. protest against the police killing of George Floyd and others. The protester in this image is referencing Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the same spot in 1963. In this course we’ll learn all about the importance of historical consciousness – like this example – in the African American freedom struggle.

Photo: “Where’s the Dream?” by Victoria Pickering is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0. 

HOW BLACK LIVES MATTER[ED]

In the wake of the massive Black-led movement to protest the murder of George Floyd and countless other African American victims of police violence; a pandemic over which African Americans have died at a rate much higher than White Americans, when adjusted for age; and a political environment in which racism and racial inequality in the United States have been exposed more starkly than they have been for decades, this course is designed to give students a historical framework through which to understand contemporary events in the United States. The course will also focus on how African Americans have born witness to their oppression, along with their tireless quest for freedom, with a particular emphasis on Black popular culture. 

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

  • Course assignments are designed:
    • for students to learn how to connect and synthesize of a variety of primary and secondary sources to gain a broad, analytical understanding of particular historical topics and questions.
    • to build students’ skills in discussing complex historical topics in writing and verbally.
    • for students to learn how to apply their newly gained historical understanding to specific examples of contemporary African American popular culture.
  • The term paper assignment is designed to teach students to research, structure, and write an argument-driven, evidence-based research paper.

Grading

  • Tutorial participation 15%
  • Open-book quiz on fundamental concepts and events (in late September or early October) 15%
  • Seven tutorial preparedness quizzes 10%
  • Midterm paper 15%
  • Term paper (due on last day of class) 25%
  • Takehome, essay-based, open-book exam (due during exam period) 20%
  • Voluntary film club (see notes section below) 0%

NOTES:

How the course will run

Students will prepare for weekly 90-115 minute, in-person, discussion-based tutorials through course materials including recorded lectures, documentaries, podcasts, lectures from other sources, etc., averaging to about 90 minutes of material weekly. In addition, students will also prepare for tutorial by doing readings averaging about 100 pages weekly.

In addition, I will run a voluntary lunchtime film club outside of class time with Zoom discussion of three feature films by Black directors that connect to class material. Students will watch films on their own and discussions will be scheduled at relevant times through the semester. Intended to help generate term paper ideas and to practice connecting historical knowledge to cultural analysis, as well as a fun, informal opportunity to discuss course themes.

Assignments

May be subject to minor changes.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor’s From #Blacklivesmatter to Black Liberation (Expanded 2nd Edition, 2021) is the only course book that students are required to purchase for this course. It is available from both Amazon and Indigo as a paperback or an e-book. All other course materials and readings will be available through the course Canvas site.  


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html