| About Shepherd University
Studying History at
Is History the Right
What Can I Do With
History-Related
Regional Map of Shepherdstown
Dr. Anders Henriksson, Chair Department of History Shepherd University Shepherdstown, WV 25443 (304) 876-5329 (800) 344-5231 ext. 5329 E-mail: ahenriks@shepherd.edu
|
History
405 Introduction to African American History
John E. Stealey III, Ph.D. General Course Outline This course will employ several procedures of historical methodology to introduce students to the rich and diverse field of African American history. Students should always remain mindful that this historical field of research and learning is so extensive that achievement of comprehensiveness in one-semester is impossible. An introduction to the body of learning, however, is possible. Emphasis is placed upon the disaspora of West African peoples to what became the United States and the results, effects, and influences of this mass migration. Experiences of African peoples and their descendants in Caribbean and Latin American locations will occasionally inform discussions for comparative and illustrative purposes. The greater portion of the course will rely on lectures. Student preparation will rest upon extensive reading of a wide range of required books. Scholars in the field would regard the required books as classics in their field. Selection was intended to achieve student exposure to the best scholarship and to ensure coverage of several distinct historical periods. Detailed course requirements are found in the attachment entitled "Academic Guidance for Students." That document is hereby incorporated as part of this outline for purposes of student information. Generally, a student's grade is based upon three two-day (two-hour) tests of short-answer, comprehensive identification, elaboration of concept, and essay content administered at approximately one-third intervals during the semester. The tests are designed to encourage students to demonstrate their knowledge of issues and concepts, to support enunciation of concepts and problems with appropriate facts and interpretation, and to reveal critical thinking and discernment. Because of the manageable size of the class, all students will be responsible for reading specific or designated assignments in the required books. Responsible students will present oral (and written) reviews of very specific portions of the books to the class. The remainder of the class will file specific written reviews on the same assignments. These presentations are intended to generate informed discussions and stimulate the introduction of other methods of inquiry to the class. Performance on these oral and written assignments will constitute one-fourth of a student's final grade. Class will not meet at some announced times so that students can prepare for these assignments. Although extensive reading will be a challenging part of normal class
expectation, motivated students may wish to read additional material. Each
student is encouraged to undertake such projects, but participation and
extent of participation is optional with the student. Students who undertake
this option must consult with and obtain specific prior approval for the
project undertaken. In consultation, agreement will be reached about reward.
This course should appeal to any student who has interest in United States history and in the major influences and contributions that one of its fundamental groups of migratory peoples have had on colonial and national development. Ordinary curiosity should encourage undergraduate students to explore the important topic of African American origins, influences, and contributions to American civilization. Books for Course
John Hope Franklin and Alfred A. Moss, Jr. From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans. Seventh edition; New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1994. John W. Blassingame. The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Ante-Bellum South. New York: Oxford University Press, 1972. Original edition. Students will acquire the later paperback revised and enlarged edition. Leon F. Litwack. Been in the Storm so Long: The Aftermath of Slavery. New York: Vintage Books, 1980. David J. Garrow. Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King. Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. New York: Vintage Books, 1988. Course Outline Slave Trade
Slavery in the West Indies
Slavery in the Tobacco Colonies
The Rice Coast
Northern Colonies
Revolutionary Philosophy and Slavery Free Blacks and Slaves in the American Revolution Declaration of Independence Post-Revolution
Confederation Government Jefferson and Northwest Ordinance The Constitution Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 Closing of African Slave Trade The Black Napoleon and other Notable Individuals
The Expansion of Slave Culture
The Plantation System
Read Blassingame
Rebellions
Free Person of Color Political Context of Anti-Slavery and Pro-Slavery Views
Antebellum Political Positions on Slavery Crisis of the 1 850s The Civil War and Emancipation Reconstruction Read Litwack Booker T. Washington v. W. E. B. DuBois The Color Line The Effect of War The Harlem Renaissance and New Politics The New Deal Read Garrow World War II and Cold War The Black Revolution and Civil Rights
|