Reading

These books are available for purchase in the bookstore:

Marcus D. Polhman. Black Politics in Conservative America. 2^nd ed. New York: Longman, 1999.

Malcolm X with the assistance of Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Ballantine Books, 1965.

Three Negro Classics. New York: Avalon Books, 1965.

Additional reading (marked with an asterisk on the calendar) will be made available through Blackboard.

Class Discussion

Much of the class will be conducted as discussion, so keeping up the reading is essential. Unless otherwise instructed, students must do the week’s assigned reading before each Tuesday class. If it becomes clear that this is not being done, reading quizzes will be instituted.

For rules on conducting discussion, see Fullinwider on Intellectual Virtues. 

Take home midterm and final

A take-home midterm exam will be distributed on Oct. 17 and will be due Oct. 22 at 1:30.

A take-home final will be distributed on Dec. 12 and will be due Dec. 20 at 2:00.

Late exams will receive a 1/3 grade reduction for each hour late.

Group Project and Presentation

Small groups of students will prepare a 10 minute presentation making a case for a particular nation as having "the best race relations in the world." The presentations will take place on Nov. 26. Plan your Thanksgiving travel accordingly.

Blackboard Discussions

At four times during the course, students will participate in an online discussion using Blackboard. Except for the first discussion, students must post at least four distinct responses on four separate days during the discussion period. Each posting should be at least two paragraphs long.

Race and me: Sept. 5-9

Race, Racism, and Us: Sept. 24-Oct. 1

Confronting Inequalities: Oct. 29-Nov. 5

Strategies: Nov. 19-26

For rules on conducting discussion, see Fullinwider on Intellectual Virtues. 

Blackboard Diary

Participating in the Educational Main Street tutoring program is a requirement for this course. Students will write about their tutoring experiences in private diaries on Blackboard.

Academic Honesty

Integrity in all academic work is expected of every student. All individually assigned work must be done independently with no assistance from others. Written material must the student’s original composition with appropriate citation of sources for borrowed ideas and quotations. Failure to adhere to strict standards of academic honesty will result in failure and a report to the Dean of Students.

Emergencies

If you miss a test or other assignment because of an emergency, you must contact me within 24 hours of the time of the assignment. Written documentation of the emergency must be provided at the time of makeup.