Spring 2018 Course Syllabus

BLS-201/ENG-260

Intro to Black Studies

MWF 3:10 – 4:00 p.m.

 

Professor: Matthew Lambert                                 Email:  lambertm@wabash.edu

Office Location: Center Hall 312                          Office Hours:  MWF 1:00-2:00pm

Office Phone:  765-361-6049                               TTh 2:00-4:00pm (or by appointment)

 

Course Description

“Intro to Black Studies” is a reading-, writing-, and discussion-intensive course that seeks to introduce students to the major cultural works and methodologies of Black Studies.  In examining these works and ideas, we will seek a better understanding of African-American experience in the U.S.  We will particularly focus on a few key issues concerning this experience–including the legacy of slavery, the relationship between aesthetics and politics, the effects of policing and criminality, hierarchies of gender and sexuality, and the role of religious and environmental thought in the black community.

Class Books:

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Frederick Douglass)

The Souls of Black Folk  (W. E. B. Du Bois)

Cotton Comes to Harlem (Chester Himes)

Watershed (Percival Everett)

From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation (Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor)

Course Goals

• Learn to read literary and other cultural texts using cultural theories and critical methodologies associated with Black Studies.
• Identify major tropes, themes, and stylistic aspects of works associated with African-American literature and other forms of culture.
• Become familiar with major and lesser known works of black authors, filmmakers, musicians, and other cultural artists.
• Gain a better knowledge and understanding of African-American history in the U.S.

Class Participation

In its most general usage, participation means actively engaging in class discussions by making comments on and asking questions about the readings.  It also means coming to class prepared with all relevant materials, including hard or digital copies of the texts under discussion.  You will be graded on class participation—it counts for 10% of your final grade—at least twice during the semester.

Attendance and Lateness

Since this is a small discussion class, attendance is mandatory.  You are allotted three absences without penalty.  After you miss your fourth class, your attendance grade, which accounts for 25% of your final grade, will begin to drop.  Treat this attendance policy like a “personal” or “sick day” policy you might find in a workplace.  In other words, these absences usually occur because of minor illnesses or schedule conflicts (e.g., a delayed Monday morning flight after a weekend holiday).

Please arrive on time.  Lateness not only disrupts the class but also shows a good deal of disrespect for your peers and instructor.   If you are more than 15 minutes late to class, you can be marked absent—talk to me after class if you think that you were over 15 minutes late for unavoidable reasons.  If you do arrive late to a class, it is your responsibility to make sure that I’ve marked you present on the role.  Talk to or email me as soon as possible after class to double-check that I included you on the roll.

In the case of university-sanctioned activities (e.g., athletics or a course-specific trip that takes you out of town), you must provide documentation from the Dean for these absences so that they do not count against your final grade.

If you miss a class meeting, you are responsible to contact your peers for materials and information you have missed. Missing a class is no excuse for not completing the homework. Likewise, I expect you to have read the assigned readings and to be ready to discuss them, even if you are absent from class. All readings are immediately relevant to the course’s assignments, so consider reading just as important as any written homework.

Academic Integrity

At Wabash College, we believe in the excellence of our students and in the integrity of our academic programs.  As stated in the Gentleman’s Rule,

“The student is expected to conduct himself at all times, both on and off campus, as a gentleman and a responsible citizen.”

Being “a gentleman and a responsible citizen” includes not taking credit for the work of others.  This means properly attributing/citing the ideas of others in your written assignments, not turning in somebody else’s work as your own, and not submitting an essay already submitted for a previous course.  Blatantly taking someone else’s words, ideas or concepts, and using them without citing your source is plagiarism.  So is using another student’s essay or homework, or part of his or her essay or homework, as your own.  In the world of writing (academic writing especially), this is a serious offense and is treated as such.  Anyone who uses non-documented material from another source, including work by other students as well as online sources, could receive a failing grade for the entire course and could be referred to the Dean’s office for further disciplinary action.

While some forms of collaboration and assistance in the course are permitted—including in-class collaboration such as group work, pair work, class discussion, and peer review as well as outside assistance provided by the Writing Center—collaborating on homework assignments is not acceptable because those types of assignments are designed to monitor how you are handling specific parts of the course materials.

Meeting Deadlines

All written assignments must be submitted on the due date, by the beginning of class. Lateness will be dealt with as follows:

• Rough draft. For every day that a rough draft is late, you will be subject to a 1 point deduction on it.  If you do not submit a rough draft, I will not grade a final draft, since drafting is a crucial step in the process of writing.  A rough draft is considered late if not submitted before the class in which it is due.
• Final draft. For every day that a final draft is late, you will be subject to half a letter grade deduction on it.  A final draft is considered late if not submitted by time set by instructor.
• Class work. I do not generally accept late quizzes and in-class assignments unless you are absent on the due date for an excused reason.
• Homework assignments: Homework assignments are subject to a 1-point deduction for every day they are late. A homework assignment is considered late if not submitted by the deadline (day and time) set by the instructor.

Cell Phones, Laptops, and Other Related Technologies

By the time class starts, cell phones should be turned off and put away.  Cell phones are highly distracting to you, me, and other members of the class.  I will allow you to use laptops, tablets, or e-readers (but not cell phones) for reading materials if you can show that you are able to effectively mark up and make textual notes using these devices.

Writing Center

The Wabash Writing Center is dedicated to coaching Wabash Men to become the best writers that they can be. When a Wabash Man comes into the Wabash Writing Center, he will meet one-on-one with a trained writing consultant, or the director. Writing Center sessions are scheduled to last 45 minutes, which is enough time to review 6-7 pages of writing

Writing consultants can work with writers at any stage of their writing process. A writer can come to the Wabash Writing Center with a couple of notes on a napkin, and our consultants can help him turn it into the best paper the writer can produce. Writers have to do their own work, but our consultants will make suggestions and offer advice to make a paper better. Consultants are also well versed in grammar concerns, MLA, and APA, and they are happy to answer questions or make minor corrections. However, we leave the line editing and final revisions to the writer.

Located on the second floor of the Lilly Library, the Wabash Writing Center is open to all students, faculty and staff. To make an appointment, go to   http://www.wabash.edu/writingcenter (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., select the button labeled “Click HERE to make an appointment,” and register in the scheduling system.  If you have any questions, please email the director, Dr. Koppelmann, at koppelmz@wabash.edu.

The Office of Student Enrichment

The Office of Student Enrichment (OSE) provides Wabash Men with one-on-one counseling regarding time management skills, study skills, reading skills, and Academic Honesty. The OSE also offers one-on-one support for English Language Learners.

Contact Dr. Koppelmann at koppelmz@wabash.edu to arrange for a meeting if would like assistance regarding time management, study skills, reading skills, understanding Academic Honesty, or if would like support for learning American English.

Disability Statement

Students with disabilities (apparent or invisible) are invited to confidentially discuss their situation with the disability coordinator, Heather Thrush, Director of Student Engagement and Success. If a student wishes to receive an academic accommodation, it is required that his documentation of the disability be on file with Heather Thrush, who can, in confidence, provide information and guidance. Early notification helps us all work together in the most effective ways.  Heather Thrush can be reached at her office (Center Hall 112A), by phone (x6347), or by email (thrushh@wabash.edu).

Communicating Through Email

Emailing about coursework is a type of formal communication.  Be sure to include a salutation (e.g. “Hello Prof./Dr. Lambert,”) and a signature (your first name is fine).  Use appropriate language and proofread your emails—mechanical errors can cause readers—in this case, me—to misunderstand your message or question your credibility.

Grades

Essays                                                                         35%

Daily Work

Quizzes, journal responses, etc.                                20%

Class Participation                                                       10%

Attendance                                                                  25%

Presentation                                                                 10%

Total:                                                                          100%

Point Ranges for Letter Grades

A (93 – 100%), A- (90 – 92%), B+ (87 – 89%), B (83 – 86%), B- (80 – 82%), C+ (77 – 79%), C (73 – 76%), C- (70 – 72%), D (60 – 69%), F (0 – 59%)

Rubric for minor assignments.

Canvas Postings (3 point assignments)
3: excellent	2: acceptable	1: poor
The assignment criteria have been met thoughtfully and with insight.  Assignment is well planned and articulated with convincing detail.There are no mechanical errors.	The assignment criteria have been met, and there is evidence of effort and thought in this assignment, however there may be a minor problem with completion of task.	The assignment criteria may have been met, but these assignments do not move beyond broad generalizations. The work is hard to read or presented sloppily.

Tentative Schedule:

I will make changes to the schedule as needed throughout the semester.

		IN CLASS	READING DUE	WRITING DUE
Week 1 Monday, Jan. 15		Introductions   Begin discussing syllabus
Wednesday, Jan. 17		Syllabus quiz   Go over syllabus	Course syllabus   Watch selections from Style Wars.
Friday, Jan. 19		No class.  Trip to Indianapolis Museum of Art.
Week 2 Monday, Jan. 22			Rd. Du Bois, “Criteria of Negro Art,” and Locke “Art of Propaganda” (on Canvas)
Wednesday, Jan. 24		The Slave Narrative	Rd. Douglass, Chs. I-IV
Friday, Jan. 25			Rd. Douglass, Chs. V-VIII
Week 4 Monday, Jan. 28			Rd. Douglass, Chs. IX–X	Writing Assignment #1
Wednesday, Jan. 30			Rd. Douglass, Chs. XI
Friday, Feb. 2		“Slavery by Another Name”	Rd. Blackmon (on Canvas).   Watch Slavery by Another Name (link on Canvas).
Week 5 Monday, Feb. 5		The Souls of Black Folks	Rd. Du Bois, Ch. I and II
Wednesday, Feb. 7			Rd. Du Bois, Ch. III and VI.
Friday, Feb. 9			Rd. Du Bois, Ch. IX and X
Week 6 Monday, Feb. 12			Rd. Du Bois, Ch. XIII, XIV, and “The Afterthought”
Wednesday, Feb. 14th		No Class, Prof. Lambert at Conference.
Friday, Feb. 16		No Class, Prof. Lambert at Conference.
Week 7 Monday, Feb. 19		Harlem Renaissance	Rd. Locke, “The New Negro” and other selections from the Harlem Renaissance (on Canvas)
Wednesday, Feb. 21			Rd. Hurston, “Sweat” and “How It Feels to be Colored Me” (on Canvas)
Friday, Feb. 23			Rd. Hurston, folk writing excepts (on Canvas)
Week 8 Monday, Feb. 26			Rd. Wright, TBA (on Canvas)	Writing Assignment #2
Wednesday, Feb. 28			Rd. Baldwin, “Notes from a Native Son,” Part 1 (on Canvas)
Friday, March 2			Rd. Baldwin, “Notes from a Native Son,” Part 1I (on Canvas)
Week 9 Monday, March 5		SPRING BREAK NO CLASS
Wednesday, March 7		SPRING BREAK NO CLASS
Friday, March 9		SPRING BREAK NO CLASS
Week 10 Monday, March 12			Rd. Himes, Ch. 1-3.
Wednesday, March 14			Rd. Himes, Ch. 4-6.
Friday, March 16			Rd. Himes, Ch. 7-9.
Week 11 Monday, March 19			Rd. Himes, Ch. 10-13.
Wednesday, March 21			Rd. Himes, Ch. 14-17. .
Friday, March 23			Rd. Himes, Ch. 18-22
Week 12 Monday, March 26			Class Visit: Nate Marshall, TBA
Wednesday, March 28		Civil Rights	Rd. Malcolm X, from Message to the Grassroots, King, Jr., “Nonviolence: The Only Road to Freedom,” and Newton and Seale, “October 1966 Black Panther Platform and Program” (all on Canvas).
	Friday, March 30		Rd. Black Arts selections (on Canvas)	Writing Assignment #3
	Week 13 Monday, April 2
	Wednesday, April 4		Rd. Taylor, Ch. 3
	Friday, April 6	#BlackLivesMatter	Rd. Taylor, Ch. 4
	Week 14 Monday, April 9		Rd. Ch. 5

 

	Wednesday, April 11		Watch Fruitvale Station.
	Friday, April 13		Rd. Taylor, Ch. 6
	Week 15 Monday, April 16	No class.
	Wednesday, April 18		Rd. Everett, pp. 1-64.
Friday, April 20			Rd. Everett, pp. 65-99.	Writing Assignment #4
	Week 16 Monday, April 23		Rd. Everett, pp. 100-136.
	Wednesday, April 25		Rd. Everett, pp. 137-172.
Friday, April 27		Final Day of Class   Course wrap up.	Rd. Everett, pp. 173-200.
FINALS WEEK		Portfolios DUE to Canvas by end of scheduled exam period.