African American History—382/564
Wednesdays
5:00-7:40
Linthicum Hall, Rm. 313
Instructor: Dr. Omar H. Ali
E-mail: oali@towson.edu
Office: Linthicum
119-K
Hours: Weds. 3:30-4:30
OVERVIEW:
This is a survey of African American history from the Reconstruction period
through the present. The course will examine the role of men and women of
African descent in advancing liberty through a combination of lectures, textbook
readings, primary source analyses, documentary screenings, and class discussion.
Students will have three quizzes, a midterm, and a final paper. Graduate
students taking this course will have additional requirements.
REQUIRED TEXT:
John Hope Franklin, From Slavery to
Freedom: A History of African Americans (New York: McGraw Hill, 2000, 8th
edition) NOTE: Students must bring the textbook to every class. There
will also be selections taken from Leslie H. Fishel, Jr. and Benjamin Quarles’
The Negro American: A Documentary History
and Roy E. Finkenbine’ Sources of the
African American Past (2nd edition) that will be distributed in
class.
GRADING:
Quiz #1 (10%), Quiz #2 (10%), Quiz #3 (10%), Midterm (25%), Final Paper (25%),
Reviews (10%), Participation (10%) Grade Scale: A=94-100; A-=90-93; B+=87-89;
B=84-86; B-=80-83; C+=77-79; C=70-76; D=63-69; F (below 62)
Quizzes
These short exams will consist of a single identification and a series of
fill-in-the blanks primarily drawn from the readings and lectures.
Midterm
The exam is cumulative and will include an essay which students will prepare in
advance of the exam but is to be written in class in addition to a series of
fill-in the blanks. Midterm essay question: “How
did African Americans advance liberty from Reconstruction of the 1860s through
the Black Revolution of the 1960s?” Prepare approximately a 1,200-word
essay; provide a clear thesis (to be underlined) in the opening paragraph; six
detailed examples should be given (including names, years, events, relevant
statistics, and significance), equally divided between Reconstruction, Black
Populist, New Deal, and the Civil Rights/Black Power eras.
Final Paper
This is a 12-page paper due at the beginning of class on December 9 (or before).
FAILURE TO MEET THE DEADLINE WILL RESULT IN NO CREDIT FOR THE PAPER. NO
EXCEPTIONS Students have more than three months to complete the assignment. The
essay question is the following: “How did
African Americans advance liberty from Reconstruction through the present?”
The 12 pages include footnotes and a bibliography. The paper must be stapled,
paginated, with name, course title, and date at the top left-corner of the first
page (there should not be a title page). The paper must have a clear thesis
(underlined) in the opening paragraph; provide quotes drawn from the excerpts
appearing in the textbook and other primary sources handed out in class. The
quotes should be at least one sentence long, and should not exceed a single
paragraph. A total of ten examples should be given (along the lines of the
Midterm essay requirement, except with an additional four examples for the
periods thereafter).
Reviews
Three pages, typed, paginated, stapled, bullet points. Two percentage points
will be given for each quiz review (to be handed in at the beginning of the
class preceding quizzes—except the third, which will be due at the beginning of
the class when the quiz will be given) and four points for the Midterm review
(again, to be handed in at the beginning of the class preceding the Midterm).
These reviews are for students to use to help study for the quizzes and the
Midterm, as well as lay the groundwork for the Final Paper.
Participation
Students are expected to actively participate in class (asking and responding to
questions and volunteering to read in-class primary sources). Students are also
required to check with the professor if they come after attendance is called (a
single percentage point will be taken off each time a student is late beyond the
first class of the semester; two percentage points will be taken off for each
absence beyond the first class of the semester (see end of document for details
of university policy) unless the student turns in a three-page, double-spaced
paper answering two of the review questions at the end of that week’s reading,
to be turned in at the beginning of the class following the one in which the
student was absent.
Weekly Schedule
September 2 – Introduction
September 7 (Mon) – No class (Labor Day)
September 9 (Wed) – Reading: Chapter 12
September 16 – Reading: Chapter 13 (Quiz Review due at the beginning of class)
September 23 – Quiz #1 (Covers Chapters 12-13)
September 30 – Reading: Chapter 16
October 7 – Reading: Chapter 17
October 14 – Reading: Chapter 19 (Quiz Review due at the beginning of class)
October 21 - Quiz #2 (Covers Chapters 16,17,19)
October 28 – Reading: Chapter 20
November 4 – Reading: Chapter 21
November 11 – Reading: Chapter 22
November 18 – Reading: Chapter 23 (Midterm Review due at beginning of class)
November 25 – MIDTERM (Covers Chapters 20-23)
November 26-29 (Thursday-Sunday) – Thanksgiving
December 2 - Reading: Chapter 24-25
December 9 – FINAL PAPER DUE Quiz #3 (Covers Chapters 24-25) Quiz Review
due at beginning of class.
This course is in
compliance with Towson University’s policies for students with disabilities.
Accommodations can be made on exams and assignments for students with
disabilities. Students with
disabilities are encouraged to register with Disability Support Services (DSS),
7720 York Road, Suite 2132, 410-704-2638. Students who expect that they have a
disability but do not have documentation are encouraged to contact DSS for
advice on how to obtain appropriate evaluation.
A memo from DDS authorizing your accommodation is required before any
arrangements can be made.
Policy regarding missed
exams, tests, and other in-class assignments: All authorized makeup work of
History courses is completed in department-wide proctored sessions, which are
held in LI 106 on Fridays from 1 to
4p.m. throughout the semester and on the first and third Thursdays of each
months, from 5 to 7 p.m. I will give
the proctor a copy of the test or assignment to administer to you (but not
necessarily the test or specific assignment taken earlier by the class).
Thursday sessions will be held in LI 107, and Friday sessions in LI 112.
Students must bring a photo ID to the session.
Make up sessions are not negotiable, unless you receive consent from the
chair of the Department of History.
Any student found to be
cheating will automatically receive an F in the course.
This includes plagiarism, copying from another student’s paper or crib
notes. Please refer to the
University’s Student Academic Integrity Policy, Appendix F of the University
Catalog, Part V. No student will be
allowed to repeat this course without written permission from the instructor.
TOWSON UNIVERSITY POLICY:
Students should not attend classes or other university events from the onset of
flu-like symptoms until at least 24 hours after the fever subsides without the
use of fever reducing medications. Such absences will be considered excused
absences; however, students are responsible for the material covered during the
period of their absence.