AFA 2000 

Fall 2006  Section #7759

Updated August 4, 2006

Dr. S. Evans drevans@ufl.edu              Departments: UF African American Studies/Women's Studies  

Phone: 352-273-0392                            Email:  drevans@ufl.edu

Class Location:     Little Hall 119                                 Office Location: 304 Ustler Hall

Meeting Times:   Tues  8:30-10:25/Thurs 9:35-10:25     Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 12:30-1:30pm                

CATALOG DESCRIPTION

An integration interdisciplinary exploration of selected themes and representative materials in the African-American experience in North America, emphasizing continuity and change. (H) (WR)

COURSE OBJECTIVES

To provide a basic introduction to African American socio-cultural history

To provide a brief introduction to the historical development of African American Studies, the field’s contemporary theories, and contemporary issues relevant to African Americans

To read and reflect foundational texts and contemporary research in the “canon” of African American Studies

To provide a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of African American experiences

To promote creative, self-directed learning through the research process

Articles  --- Available online

1. Vanessa Fabien and Stephanie Evans. "UF African American Studies Program History," University of Florida African American Studies Program, http://www.clas.ufl.edu/afam/history.html (accessed August 4, 2006).

2. Stephanie Evans. "The State and Future of the Ph.D. in Black Studies: Assessing the Role of the Comprehensive Examination." Griot: Southern Conference on African American Studies. Spring, May 2006. vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 1-16. http://plaza.ufl.edu/drevans/Evans-GRIOT.htm (accessed August 4, 2006).

3. Journal of Black Studies (JBS). Any article relevant to your area of academic interest. Journal available in e-journals, UF library web page.

4. Stephanie Evans. "I Was One of the First to See Daylight": Black Women at Predominantly White Colleges and Universities in Florida since 1959. Florida Historical Quarterly (Volume
85, No. 1, August 2006). This article will be available through UF Electronic Reserves, late August.

Online books for group presentations  - Each group will be assigned one of the following books:

1. A Voice from the South, Anna Julia Cooper http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/cooper/cooper.html

2. Souls of Black Folk, W. E. B. Du Bois, http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/duboissouls/menu.html

4. Up From Slavery, Booker T. Washington http://docsouth.unc.edu/washington/washing.html

Required Textbooks (2)  --- Available at Orange and Blue Textbooks 309 NW 13^th Street 352-375-2707 or UF Bookstore

1. The African-American Odyssey, 3^nd Edition (ISBN #0-13-192217-3 Combined Volume, ONLY)

Darlene Clark Hine, William C. Hine, & Stanley Harrold (New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2006)

2. The Covenant with Black America. Introduction by Tavis Smiley. (Chicago: Third World Press, 2006)

3. Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life. bell hooks and Cornel West. (Boston: South End, 1991)

Additional Reading - For Debate II

1. Bill Cosby's May 17, 2004 speech (transcript) http://www.eightcitiesmap.com/transcript_bc.htm

2. Michael Eric Dyson's Is Bill Cosby Right or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?  (excerpt) http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4628960

GRADE SCALE               

1 BST & academics paper (2 pp)                       10 points

2 Online book, group presentation                       10 points

3 Online book, individual paper (3pp)       20 points

4 Odyssey or Covenant facilitation                    15 points

5 In-class quiz (6-8 pp, bring blue book)  30 points

6 Debates (1 debate, 1 judging)              20 points

7 Final paper oral overview (2-3 min)      10 points

8 Final research paper   (6-8 pp)                       60 points

9 Attendance (1 point per day)               25 points

TOTAL                                              200 POINTS

                                                2 Hours                                                1 Hour

1 BST & academics paper (2 pp)       10 points

Access the Journal of Black Studies through the e-journals connection of the UF Library website. Search the journal for a topic relevant to your major (search "medicine," "health," "psychology," "business," "education," "engineering," "law,"  "history." etc. - from off campus, you must access through Remote Login.). Write a 2 page paper discussing your academic interests and two articles found in the journal: explore how African American Studies is relevant to your major.

2 Online book, group presentation    10 points

Groups will be assigned to read online 1 book (Cooper, Washington, or Du Bois).  In their presentation, each group should cover the following aspects of the book:

Introduction of author

Summary of book

Identify two main themes of historic interest

Identify two main themes of contemporary interest

Summation and facilitate discussion

3 Online book, individual paper (3pp)           20 points

Write a 3 page paper on your assigned book. Summarize your part of the group presentation and discuss where your part fit into the whole.  Give at least 5 references to the text itself, then relate it to one reference from a book or article related to your major. 

4 Odyssey or Covenant facilitation                  15 points

Each group of approximately 2 students will facilitate discussion of the assigned reading. The facilitation groups will present a brief (5-6 minutes total) overview of their Odyssey or Covenant chapter and then lead a discussion about the main themes presented relevant to African American experiences.

5 In-class quiz (bring blue book)                    30 points

You will have 2 hours to answer 3 questions. Bring a blue book (available at the UF bookstore); loose paper will not be accepted. The quiz will be open note, but no books will be allowed. Dictionaries will be permitted. Points will be awarded for content and structure, ability to present observations with appropriate citations, and use of scholarly evidence to support reasonable arguments. Points will be deducted for illegibility.

6 Debates (1 debate, 1 judging)                     20 points

On two occasions there will be class debates.  Teams will be assigned beforehand and the debate question will be revealed a week before the debate.  Teams will be assigned and the question revealed, but teams will not know what side they will argue until the day of the debate. Each student on the team will be expected to speak at least 2 minutes.  There will be one opportunity for rebuttal and one closing statement for each side. One half of the class will debate while the other half judges the debate.  Points will be assigned for debating and for judging.

7 Final paper oral overview (2-3 min)            10 points

Present a 2-3 minute overview of your final research paper topic.  Include sources from both Odyssey and Covenant, outside sources, clarify the relationship of the BST material to your major, relate to assigned book by Cooper, Washington, or Du Bois and reference to Fabien & Evans, Evans, and JBS articles.

8 Final research paper (6-8 pp)                      60 points

There will be no final “exam” for this class. Grades will be given for the final research paper (6-8 pages, including 1 page bibliography). The grading rubric will be handed out in class, well in advance of the assignment due date. Part of the final paper grade will be the paper topic proposal (5 points), source material (10 points), and first draft (15 points). Final papers are due IN CLASS, at the beginning of class, on the last day of class. Late papers will be graded down one grade (A to B+, B+ to B, etc.) each day the paper is late. 

9 Attendance ( approx. 1 point per day)        25 points

On the fifth missed class, (excused or unexcused), there will be a ten- point penalty to your final grade.  This is a discussion-centered course, so attendance and participation are very important parts of your grade; absences will be monitored closely and excessive tardiness will be counted towards absences. Students in attendance are expected to sign in at every class session; attendance will be taken from the sign in sheet in order to eliminate attendance oversights. In case of disputed absences, the sign in sheet will be considered the verification of records. Those who miss more than three classes due to medical illness might consider dropping the course in accordance with the UF illness guidelines.  Students should consult the attendance policy http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/regulationattendance.html of the 2006-2007 University of Florida Catalogue. Students are expected to take notes on the assigned readings and review notes before coming to class. Be in class on time and to stay until class is finished.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

This syllabus represents an outline of the course.  Details of the course may change; however, students will be notified in advance if there are any changes made.

Do all work in a professional manner.  All written assignments are to be typed, double-spaced using Times Roman or Arial 12 (not 14) font in MS Word.  [Large fonts such as Century Schoolbook, Courier New, boldfaced fonts, or Bookman Old Style ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.] Borders should be the standard (one-inch) and only MLA, APA, or Chicago styles should be used for written work (use the style of your academic discipline). Do not take up extra space on journals or papers by using name, date, course, assignment title as ways to extend the start line of the paper.  Put all information in the top right hand corner, single spaced.  Assignment title or paper title may be centered.  Work will be considered late after the beginning of class on the due date and will be graded down one full letter grade if received after class.  DO NOT email assignments they will not be acknowledged…only hard copies count. Staple all papers!

All students are expected to know and adhere to the University’s guidelines for Academic Honesty (see http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/academic.htm for details).  If I have any reason to believe that any student has taken part in “cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation, bribery, conspiracy, or fabrication,” I will complete a faculty adjudication form and pursue the highest available sanction on the student.  I have had the unfortunate experience of having to turn students in for academic dishonesty; though it is a time-consuming and un-enjoyable process, I have been successful in the adjudication process and will not hesitate to report students suspected of dishonesty to the Dean of Students Office in accordance with University of Florida policies.

Please come and see me during office hours about ANY questions, comments, special needs or concerns regarding the course.  If my office hours conflict with your schedule, we can set up an appointment. Email or call at any time; allow 48 hours for my response.

Reminders