AFA # 3930 section 5305x
Updated August 27 , 2004
Dr. S.
Evans
Department: African American Studies, University of
Florida
Phone:
352-392-6088
Email: drevans@ufl.edu
Class Location: Rinker 106 (Tues); Rinker 210
(Thurs)
Office Location: 3332 Turlington Hall
Meeting Times: Tuesdays 11:45-1:40 p.m.
&
Office Hours: Wednesdays &
Thursdays
Thursdays 11:45-12:35 p.m.
10:00am – 11:30am
Description:
In this course students will explore various ways that African
American history has been and can be researched.
Students will be introduced to research topics, themes, and methods
in the field of African American history.
Students will discuss this content and structure in relation to
collecting, preserving, and disseminating Black cultural,
political, and intellectual history.
Students will then use similar resources and methods to formulate a
question relevant to African American history, utilize primary and
secondary sources to answer that question, and develop an argument
based on their original research.
Course Objectives:
To familiarize students with different approaches that researchers
have taken in the field of African American history
To assist students in formulating research questions and gaining
knowledge of institutional resources to answer those questions
To allow the students’ individual and collective research
interests to provide much of the class content and context
Action-based Learning Objectives:
In this course, students will:
Learn various qualitative methods of research by gaining
familiarity with primary and secondary sources
Reinforce writing and critical thinking skills by analyzing
historians' evidence and evaluating strengths and weaknesses of
research techniques
Produce and present a final research project in preparation for
future academic and professional advancement
Required Readings:
Books: Only available at The African Violet, Inc. 424
NW 13th Street, Suite B
Delphine Jackson, owner
phone: 336-2606
1.African American Mosaic: A Documentary History from the Slave
Trade to the Twenty-first Century
John H. Bracey Jr. & Manisha Sinha
2.The Voice of Anna Julia Cooper
Edited by Charles Lemert and Esme Bhan
3. The African American Heritage of Florida
Edited by David. R., Colburn & Jane L. Landers
4.Brown v. Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and Its
Troubled Legacy
James T. Patterson
5.A Short Guide to Writing about History
Richard Marius
Assigned Articles
1. Okafor, Victor. 1992.
“A Reevaluation of African Education: Woodson
Revisited.” Journal of Black Studies, 22(4): 579-592
2. Franklin, V. P. and
Bettye Collier-Thomas. “
Biography, Race Vindication, and African-American Intellectuals:
Introductory Essay.” The Journal of Negro History,
Vol. 81, No. 1/4, Vindicating the Race: Contributions to
African-American Intellectual History. (Winter - Autumn, 1996), pp.
1-16.
Additional Articles: TBA: The required articles can be found on www.jstor.org by doing a title or
author search and checking the box that indicates a selection of
African American Studies journals.
Class Requirements and Grading Scale:
Attendance
25
In-class essay # 1,
Mosaic
10
Take home essay, Heritage /
Brown
10
Question
journals
10
In-class facilitation, Mosaic/case studies
10
Research project
Final paper (Due Dec.
7th)
25
Presentation
10
Total
points:
100
Course Outline:
Week 1
Tuesday, August 24th: Overview of syllabus;
Introductions
Thursday, August 26th: Victor Okafor, “A
Reevaluation of African Education: Woodson Revisited.”
Journal of Black Studies; V.P. Franklin and Bettye
Collier-Thomas, “
Biography, Race Vindication, and African-American Intellectuals:
Introductory Essay.” The Journal of Negro
History.
Week 2
Tuesday, August 31st: The African American Heritage
of Florida, Chapters 1, 2, &3
Thursday, September 2nd: Heritage, 4, 5, & 6
Week 3
Tuesday, September 7th: Heritage, 7, 8, 9, 10
Thursday, September 9th: Heritage, 11, 12, 13
Week 4
Tuesday, September 14th: African American Mosaic,
Chapters 1 & 2
Thursday, September 16th: African American
Mosaic, Chapter 3
Week 5
Tuesday, September 21st: African American Mosaic,
Chapter 4 & 5
Thursday, September 23rd: African American
Mosaic, Chapter 6
1-page research paper topic proposals due
Week 6
Tuesday, September 28th: African American Mosaic,
Chapter 7 & 8
Thursday, September 30th: No class – Dr. Evans
at ASALH
Week 7
Tuesday, October 5th: Library Visit #1 – Special
Collections (Meet on 2nd Floor of Library East,
Baldwin Library)
Thursday, October 7th: Library Visit #2 –
In-class: electronic database and on-line resource presentation
Week 8
Tuesday, October 12th: African American Mosaic,
Chapter 9 & 10
Thursday, October 14th: African American Mosaic,
Chapter 11
Week 9
Tuesday, October 19th: In-class essay # 1, African
American Mosaic
Thursday, October 21st: Brown v. Board of
Education, 1, 2, & 3
Week 10
Tuesday, October 26th: Brown, 4, 5, 6, & 7
Thursday, October 28th: Brown, 8, 9, & 10
Week 11
Tuesday, November 2nd: Guest Panel
UF African American Studies Program Faculty
Take home essay due
Thursday, November 4th: Reflection: Primary and
Secondary sources, Dr. Evans’ research
Final paper sources and outline due
Week 12
No class – Dr. Evans at Berea College, Kentucky
Week 13
Tuesday, November 16th: A Short Guide to Writing
about History I
Writing workshop
Thursday, November 18th: A Short Guide to Writing
about History II,
First draft due
Week 14
Tuesday, November 23rd: No class, Holiday Break
Thursday, November 25th: No class, Holiday Break
Week 15
Tuesday, November 30th: Presentations
Thursday, December 2nd: Presentations
Week 16
Tuesday, December 7th: Presentations
Assignments
Attendance
25
On the fourth missed class,(excused or unexcused),
there will be a five- point penalty to your final grade.
This is a discussion-centered course, so attendance and
participation are very important parts of your grade; monitor your
absences closely. 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 are eligible for
the University of Florida "12 day rule" need to provide
documentation of eligibility to Dr. Evans by the second week of the
course. 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 in the 2004-2005 University of Florida catalogue.
Be in class on time and to stay until class is finished.
Arriving late and/or leaving early will affect the class attendance
and participation grade. The core of the class depends on student
discussion. The course is designed to enable students to be
active participants. The class discussion will allow
students to voice, in detail, their perspectives and ideas about
topics and issues relevant to their personal experiences and their
understanding of African American history. Students are expected to
take notes on the assigned readings and review notes before
coming to class.
In-class essay ,
Mosaic
10
This will be an in-class blue book exam. Bring 2 large blue books
and your Mosaic text. You will be asked 2 questions
regarding theoretical frameworks, primary vs. secondary sources and
African American history in your discipline. The exam will be open
book, so bring your text. During the class time allotted, you will
write at least 7 LEGIBLE pages that demonstrate your thought
processes as informed by the lectures, discussion, and course
reading. (If you are in need of more time than 11:45-1:40, on
Tuesday, October 19th, notify me – in
writing – in advance.) Writing mechanics (handwriting,
spelling, and grammar) do matter; this is a formal piece of
writing - the use of personal dictionaries is encouraged. The
make-up exam will be an 8-10 page double-spaced paper answering a
similar question.
Take home
essay
10
You will have a 3 –5 page take home essay due. In two
separate parts of this paper, find a major theme relevant to your
major, one in African American Heritage of Florida and one in Brown
v. Board of Education. Make sure that you use at least three
references from each text as examples.
Question journals,
Mosaic
10
As you read, record one question per chapter for the Mosaic
text. Bring the questions to class, they will form the basis
of discussion. Record your questions however you wish
(notebook etc.) however, at the end of the text reading (week 10)
you will turn in your questions typewritten and single-spaced.
Please do not turn in journal with a report cover; a simple staple
will do.
In-class facilitation, case
studies 10
Each group will facilitate discussion on the weekly case studies.
Everyone in the class will read all texts, but a small group will
present an overview of the text and then lead a discussion about
the main themes presented relevant to African American History.
Research project
Final
paper
25
Presentation
10
There will be no final “exam” for this class.
Grades will be given for the final research paper (12-15 pages,
including 1 page bibliography) and presentations (10 minutes). 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 for the
paper topic proposal, source identification, and first draft. The
final presentations will be given during the final five regular
class meeting times and will be open to class members and
guests.
This final research paper is to be a professional writing
sample for your future application to graduate/professional
school. Thus, the topic needs to be in line with your course
of present and/or future studies. It will be helpful if you
take the following steps before deciding on a final topic: 1)
decide which schools you are going to apply to; 2) look up the
faculty in those programs and read their research interests and
publications list; 3) look at the course syllabi in those
departments and consider using the reading lists from those
syllabi. These few steps should get you in the
“zone” of considering the major debates in your field
and identifying the positions of the major authors.
Final papers are due IN CLASS - at the beginning of class - on
the last class period, Tuesday, December 7th.
Papers turned in after that time will be considered late and graded
down a full letter grade (A to B+, B+ to C, etc.) each day the
paper is late.
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 (except in-class essays) 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 APA or Chicago styles should be
used for written work. 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. After the due date, the
assignment grade will drop one letter grade (A to B+; B+ to B; B to
C+ etc.) per week. DO NOT email assignments.
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.
Activate your Gator ID, library card, and UF email accounts
immediately.
No eating in class will be allowed. Please plan ahead for
lunch. Turn off cell phones and electronic devices before class.
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.
Calendar: Research Methods UPDATED 13 September
2004
|
|
Tuesday
|
Thursday
|
|
1
|
Syllabus; Introductions
|
Victor Okafor, “A Reevaluation of African
Education: Woodson Revisited.” Journal of Black
Studies; V.P. Franklin and Bettye
Collier-Thomas, “
Biography, Race Vindication, and African-American
Intellectuals: Introductory Essay.” The
Journal of Negro History.
|
|
2
|
The African American Heritage of Florida,
Chapters 1, 2, &3
|
Heritage, 4, 5, & 6
|
|
3
|
Frances
|
Dr. Tatum
|
|
4
|
Heritage, 7, 8, 9, 10
|
Heritage, 11, 12, 13
|
|
5
|
African American Mosaic, Chapter 1 & 2
|
African American Mosaic, Chapter 3 & 4
1-page research paper topic proposals due
|
|
6
|
African American Mosaic, Chapter 5 & 6
|
No class – Dr. Evans at ASALH
|
|
7
|
Library Visit #1 – Special Collections (Meet on
2nd Floor of Library East, Baldwin Library)
|
Library Visit #2 – In-class: electronic database and
on-line resource presentation Historiography and
“micro, meso, macro, global” standpoints
(Social Location Framework);
|
|
8
|
African American Mosaic, Chapter 7, 8 & 9
|
African American Mosaic, Chapter 10 & 11
|
|
9
|
In-class essay # 1, African American Mosaic
|
Brown v. Board of Education, 1, 2, & 3
|
|
10
|
Brown, 4, 5, 6, & 7
|
Brown, 8, 9, & 10
|
|
11
|
Guest Panel
UF African American Studies Program Faculty
Take home essay due
|
Reflection: Primary and Secondary sources, Dr.
Evans’ research
Final paper sources and outline due
|
|
12
|
No class – Dr. Evans at Berea College,
Kentucky
|
No class – Dr. Evans at Berea College,
Kentucky
|
|
13
|
A Short Guide to Writing about History I
Writing workshop
|
A Short Guide to Writing about History II,
First draft due
|
|
14
|
No class, Holiday Break
|
No class, Holiday Break
|
|
15
|
Presentations
|
Presentations
|
|
16
|
Presentations; Last class day
Final Papers due
|
|
Facilitation Assignments UPDATED 13 September 2004
Heritage 7, 8, 9, 10
Cory
Heritage 11, 12, 13
Stephanie
Sheila
Mosaic 1 & 2
Janelle
John
Mosaic 3 & 4
Amanda
Sheila
Mosaic 5 & 6
Janelle
Marisa
Mosaic 7, 8 & 9
Stephanie
Amanda
Cory
Mosaic 10 & 11
Todre
Marisa
Brown 1, 2, & 3
Marisa
Stephanie
Brown 4, 5, 6, & 7
Janelle
Todre
Brown 8, 9, & 10
Sheila
John
