Course Syllabus

Syllabus

Africana Studies 1714: Intro. to Africana Studies

Fall 2016 - CRN: 80199

Office Hours: T/R 1-3pm

devonlee@vt.edu

Devon Lee

MCB 519

 

Introduction

 

Black Studies began in 1968 as a discipline dedicated to understanding and improving the lived experience of Africans and African-Americans. It started with the intention to provide a safe space for Black students to exercise their intellectual creativity, engage in accurate portrayals of the Black experience, along with identify and serve the needs of the Black community. Africana Studies extends that project to cover the African Diaspora.

 

In the same tradition, this course adopts the perspective of Africana studies to function on two prongs: education and service. This course will provide students with knowledge on race and racism, while encouraging student engagement. What this means is that students will develop a vocabulary and understanding of the concepts of race and racism, along with use those as tools for activist scholarship, as they spend the semester preparing to be agents of social change.

 

The purpose of this course is to train students of race and racism to be advocates, allies and agents of social change. The course will do so by creating a baseline of understanding that students will use to frame a perspective of social problems related to race. This will lead to the creation of solutions to those problems. As such, this course takes an activist-scholar approach education to deconstruct racism and uplift social justice.

 

Events, circumstances, phenomenon and conversations will be filtered through the standpoint of the Black lived experience. The information in this course will present examples and theory that will help you to better understand the world that you are in as it relates to race and racism. Not only will this course help you to understand the world around you, but it will also help you to understand yourself as a social construction of identities and how you may participate in empower/oppression and privilege/subordination through the intersection of your personal identities.

Race and Racism

 

“The only race is the human race.” “Racism is a thing of the past.” “It is racist to bring up racism.” “Talking about racism draws attention to a problem that is not there.” “Racism impacts white people more than Black people.” “If we all just looked at ourselves as human beings, racism would not be a problem.”

 

We will discuss these and many other popular understandings that fit with them in the context of post-racial, post-civil rights understanding in an effort to demystify, interrogate, destroy, and understand the root and impact they present if taken seriously. This course will begin with understanding the social construction of racism and then segue into contemporary understandings and realities of race relations and racism.

 

We will investigate the relationships between society and the individual. We will look at how past practices influence current events and how social structures impact the lives of groups and individuals. How do the intersections of race, class, and gender interact on a social and individual scale? Where does the economy come into play? How are identities valued? How are common perceptions informed by international relationships and local practices? Where did that coffee that you drank this morning or that shirt that you are wearing right now come from; and how is that represented in racial and economic relationships?

 

Honor Code

 

“As a Hokie, I will conduct myself with honor and integrity at all times. I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor will I accept the actions of those who do.” Students enrolled in this course are responsible for abiding by the Honor Code. A student who has doubts about how the Honor Code applies to any assignment is responsible for obtaining specific guidance from the course instructor before submitting the assignment for evaluation. Ignorance of the rules does not exclude any member of the University community from the requirements and expectations of the Honor Code.

 

For additional information about the Honor Code, please visit: https://www.honorsystem.vt.edu/

 

Disclaimer

 

This course may cover information and material that may be offensive to some in our class. Please be advised that opinions and images are not my own or reflective of the Sociology Department or Virginia Tech. The purpose of images, video footage, oppressive language etc…will be to offer a perception of reality that is not often frequented, which is marginalized, oppressed, closeted, or kept covert. Please keep in mind that said portrayals will be used for scholarly purposes.

 

Accessibility

 

Students with special needs that may inhibit their learning experience, please contact me at your earliest convenience so that I may accommodate you. Also, please be advised that Virginia Tech offers academic services for students with disabilities. Online and distance learning students with disabilities are eligible for accommodations and services based on documentation of the disability. If you have or think that you have a disability, please contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) staff in Laverly Hall at (540) 231-3788 or ssd@vt.edu at your earliest convenience. Their office is located at Laverly Hall, STE 310, Virginia Tech, 430 Old Turner Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061.

 

Principles of Community in the Classroom

 

In observation of our principles of community, we recognize that sometimes, despite our best efforts, toxic learning environments exist in our classrooms and educational spaces. I recognize the existence of faculty bullying and/or underrepresented and underserved students being unfairly targeted by professors, community members or peers through discriminatory behavior, microaggressions, and/or implicit or explicit bias. If you feel this is happening, please contact your professor (devonlee@vt.edu) or chair of the department (johnryan@vt.edu) ) the course is offered to resolve such conflict. If that option does not seem to be in your best interest given a perception of bias or feeling of discomfort, please contact Student Advocacy in the Dean of Students Office at your earliest convenience. 

 

Grading

 

Grading in this course will not simply be determined by how well you are able to understand and apply what is read and covered in lecture. You will also classroom material to your personal and global experience. Students will be graded according their performance on online exams, online forums on scholar and in the final group project. There will be no makeup for any assignments. There will be five online quizzes that will be administered through Scholar, a group project consisting of a presentation and paper. Participation will be considered through how well you all engage the forum topics and class discussion. Extra credit will be announced as opportunities present themselves. Each extra credit assignment will be worth the value of 4pts and will be evaluated by way of a 1-page reflection of the content as it relates to topics covered in the course. Extra credit will be limited to 20pts unless otherwise stated.

 

Class Discussions

 

All students will be required to bring three questions/reflective statements to class that come form course readings and/or current events that will be discussed during class. Questions/reflective statements must be handed in at the beginning of class and contain students’ name. It is required that students come prepared to class by doing the readings for class prior to coming. Students whom are unprepared can potentially lose participation points. Class discussions will also feature classroom-based activities.

 

Online Discussion Posts

 

Students will be required to respond to forum posts throughout the week. The deadline for forum posts is 11:59 on Monday night. There will be four graded posts per week for students to respond to and students are required to post a response to all forums posted. Students are also required to engage other students in dialogs. Posts in the forums will demonstrate their knowledge of the course material and students will be graded based on their demonstration of that knowledge. Please feel free to cite course material.

 

Group Video Essay

 

Groups will be randomly selected and placed in groups. Groups will produce a video based on a topic of their choice approved by me. The videos should be structured with an introduction (teaser), problem statement, analysis, and possible interventions. The teaser video should be no more than 5 minutes and the final video should be no more than 30 minutes.  

 

Supplementary Readings

 

It is required that you know all information provided on supplementary readings. Given the importance of the material, students are encouraged to meet with me in order to better understand the material. Comprehension guides will be given on Scholar listed as a sub-page under the module/reading tab.

 

Required Textbooks

Delores P. Aldridge and Carlen P. Young. 2003. “Out of the Revolution: The Development of Africana Studies.” New York: Lexington Books.

*All other required reading will be available via scholar and is listed below on the daily schedule.

Evaluation
Quizzes:	Student knowledge will be evaluated via four online exams.
Discussion:		Students will be evaluated on how well they integrate readings into their forum discussions with given topics. Discussion posts should be between 100 and 500 words.
Group Video Essay Project:			Students will be evaluated on how well they can integrate course material, research and social discourse to solve identified issues. Video Essays should attempt to solve a problem and integrate material from the course. Teaser videos should be no more than 5 minutes and final videos between 25 and 30 minutes.

*Quizzes will be primarily multiple-choice exams. Exams are typically released on Fridays and close by the following Tuesday with few exceptions.

Material and Weight
Quizzes (x4): 20%	200pts
Video Project Teaser: 20%	200pts
Video Essay Project: 40%=	500pts
Discussion Posts:                                                          20%	100pts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grade Evaluation

You will be graded on the quality of your work and your ability to demonstrate that you thoroughly understand the material through tests and discussion forums. This will be evaluated by your ability to demonstrate the following:

·      Understand the argument/presented information in given material. o   Tell what the argument means in your own words. o   Summarize the argument. o   List key relevant points

·      Demonstrate how course material can be applied to a REAL situation. o   Applying the knowledge to de/reconstruct major social events. o   Write a story/scene that depicts the a solution to an identified problem

·      Describe what aspects of the argument are limiting or unrealistic

·      Compare and contrast old/experiential information with newly acquired information.

 

Learning Objectives

1.     Students will be able to understand contemporary race relations as the legacy of past conflict and empowerment.

a.     Students will explain the implications that race has on lived experiences.

2.     Students will be able to detail theoretical paradigms and explanations for social phenomena.

a.     Students will debate how those theoretical perspectives shape social policy and public discourse on class forum discussions. b.     Students will also be able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these theoretical paradigms

3.     Students will understand the implications of a post-racial lens.

a.     Knowledge will be demonstrated and evaluated on tests and forums.

 

 

Daily Schedule
	August 23, 2016	Syllabus Day.   A conversation about #BlackLivesMatter and course expectations
	August 25, 2016	Preface Part I. Introduction   1. Historical Development and Introduction to the Academy Part II. Theoretical and Philosophical Perspectives   2. The Field and Function of Black Studies: Toward an Accurate Assessment of the State of Black Studies in the 1970s and 1980s	Discussion 1 response due at 11:59pm on August 30th.
	August 30, 2016	3. Paradigms in Black Studies
	September 1, 2016	4. Epistemological Consideration in Afro-American Studies   5. Africana Studies and Epistemology	Quiz 1 Due 11:59 pm Tuesday, September 6.
	September 6, 2016	Part III Development and Institutionalization: The Twentieth Century   6. Black Studies, Student Activism and the Academy
	September 8, 2016	8. The Early Years of Three Major Professional Black Studies Organization	Discussion 2 Response due September 12 at 11:59pm
	September 13, 2016	9. The Academy as an institution: Bureaucracy and African-American Studies
	September 15, 2016	10. Education in a Multicultural Society.
	September 20, 2016	Part IV. Black Women and Africana Studies   12. The Missing Link: Women in Black/Africana Studies
	September 22, 2016	Kimberle Crenshaw. Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics and Violence against Women of Color
	September 27, 2016	14. Africana Womanism
	September 29, 2016	Patricia Hill Collins. Toward a Politics of Empowerment.	Quiz 2. Due at 11:59 pm on October 3.
	October 4, 2016	Part V. Social, Psychological, Political, and Economic Dimensions in Africana Studies   15. Power and Group Identity Among African Americans: A Sociopsychological Analysis
	October 6, 2016	16. In the Wake of Destruction: Ujamaa Circle Process Therapy and Black Family Healing	Discussion 3 Response due October 5 at 11:59 pm.
	October 11, 2016	17. Para-Apartheid: The Origins of a Construct of Understanding Organizing of the Black Ghetto
	October 13, 2016	Part VI Africana Studies in the Diaspora   Tina Campt: The Crowded Space of Diaspora: Intercultural Address and the Tensions of Diasporic Relations.	Video Essay Project Teaser Due via youtube link sent to my email at 11:59 on October 17.
	October 18, 2016	18. Black Studies and Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Towards a New Syntehsis
	October 20, 2016	19: The Status of Africana/African-Brazilian Studies at Selected 20. The Afro-Mexican: A History Relatively Untouched Universities in Brazil	Quiz 3. Due 11:59 on October 24.
	October 25, 2016	Part VII. Humanistic Perspectives in Africana Studies   21. Toward an Understanding of the Black Image in the Visual Arts as Seen through Filmic Metaphor
	October 27, 2016	22. African-American Humanism in an Age of Africana Studies
	November 1, 2016	23. African-American Folklore and Diaspora
	November 3, 2016	24. Africanisms in African-American Music	Discussion 4 response due November 7 at 11:59 pm.
	November 8, 2016	25. Black Theology, Black Churches, and Black Women   26. Black Theology and Black Woman
	November 10, 2016	Part VIII. Africana/Black Studies as an Agent of Empowerment for Student Development   27. Political Philosophy and African Americans in Pursuit of Equality	Video Script and Draft Due November 15 at 11:59 pm.
	November 15, 2016	Audre Lorde. The Transformation of Silence into Language of Action
	Section 7 November 17, 2016	Terry Kershaw. The Black Studies Paradigm and the Making of Scholar Activists
	November 29, 2016	Assata Zerai. Models for Unity Between Scholarship and Grassroots Activism
	December 1, 2016	Class Projects	Quiz 4 Due at 11:59 pm on December 5.
	December 6, 2016	Class Projects
	December 8, 2016	Reading Day
	December 12, 2016	Class Final	Final 7:45-9:45am Final Version of Video Essay Project due