History 331
HIST 331
African American History from 1865 (US) (WI)
Catalog Entry
HIST 331
African American History from 1865 (US) (WI)
Three hours lecture/discussion: (3)
Prerequisite: Three hours of History at the 100 level.
Examines the social, political, economic and cultural history of African Americans in the United States from Emancipation through Civil Rights Movement. Topics include Reconstruction, Segregation, both World Wars, the Great Migration, the Great Depression and New Deal, the Civil Rights Movement in both the North and the South, and Black Nationalism. Focuses on African American culture, racial identity, social consciousness, political thought, oppression and resistance.
Note(s): Cultural or Behavioral Analysis designated course.
Detailed Description of Content of Course
• Reconstruction and its Legacy
• Rise of Jim Crow
• Organization of Protest
• World War I
• The Great Migration
• The Twenties
• The Great Depression and New Deal
• World War II
• The Civil Rights Movement
• Urban Riots and the Rise of Black Power
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
HIST 331 utilizes a variety of pedagogical tools depending on the class makeup and the topic under discussion. Some of the instructional strategies applied include lecture, group and class discussions, multi-media presentations, student/class debates, and primary source analysis.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
Departmental Goals and Objectives:
1. Students will practice thinking critically and analytically about historical issues, acquire a broader knowledge and deeper understanding of pertinent historical events and processes, and cultivate a familiarity with the concepts of historical argument and interpretation.
2. Students will develop disciplinary research skills by designing strategies to locate and analyze primary and secondary source evidence, processing and organizing the resultant data, and composing proper citation and bibliographical entries.
3. Students will apply their critical thinking, research, and compositional skills to the creation and presentation of thesis driven essays that discuss, for example, historical social, economic, political, and/or cultural developments and that address issues such as the causes and consequences of historical change and continuity.
Course Goals and Objectives:
Upon completion of HIST 331, students will be able to identify, describe and discuss major themes of the African American history including but not limited to:
• The process whereby emancipation came about in the United States
• The successes and failures for African Americans in the aftermath of slavery (economic opportunity, education, political and social rights)
• The rise of legalized segregation in the United States and the various means of protest during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
• The varied involvement of African Americans both in the military and on the home front during both World Wars
• The impetus behind the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural south to the urban north beginning around 1915
• The various means of protest during the modern Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s through 1970s
• The rise of Black Power and the urban protest movement
Assessment Measures
Knowledge and understanding of the material covered in this course will be measured using an array of assessment tools that may include, among other things, class attendance and participation, written examinations, formal writing assignments of various types, and informal writing assignments. All exercises are designed to expand the student's ability to evaluate historical events and to develop his or her ability to compose persuasive arguments.
Other Course Information
None
Review and Approval
October 2010 Reviewed and Approved by Sharon A. Roger Hepburn, Chair
04/2011
March 01, 2021