The Civil Rights Movement in the United States

Sylabus

International Aspects of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States

Course number: JMB237

Instructor: Doc. PhDr. Francis D. Raška, PhD.

Tel.: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

Office hours: Tuesdays from 2 PM until 3 PM and Wednesdays from 2 PM until 3 PM in Office J3079.

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

The purpose of this course is to analyze the American civil rights movement in an international context. Students should foster and improve their analytical capabilities by questioning what they read rather than accepting the opinions of others at face value. The readings will be put on reserve at the Library in Jinonice. Each student will be expected to borrow the readings in the library, photocopy them using library facilities, and return the original readings to the library desk. The original readings are not to be removed from the library under any circumstances.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES

Each student will be awarded a final mark at the end of the semester, which will be determined by three factors:

Class participation 30%

Term paper 50%

Oral examination 20%

Students will be expected to read the assigned materials. Attendance in class and participation in class discussions are required and each student will be required to submit a term paper containing 8 to 10 double-spaced pages at the end of the semester. In order to avoid any problems, I will need to know term paper topics beforehand. During the first weeks of the course, we will agree as a group on the submission dates for the topics and the term papers themselves. If a student repeatedly fails to read the assigned materials and/or does not attend the course regularly, I reserve the right not to accept his/her term paper at the end of the term. This translates into "No work, no credit." Past experience has taught me that, largely on account of other university requirements and responsibilities, students need help with time management and guidance in their work. Therefore, I have decided upon several courses of action. First, I will insist that students let me know how they are getting on with their work throughout the course of the semester. Second, some time will be spent during the first session(s) discussing what is expected in a term paper. Third, all students can expect to be examined orally on the topic of their term paper at the end of the term. Questions asked during individual examination sessions may involve the given term paper topic as well as the research methods employed. Finally, I would like to stress that, in order for the course to be successful, we need to work together as a group of dedicated, mature scholars whose members communicate constructively with one another. Let the festival of learning begin!

TEXTS

Borstelmann, Thomas, The Cold War and the Color Line: American Race Relations in the Global Arena, Cambridge, MA, 2003.

Dudziak, Mary L., Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy, Princeton, 2000.

Gilmore, Glenda Elizabeth, Defying Dixie: The Radical Roots of Civil Rights, 1919-1950, New York, 2008.

Horowitz, David, Left Illusions: An Intellectual Odyssey, Dallas, 2004.

Rosenberg, Jonathan, How far the Promised Land?, Princeton, 2006.

COURSE TOPICS AND ASSIGNED READINGS

Historical Background

Readings: 1. Rosenberg, Jonathan, How far the Promised Land?, pp. 1-50. 2. Rosenberg, Jonathan, How far the Promised Land?, pp. 51-100. 3. Gilmore, Glenda Elizabeth, Defying Dixie: The Radical Roots of Civil Rights, 1919-1950, pp. 106-154. 4. Rosenberg, Jonathan, How far the Promised Land?, pp. 101-155. 5. Rosenberg, Jonathan, How far the Promised Land?, pp. 156-213. 6. Rosenberg, Jonathan, How far the Promised Land?, pp. 214-233.

The Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s: Links to Other Issues

Readings: 7. Borstelmann, Thomas, The Cold War and the Color Line, pp. 135-171. 8. Borstelmann, Thomas, The Cold War and the Color Line, pp. 172-221. 9. Dudziak, Mary L., Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy, pp. 203-254.

The Impact of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1970s to the Present

Readings: 10. Borstelmann, Thomas, The Cold War and the Color Line, pp. 222-265. 11. Horowitz, David, Left Illusions: An Intellectual Odyssey, pp. 151-203.

Anotace

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

The purpose of this course is to analyze the American civil rights movement in an international context. Students should foster and improve their analytical capabilities by questioning what they read rather than accepting the opinions of others at face value. The readings will be put on reserve at the Library in Jinonice. Each student will be expected to borrow the readings in the library, photocopy them using library facilities, and return the original readings to the library desk. The original readings are not to be removed from the library under any circumstances.