a)     comprehend, analyze, and synthesize a significant amount 
of reading material, class lectures, and videos and 
documentaries;

b)     attend class regularly and to participate actively in 
class discussions;

c)      demonstrate critical and analytical skills in writing 
papers and answering comprehensive essay questions on written 
examinations;

d)     think about history in new ways, which will require that 
they question previously-held misconceptions and be open to new 
ideas and interpretations.

The course will begin by providing some background information 
on the legacy of slavery and racism in the United States as it 
affected African Americans.  From there the focus will turn to 
the years immediately following the end of the Second World 
War, when returning African American veterans began to assert 
their manhood and their rights to be treated as equals in a 
country they had risked their lives to defend.  The course will 
then proceed chronologically to address such issues as the Cold 
War, the negative impact that Joseph McCarthy’s communist witch 
hunts had on the liberation movements in the country, and the 
Supreme Court’s monumental decision in Brown v. Board of 
Education.  Most of the focus will be on the 1950s, 1960s, and 
1970s, during which time what has commonly come to be known as 
the “civil rights movement” took shape.  We will study the 
various strategies and philosophies of some of the movement’s 
key leaders, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Ella Baker, 
Fannie Lou Hamer, Malcolm X, as well as the roles of 
politicians, elected officials, and federal judges in providing 
impetus for the movement at various stages.  The class will 
challenge students to understand the harsh reality of racial 
segregation and discrimination, both de facto and de jure, how 
it had been accepted and perpetuated by the dominant white 
society since the end of the Civil War, and how various social 
and political forces converged in the second half of the 
twentieth century to bring about racial and social change.

All students are expected to adhere to the University’s honor 
code and academic honesty policy, and a statement to that 
effect will be included on the syllabus.

a) comprehend, analyze, and synthesize a significant amount of 
reading material, class lectures, and videos and documentaries;

b) attend class regularly and participate actively in class 
discussions;

c) demonstrate critical and analytical skills in writing papers 
and answering comprehensive essay questions on written 
examinations;

d) think about history in new ways, which will require that 
students question previously-held misconceptions and be open to 
new ideas and interpretations.

Because this class is taught within the Honors program, there 
will be a special emphasis on the interpretation of primary 
documents, and the course will take advantage of the seminar 
format to discuss these documents at greater length. Students 
will be expected to demonstrate their ability to analyze these 
documents in both the written assignments and in the exams.

The course will begin by providing some background information 
on the legacy of slavery and racism in the United States as it 
affected African Americans. From there, the focus will turn to 
the years immediately following the end of World War II, when 
returning African American veterans began to assert their 
manhood and their rights to be treated as equals in a country 
they had risked their lives to defend. 

The course will then proceed chronologically to address such 
issues as the Cold War, the negative impact that Joseph 
McCarthy’s communist witch hunts had on the liberation movements 
in the country, and the Supreme Court’s monumental decision in 
Brown v. Board of Education.  Most of the focus will be on the 
1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, during which time what has commonly 
come to be known as the “civil rights movement” took shape.  

We will study the various strategies and philosophies of some of 
the movement’s key leaders, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., 
Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, Malcolm X, as well as the roles of 
politicians, elected officials, and federal judges in 
providing impetus for the movement at various stages. 

The course will challenge students to understand the harsh 
reality of racial segregation and discrimination, both de facto 
and de jure, how it had been accepted and perpetuated by the 
dominant white society since the end of the Civil War, and how 
various social and political forces converged in the second half 
of the twentieth century to bring about racial and social change.