African American Women's History

Week

Date

Topic

Assignments due at the beginning of this week

1

Aug. 19,21

Introduction, Colonial. Relevance.  Who Gets to Create History.  How to read it. In-class work: 
- gender analysis in history
- primary documents

Gender Questionairre (in class)

Thurs: Bring MAJOR PROBLEMS book to class, and bring  in 1 article from newspaper or other source about gender in the U.S. today to present to class

2

Aug. 26, 28

 primary document analysis
    - Harriet Jacobs
    - Declaration of Sentiments
    - Sojourner Truth
    - Ida B. Wells on Lynching in America

Student-generated themes for women in U.S. history

For Tues: Read Octavia Butler, KINDRED, Intro, Ch. 1, 2

For Thurs: Read MAJOR PROBLEMS, Ch. 1, Ch. 4 (Kate Haulman, "Defining American Women's History, and Leslie Alexander, "Rethinking the Position of Black Women in American Women's History")

3

 Sept. 2, 4

Women in the Revolution: Impact and Opportunities

Molly Brant

Sojourner Truth

The Stanford Prison Experiment - researching why people can easily fall into roles

 For Tues: Read MAJOR PROBLEMS, Ch. 5 (pp. 111-137) and bring in your informed response

For Thurs: KINDRED, pp. 58-126 (For people with diff. editions, this is the chapter "The Fall" and the first four sections of the chapter "The Fight")

4

 Sept. 9, 11

What do we need to understand to be able to tell the history of women who were enslaved? 

NO CLASS THURS. 9/11 (Dr. Hogan's got a sick child). Please prepare the reading for 9/16. NaChay and Robynne will do "Gender Today" on 9/16). In lieu of class, please read the brief interview with Octavia Butler here, and watch this You Tube clip

For Tues: Read Chapter 7 in MAJOR PROBLEMS (pp. 176-199). Write an informed response to hand in

For Thurs: KINDRED, pp. 126-188 (The rest of the chapter of "The Fight")

5

 Sept. 16, 18  

 Women in the West

Weapons of the Weak -
Paper topic: What don't we know or understand about gender and women's history?

For Tues: Read Ch. 9 in MAJOR PROBLEMS (pp.232-258)
For Thurs: Read KINDRED, pp. 189-239

6

 Sept. 23, 25

Women in World War II

Extra Credit opportunity: Go see amazing scholar Annette Gordon Reed, on Sally Hemmings FREE EVENT at Richmond's Library of Virginia! Saturday, September 27, 2008 2:00–3:00 PM Flyer

By Tuesday, Sept. 23, you need to have decided on a research paper topic.

For Tues: Read Ch. 13 in MAJOR PROBLEMS (pp. 370-407)

For Thurs: Finish KINDRED

7

 Sept. 30, Oct. 2

Women in the Civil Rights Struggle, Groundwork before 1960. Early Civil Rights pioneers:  Bethune, Baker, Women's Organizations

What do we need to understand in order to read the personal narratives of Black women in the civil rights/Black Power movements?

What questions do we want to ask of these women who participated?

For Tues: PAPER OUTLINE AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE. Read ch. 1 in SISTERS IN THESTRUGGLE, pp. 9-20, and write an informed response.

For Thurs: Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp. 21-39 and write an INFORMEd RESPONSE. Also, come up with a list of 1to 3 questions you are interested in researching for your paper. Hand in at beginning of class.

8

 Oct. 7, 9

First-person narratives: What do they  teach us? What questions do we want to ask? What questions do we  have to ask? What do we then do with these documents?

What people tell, don't tell historians.

Tues:

Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp. 40-58

Thurs:

Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp. 59-74

You should have 3 pages of your rough draft written this week. Bring them to class Thurs. -- we will workshop them

9

 Oct. 16

 For Thurs: Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp. 75-92

10

 Oct. 21, 23

 Thurs:
Fannie Lou Hamer clip

Freedom Summer short clip
Video tribute to Victoria Gray Adams

 For Tues: Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp. 93-120

For Thurs:

Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp. 121-138

11

 Oct. 28, 30

Fannie Lou Hamer testimony before 1964 DNC Credentials Committee (MP3)

Fannie Lou Hamer and Bob Moses at a community meeting (MP3)

 Tues: FIRST DRAFT of RESEARCH PAPER DUE

Thurs: Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp.139-170

12

 Nov. 4, 6

For Tues: VOTE! Also

Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp. 171-196

For Thurs:

Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp. 197-213

13

 Nov. 11, 13

For Tues:

Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp. 214-229

For Thurs:

Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp. 230-256

14

 Nov. 18, 20          

Women & Sexuality

Abortion : If These Walls Could Talk (1996)

Black Genocide? The Pill

Sexual Abuse of Women in Prisons Today

 Women in Combat: Iraq

Women in Combat : Sexual Assault

 For Tues:

Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp. 257-279

For Thurs:

Read SISTERS IN THE STRUGGLE, pp. 306-327