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Black Politics Course Overview

3/22/2015

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Course description
The role of African Americans in state and national politics; political history of African Americans in American politics, public policy issues concerning African Americans, successes and failures of African American empowerment strategies, and electoral impact of African American votes.

Student Learning Outcomes
  1. Know critical thinking techniques for skillfully reading and interpreting different types of writing, such as textbooks, scholarly books and journal articles, case law, newspaper articles, government documents (including those that employ statistics), and original philosophical texts;
  2. Be able to assess information, including demonstrating the ability to distinguish between the central and peripheral aspects of our readings, and between well-substantiated arguments and unsupported assertions about the state of black America;
  3. Know how to apply community based research methods to social and political issues in the black community and in other communities of color;
  4. Be able to write knowledgeably, correctly, clearly and logically about issues of race and race relations in the United States.

Pedagogical Approach
As an instructor I work with students through a participatory framework. Each student comes with skills, knowledge and experiences that are valid to any material worthy to be taught. I believe this wholeheartedly. In this class you will be asked to examine issues of race, class, ability citizenship, sexuality and other forms of difference through various philosophical and political spectrums. My goal is to unveil the truths hidden by oppression and revise ill informed stigma and stereotypes in our hearts and minds.

Readings (available online and in the bookstore)
  • Sister Citizen - Melissa Harris Perry
  • Black Liberation and Socialism - Ahmed Shawki and Ahmed Shawqi
  • Black Feminist Thought - Patricia Hill Collins
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Equal Protection under the law in the 21st Century (week 11)

3/16/2015

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Watch the videos aboutCeCe McDonald and Marissa Alexander. Both cases involve a lack of protection under the law and a severe double standard that is present in the criminal justice system. In your blog post for our final week - discuss the various elements of their case and how it relates to what you've read and what you know needs to happen in order for these women to get justice.

Black Politics - Equal Protection under the law

Develop a 250 word original post by Friday and respond to another student by Sunday. Your original post should include an overview of what you read in Sister Citizen and other texts, an analysis of the two major themes from the reading a conclusion that asks critical thinking questions (open ended questions about the subject matter). These questions will be the prompt to other students to respond to you. Watch the video below to add context to the reading.
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Community Event Observations

3/16/2015

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Community Event Observations. Please write a 100-200 word post (minimum) for your community event observation. What did you do? Where did you go and why? What did you observe? What did you learn? How did you feel? What did you learn about black politics from this experience? (Example: film, protest, community event, etc)
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Hurricane Katrina & The Jena 6 (week 10)

3/9/2015

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Describe the social, political, and economic issues associated with Hurricane Katrina and the Jena 6 (two major themes). Make connections between both stories and how they relate to what you've read. Lastly, visit this link. Choose one of the organizations that are working for racial and economic justice. Learn about what they do and describe their mission and impact in your own words.



Develop a 250 word original post by Friday and respond to another student by Sunday. Your original post should include an overview of what you read in Sister Citizen and other texts, an analysis of the two major themes from the reading a conclusion that asks critical thinking questions (open ended questions about the subject matter). These questions will be the prompt to other students to respond to you. Watch the video below to add context to the reading.
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Uncovering Shame and Black Female Voices: Who is Listening? (week 9)

3/2/2015

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Develop a 250 word original post by Friday and respond to another student by Sunday. Your original post should include an overview of what you read in Sister Citizen (Chapter 3), an analysis of the two major themes from the reading a conclusion that asks critical thinking questions (open ended questions about the subject matter). These questions will be the prompt to other students to respond to you. Watch the video below to add context to the reading.
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Sister Citizen - Defining and refining spaces of citizenship (week 8)

2/23/2015

14 Comments

 
Develop a 250 word original post by Friday and respond to another student by Sunday. Your original post should include an overview of what you read in Sister Citizen (Chapter 1&2), an analysis of the two major themes from the reading a conclusion that asks critical thinking questions (open ended questions about the subject matter). These questions will be the prompt to other students to respond to you. Watch the video below to add context to the reading.
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The foundations of black feminist thought (week 7)

2/16/2015

12 Comments

 
Collin's quote from The Social Construction of Black Feminist Thought

"Black women's everyday acts of resistance challenge two prevailing approaches to studying the consciousness of oppressed groups. One approach claims that subordinate groups identify with the powerful and have no valid independent interpretation of their own oppression. The second approach assumes that the oppressed are less human than their rulers and, therefore, are less capable of articulating their own standpoint. Both approaches see any independent consciousness expressed by an oppressed group as being not of the groups' own making and/or inferior to the perspectives of the dominant group. More important, both interpretations suggest that oppressed groups lack the motivation for political activism because of their flawed consciousness of their own subordination." (Collins, 1989, pg 746-747)
Read the quote above and review the article to augment your understanding of Collin's work. In your own words describe what black feminist thought is and how you interpret it. Provide two examples in current events that are directly about a black woman or collectively about black women's experiences in the United States. Explain the relevant points in your post and discuss why these two current events affirm or negate the ideas presented above.
  • What is the benefit of having oppressed groups equally represent themselves regardless of oppressive circumstances?
  • How else would we view ourselves if we weren't taught that our oppression defined us?
  • How do these questions relate to the experience of black men and women in this country?
Develop a 250 word original post by Friday and respond to another student by Sunday. Your original post should include an overview of what you read in Black Feminist Thought, an analysis of the two major themes from the reading that directly address the questions above and a conclusion that asks critical thinking questions (open ended questions about the subject matter). These questions will be the prompt to other students to respond to you.
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The Black Panther Party 10 Point Plan (week 6)

2/9/2015

18 Comments

 
For this weeks blog assignment - choose two of the 10 points in the Black Panther Party 10 point plan. Compare these goals with what you have read in Black Liberation and Socialism as well as the Black Feminist Thought text. What did you learn from the text and lectures that provides additional context for these issues? How do these goals compare to one another? Describe the historical and contemporary necessity for the two BPP goals you chose? Has the BPP seen any progress in these goals? Why or why not?
Develop a 250 word original post by Friday and respond to another student by Sunday. Your original post should include an overview of what you read in Black Liberation & Social and Black Feminist Thought (Chapter 1/Chapter 2), an analysis of the two major themes from each reading that directly address the questions above and a conclusion that asks critical thinking questions (open ended questions about the subject matter). These questions will be the prompt to other students to respond to you.
The Ten Point Plan
  1. WE WANT FREEDOM. WE WANT POWER TO DETERMINE THE DESTINY OF OUR BLACK AND OPPRESSED COMMUNITIES.
    We believe that Black and oppressed people will not be free until we are able to determine our destinies in our own communities ourselves, by fully controlling all the institutions which exist in our communities.

  2. WE WANT FULL EMPLOYMENT FOR OUR PEOPLE.
    We believe that the federal government is responsible and obligated to give every person employment or a guaranteed income. We believe that if the American businessmen will not give full employment, then the technology and means of production should be taken from the businessmen and placed in the community so that the people of the community can organize and employ all of its people and give a high standard of living.

  3. WE WANT AN END TO THE ROBBERY BY THE CAPITALISTS OF OUR BLACK AND OPPRESSED COMMUNITIES.
    We believe that this racist government has robbed us and now we are demanding the overdue debt of forty acres and two mules. Forty acres and two mules were promised 100 years ago as restitution for slave labor and mass murder of Black people. We will accept the payment in currency which will be distributed to our many communities. The American racist has taken part in the slaughter of our fifty million Black people. Therefore, we feel this is a modest demand that we make.

  4. WE WANT DECENT HOUSING, FIT FOR THE SHELTER OF HUMAN BEINGS.
    We believe that if the landlords will not give decent housing to our Black and oppressed communities, then housing and the land should be made into cooperatives so that the people in our communities, with government aid, can build and make decent housing for the people.

  5. WE WANT DECENT EDUCATION FOR OUR PEOPLE THAT EXPOSES THE TRUE NATURE OF THIS DECADENT AMERICAN SOCIETY. WE WANT EDUCATION THAT TEACHES US OUR TRUE HISTORY AND OUR ROLE IN THE PRESENT-DAY SOCIETY.
    We believe in an educational system that will give to our people a knowledge of the self. If you do not have knowledge of yourself and your position in the society and in the world, then you will have little chance to know anything else.

  6. WE WANT COMPLETELY FREE HEALTH CARE FOR All BLACK AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE.
    We believe that the government must provide, free of charge, for the people, health facilities which will not only treat our illnesses, most of which have come about as a result of our oppression, but which will also develop preventive medical programs to guarantee our future survival. We believe that mass health education and research programs must be developed to give all Black and oppressed people access to advanced scientific and medical information, so we may provide our selves with proper medical attention and care.

  7. WE WANT AN IMMEDIATE END TO POLICE BRUTALITY AND MURDER OF BLACK PEOPLE, OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR, All OPPRESSED PEOPLE INSIDE THE UNITED STATES.
    We believe that the racist and fascist government of the United States uses its domestic enforcement agencies to carry out its program of oppression against black people, other people of color and poor people inside the united States. We believe it is our right, therefore, to defend ourselves against such armed forces and that all Black and oppressed people should be armed for self defense of our homes and communities against these fascist police forces.

  8. WE WANT AN IMMEDIATE END TO ALL WARS OF AGGRESSION.
    We believe that the various conflicts which exist around the world stem directly from the aggressive desire of the United States ruling circle and government to force its domination upon the oppressed people of the world. We believe that if the United States government or its lackeys do not cease these aggressive wars it is the right of the people to defend themselves by any means necessary against their aggressors.

  9. WE WANT FREEDOM FOR ALL BLACK AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE NOW HELD IN U. S. FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY, CITY AND MILITARY PRISONS AND JAILS. WE WANT TRIALS BY A JURY OF PEERS FOR All PERSONS CHARGED WITH SO-CALLED CRIMES UNDER THE LAWS OF THIS COUNTRY.
    We believe that the many Black and poor oppressed people now held in United States prisons and jails have not received fair and impartial trials under a racist and fascist judicial system and should be free from incarceration. We believe in the ultimate elimination of all wretched, inhuman penal institutions, because the masses of men and women imprisoned inside the United States or by the United States military are the victims of oppressive conditions which are the real cause of their imprisonment. We believe that when persons are brought to trial they must be guaranteed, by the United States, juries of their peers, attorneys of their choice and freedom from imprisonment while awaiting trial.

  10. WE WANT LAND, BREAD, HOUSING, EDUCATION, CLOTHING, JUSTICE, PEACE AND PEOPLE'S COMMUNITY CONTROL OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY.
    When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

    We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and, accordingly, all experience hath shown that mankind are most disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But, when a long train of abuses and usurpation, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
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Approaches to Change (week 5)

2/2/2015

17 Comments

 
In this weeks blog post I want you to incorporate themes from Black Feminist Thought (Chapter 1) to the topics address by Dr Crenshaw. In the video below you will learn about gender based violence and racialized imprisonment. These topics are crucial factors to understanding the various realities in the black experience. Having a critical understanding of each of these topics will make you a better person, leader, and community member.

Develop a 250 word original post by Friday and respond to another student by Sunday. Your original post should include an overview of what you read in Black Feminist Thought (Chapter 1), an analysis of the two major themes from each reading that directly address the questions above and relate to the film (Dr Crenshaw) and a conclusion that asks critical thinking questions (open ended questions about the subject matter). These questions will be the prompt to other students to respond to you. In your original post include two quotes from the Black Feminist Thought textbook.
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Why nonviolence? (Week 4)

1/26/2015

20 Comments

 
Within the civil rights movement there were two major camps regarding the most effective strategy to deal with overtly racist policies, people and communities. For many year Martin Luther King, Jr. sat at one pole of the nonviolence question while Malcolm X sat on the other. While one would profess the importance of humility and forgiveness of those that wrong us the other believed in self defense by any means necessary.

In addition to your regular reading for the blog post this week I would like you to read Malcolm X (Ballot or the Bullet speech) and Martin Luther King Jr. (Nonviolence and Racial Justice). Answer the following questions in your post. Be sure to respond to another student.

  • What were three major themes that stood out to you as you read the material? Describe the conditions in society that both MLK Jr. and Malcolm X were responding to in their speech/essay.
  • Explain their rationale for their chosen strategy to address racist and classist oppression in the United States.
  • What strategy would you employ if you were subjected to the conditions highlighted by Martin & Malcolm? What would be your rationale?
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The Battles of Reconstruction and the definition of freedom (week 3)

1/19/2015

19 Comments

 
The 13th , 14th, and 15th amendment arguably secured legal freedoms for black people in the United States. These decisions played a crucial role in the formation of the current interpretation of freedom and civil rights in this country. Defining and acting in ways that promote freedom in the black community has been an ongoing debate and nuance in the experience of black people nationwide. Things to think about: What does it mean to be free? How did the legalized oppression and consistent denial of humanity impact people during that time (black people and others)? How has this level of oppression in private and public spaces impact all people's sense of self and political agency?


Instructions
For this weeks blog I want you to watch both videos below.  Develop a 150 word original post by Friday and respond to another student by Sunday of each week. Your original post should include a brief overview of what you read, an analysis of the two major themes from each reading that directly address the questions above and a conclusion that asks critical thinking questions (open ended questions about the subject matter). These questions will be the prompt to other students to respond to you. In your original post include two quotes from the Black Liberation & Socialism text  in an effort to connect the material.

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Placing history in the front: The African Past & The Founding of Black America (week 2)

1/12/2015

16 Comments

 
I speak of Africa and golden joys.

The line above opens the first chapter in your reader, The African Past.  This chapter, along with The Founding of Black America, is assigned in order to re-brand our collective understanding and historical knowledge base on the contribution of black people around the world. This relates directly to the social, economic and political relationships black people have today with themselves and others - including state based institutions.

Answer the following questions after you have read The African Past and The Founding of Black America:
  • What new aspects of history have you learned from both of the readings? List and describe three news aspects of black history or history of the world that has been illuminated from the readings this week.
  • What connections do you see between the history we are taught and the more in-depth and accurate version of history to the current perceptions of blackness and black people in the world today? Try and come up with at least two. Explain what these connections are and why they are relevant.

    Instructions
    Develop a 150 word original post by Friday and respond to another student by Sunday of each week.
    Your original post should include a brief overview of what you read, an analysis of the two major themes from each reading that directly address the questions above and a conclusion that asks critical thinking questions (open ended questions about the subject matter). These questions will be the prompt to other students to respond to you.

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Understanding the themes in African American/Black Politics (week 1)

1/5/2015

24 Comments

 
These initial themes ask us to address the following questions:
  • What are the dynamics of the relationship between black people and the state (government of the United States?)
  • What forms of resistance have been developed in order to manage the experience of racism and other forms of oppression?
  • What are the nuances in the relationships of black people to one another and other marginalized groups?

    Read the handouts/excerpts from class.
    • Letter from Mecca - Malcolm X
    • Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
    • The Imperialism of Patriarchy
Instructions
Develop a 150 word original post by Friday and respond to another student by Sunday of each week.
Your original post should include a brief overview of what you read, an analysis of the two major themes from each reading that directly address the questions above and a conclusion that asks critical thinking questions (open ended questions about the subject matter). These questions will be the prompt to other students to respond to you.

Expanding your awareness: Black Political Perspectives

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    POSCI 3335

    This blog is strictly for CSU STUDENTS registered in Prof Crain's /African American/ (Black) [Politics] course.

    Class Syllabus

    The African Past PT1

    The Founding of Black American PT2


    Reader PT 3


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