Upper-division Writing Requirement Review Form (5/4/09)
I. General Education Review – Upper-division Writing Requirement
Dept/Program
Course # (i.e. ANTH AAS/HSTA 345 (but
African American
Subject
455) or sequence
Studies/History
will be changed to
415)
Course(s) Title
Black Radical Tradition
Description of the requirement if it is not a single course
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office.
Please type / print name Signature
Instructor
Tobin Miller Shearer
Phone / Email
X6225;
tobin.shearer@gmail.
com
Program Chair
Tobin Miller
Shearer/John Eglin
III Overview of the Course Purpose/ Description
Date
Autumn, odd years. Same as HSTA 345 [Request made for change to 415]. Historians have
generally framed African-American resistance to institutional, political, and cultural racism in
the United States according to either the non-violent integrationist efforts of the Civil Rights
Movement or the armed, revolutionary efforts of Black Nationalist groups. This dichotomy
ignores the continuities within the black radical tradition throughout American history. This
course seeks to answer the question, “What are the sources, practices, and effects of the Black
Radical tradition in United States history?” From slave revolts through to the Move rebellion in
Philadelphia, this course examines how the African-American community has engaged in
radical efforts to change the status quo in the name of seeking justice.
IV Learning Outcomes: Explain how each of the following learning outcomes will be achieved.
Student learning outcomes :
Identify and pursue more sophisticated
questions for academic inquiry
Find, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize
information effectively from diverse sources
(see http://www.lib.umt.edu/informationliteracy/)
Manage multiple perspectives as appropriate
Recognize the purposes and needs of
discipline-specific audiences and adopt the
academic voice necessary for the chosen
discipline
Use multiple drafts, revision, and editing in
conducting inquiry and preparing written work
Follow the conventions of citation,
documentation, and formal presentation
appropriate to that discipline
Develop competence in information
technology and digital literacy (link)
The course is designed around the following
objectives, all of which attend to complex queries:
- define the meaning of radicalism;
- identify the cultural, ideological, religious, and
political sources of the black radical tradition in U.S.
history;
- compare and contrast the various types of black
radical movements – rebellions, revolts, political
organizations, armed resistance, etc. – in order to
assess their effectiveness according to participants’
stated goals;
- analyze black radical movements through social
movement theory in order to evaluate their influence
in history.
Students draw on a variety of secondary and primary
sources, class readings, and presented lectures to
pursue the following research agenda: present a clearly
articulated thesis that argues whether the paper’s
subject(s) succeeded or failed in their black radical
initiative based on an analysis of both intended and
unintended outcomes
Students encounter a range of methodological and
historical perspectives through a rigorous reading list.
The supplied rubric (see attachment) offers detailed
guidelines on the importance of argument, historical
analysis, and positioning in the research field.
Students submit three drafts of a 20-page research
paper.
Students receive instruction on appropriate use of
Chicago Manual of Style footnoting.
Students submit all written material through a course
website where they also download selected course
readings.
V. Writing Course Requirements Check list
Is enrollment capped at 25 students?
If not, list maximum course enrollment.
Explain how outcomes will be adequately met
for this number of students. Justify the request
for variance.
Are outcomes listed in the course syllabus? If
not, how will students be informed of course
expectations?
X Yes  No
Are detailed requirements for all written
assignments including criteria for evaluation in the
course syllabus? If not how and when will students
be informed of written assignments? Please attach
one example of instructions for written assignment.
Briefly explain how students are provided with
tools and strategies for effective writing and editing
 Yes X No
X Yes  No
No. I provide a separate rubric for each writing
assignment.
I commit class time to discuss strong writing, review
appropriate research techniques, and assess style.
in the major.
Students learning through a thorough process of
revision.
The primary writing assignment, an 18-20-page
Which written assignments include revision in
research paper, is submitted in three drafts.
response to instructor’s feedback?
Are expectations for Information Literacy listed in
 Yes X No
I review research techniques and methods during the
the course syllabus? If not, how will students be
first several weeks of class.
informed of course expectations?
VI. Writing Assignments: Please describe course assignments. Students should be required to
individually compose at least 20 pages of writing for assessment. At least 50% of the course grade
should be based on students’ performance on writing assignments. Clear expression, quality, and
accuracy of content are considered an integral part of the grade on any writing assignment.
For the research paper, students present a clearly
Formal Graded Assignments
articulated thesis that argues whether the paper’s
subject(s) succeeded or failed in their black radical
initiative based on an analysis of both intended and
unintended outcomes. In the multi-drafted, 18-20-page
paper, students draw on class readings, lectures, and
additional secondary and primary sources, make a
clear and sustainable argument, and identify the period
that they are studying. Students might, for example,
discuss the success or failure of the Amistad Rebellion
in the early 19th century, the Nat Turner Slave Revolt
of 1831, Robert Delaney’s colonization schemes, the
United Negro Improvement Association, or the Black
Panthers. Students submit a topic, outline, and three
drafts of their paper. In addition the students write a
long, in-class final exam essay that requires them to
assess four books read during the semester in response
to the prompt, “If those were your only source of
knowledge of the black radical tradition, how would
you explain it to a high school student who has been
stranded with you on a desert island?”
Informal Ungraded Assignments
VII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form.  The syllabus
should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus preparation
see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
AAS 345/HSTA 345: The Black Radical Tradition
Tobin Miller Shearer
Historians have generally framed African-American resistance to institutional, political,
and cultural racism in the United States according to one of two strategies: the nonviolent integrationist efforts of the Civil Rights Movement or the armed, revolutionary
efforts of Black Nationalist groups like the Black Panthers. This dichotomy sets up a
polar opposition that ignores the continuities within and seamless perspectives of the
Black Radical tradition throughout American history. This course seeks to answer the
question, “What are the sources, practices, and effects of the Black Radical tradition in
the entirety of United States history?” From slave revolts through to the Move rebellion
in Philadelphia, this course examines how the African-American community has engaged
in radical efforts to change the status quo in the name of seeking racial justice.
Objectives: students will be able to –
- define the meaning of radicalism;
- identify the cultural, ideological, religious, and political sources of the black
radical tradition in U.S. history;
- compare and contrast the various types of black radical movements – rebellions,
revolts, political organizations, armed resistance, etc. – in order to assess their
effectiveness according to participants’ stated goals;
- analyze black radical movements through social movement theory in order to
evaluate their influence in history.
Assignments:
In order to meet these objectives students will take a quiz on each assigned book, take
part in a group presentation on a radical black initiative, write one research paper, and
take one in-class final exam. Each Tuesday’s class will begin with a quiz on the assigned
readings (quizzes will shift to Thursdays in case of holidays or cancelled classes).
Students may use their own notes to take the quiz. The presentation will examine a
radical black initiative and describe whether that intervention succeeded or failed
according to goals identified by the organizers. The students’ peers will evaluate each
presentation. Each 20-page research paper will expand on the group presentation topic
and focus on the unintended effects of the intervention. The research paper will be
submitted once as an outline, once as an initial draft, once as a second draft, and once as a
final draft with the expectation that each draft will improve upon the previous one. The
short-essay based final exam will cover the entire course. Rubrics will be provided for all
assignments.
Grading:
Participation – 15%
Group presentation – 10%
Research paper – 50%
Grade scale:
A+ 98-100 A 93-97
C+ 77-79 C 73-76
D+ 67-69 D 63-66
Quizzes – 10%
Final – 15%
A- 90-92
C- 70-72
D- 60-62
B+ 87-89 B 83-86 B- 80-82
F ≤59
Classroom etiquette:
I expect that all students will join me in creating a supportive and focused learning
environment by:
- turning off all cell phones (and thus doing no texting, e-mailing or instant
messaging);
- using laptops only for note taking;
- not doing crosswords, reading newspapers, or other recreational activities;
- not talking or whispering with fellow classmates unless instructed to do so.
During lectures, I will give you my complete attention. I ask the favor of the same from
my students. Should a student’s behavior interrupt our learning environment, he or she
will first be given a private verbal warning. Upon second infraction, the student will
receive a public warning. Should disruptive behaviors continue following two warnings,
the student will be issued a warning in writing. Any subsequent disruptive behaviors will
be turned over to the University’s disciplinary committee.
Instructor contact:
I maintain regular office hours that I will post on the course website. You are also
welcome to contact me by e-mail. My goal is to respond within 24 hours. In case of
emergency, you may contact me by phone as listed on the course website.
Participation:
All students are expected to be in class each time we meet and have read the materials
under discussion. Attendance will be taken every day. Students will be excused for a
limited number of classes if appropriate documentation from medical, athletic or
administrative officials is provided.
Missed deadlines:
My goal is always to encourage your best work in the midst of multiple classroom
demands and real life emergencies. Limited deadline extensions can be arranged if the
student makes advance contact. Late papers or projects will be marked down 1/3
grade/day. Make-up exams will not be offered unless they are arranged along with
appropriate documentation from medical, athletic or administrative officials.
Academic honesty:
Stealing someone else’s ideas is the same as stealing someone’s property. Cite others’
ideas in standard footnote format (in written work and all projects). Paraphrase whenever
possible. In general, a paraphrase uses no more than three of the same words in a
sentence as the original source. See:
http://ordway.umt.edu/SA/VPSA/index.cfm/name/StudentConductCode for a full review
of the University of Montana’s student conduct code.
Accessibility:
The University of Montana assures equal access to instruction through collaboration
between students with disabilities, instructors, and Disability Services for Students
(DSS). If you think you may have a disability adversely affecting your academic
performance, and you have not already registered with DSS, please contact DSS in
Lommasson 154 or visit their website http://www.umt.edu/disability. I will work with
you and DSS to provide an appropriate accommodation.
Readings:
Aptheker, Herbert. American Negro Slave Revolts. International Publishers Co., 1983.
Bates, Beth Tompkins. Pullman Porters and the Rise of Protest Politics in Black
America, 1925-1945. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001.
Biondi, Martha. To Stand and Fight: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Postwar New York
City. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003.
Gilmore, Glenda Elizabeth. Defying Dixie: The Radical Roots of Civil Rights, 1919-1950.
New York: Norton, 2008.
Hahn, Steven. A Nation under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South,
from Slavery to the Great Migration. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard
University Press, 2003.
Orleck, Annelise. Storming Caesars Palace: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War
on Poverty. Boston: Beacon Press, 2005.
Pellow, David Naguib. Garbage Wars: The Struggle for Environmental Justice in
Chicago. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002.
Tyson, Timothy B. Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power.
Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1999.
Young, Cynthia. Soul Power: Culture, Radicalism, and the Making of a U.S. Third World
Left. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2006.
Schedule:
Week 1 - September 1, 3: Introduction, Definitions of Radicalism, Social Movement
Theory
Week 2 - September 8, 10: Slave Revolts – 1
Aptheker, 1-208.
Week 3 - September 15, 17: Slave Revolts – 2
Aptheker, 209-374.
Writing workshop 1 (focusing on writing book reviews)
Week 4 - September 22, 24: Civil War Participation
Hahn, 1-162.
Week 5 - September 29, October 1: Reconstruction and Martin R. Delany
Hahn, 163-316.
Research paper topic due (by midnight, Thursday, October 1)
Week 6 - October 6, 8: Post- Reconstruction and Jim Crow
Hahn, 317-478.
Writing workshop 2 (focusing on research papers and footnotes)
Week 7 - October 13, 15: Presentations 1
Outline due (by midnight, Thursday, October 15)
Week 8 - October 20, 22: Communism, Anti-Fascism, and the Popular Front
Gilmore, 1-200.
Week 9 - October 27, 29: Worker’s Unionism
Bates, 1-188.
Research papers first drafts due (by midnight, Thursday, October 29).
Week 10 - November 3, 5: Northern Organizing
Biondi, 1-207.
Week 11 - November 10, 12: Violence vs. Non-violence in the Black Freedom Struggle
Tyson, 1-137, 244-308.
Week 12 - November 17, 19: Presentations 2
Research papers second drafts due (by midnight, Thursday, November 19)
Week 13 - November 24: Environmental Racism
Pellow 1-169.
Week 14 – December 1, 3: Culture as Organizing tool
Young, 1-183, 209-244.
Week 15 – December 8, 10: War on Poverty
Orleck, 1-207.
Research papers final drafts due (by midnight, Thursday, December 10)
Final exam:
Tuesday, December 15, 3:20-5:20 p.m. usual classroom.
Research Paper rubric
The Black Radical Tradition
Tobin Miller Shearer
An A paper will:
- present a clearly articulated thesis that argues whether the paper’s subject(s)
succeeded or failed in their initiative based on an analysis of both intended and
unintended outcomes (thesis);
- defend the thesis through a carefully structured argument drawing on a minimum
of ten clearly identified books and peer-reviewed sources (ex.: only peer-reviewed
academic journals, books, and book chapters allowed – no Wikipedia,
encyclopedia entries, or magazines allowed) and five primary sources (ex.:
newspapers, letters, photographs, diaries, minutes, etc.);
- present the argument in a logically organized fashion;
- use Chicago Manual of Style footnote style (a separate bibliography is not
required);
- contain no errors in standard edited English grammar, punctuation, spelling, or
paragraph form;
- use double space, 12 point font and be 15 pages in length (with a half-page
allowance over or under the assigned length) with numbered pages and one inch
margins all around;
- include an unnumbered cover page with student’s name and paper title;
- be uploaded to the class website as a Microsoft Word “.doc” or “.docx” file by the
announced due date and time and saved with the following name form: “[student
lastname] – rschpapr.doc”
A B paper will:
- include but fail to develop a clearly articulated central thesis;
- fail to identify whether the group or individual succeeded of failed in their
initiative;
- lack a coherent and logical structure;
- include inaccurate or inconsistent citations;
- contain several errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling or paragraph form;
- be over or under the 15-page assignment by more than half a page.
- fail to meet the announced deadline.
A C paper will:
- lack a clearly discernable thesis;
- contain only scant evidence from written sources;
- provide insufficient or inaccurate information;
- contain significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling or paragraph form.
A D paper will:
- fail to include central elements of thesis, evidence, argument, and conclusion;
- be disorganized;
-
contain poor and inexcusable use of grammar, punctuation, spelling or paragraph
form.
A F paper will:
- fail to take the assignment seriously and display no evidence of work or attention
to the assignment.