The Black Woman: Myth or Reality
The Department of Africana Studies
Afras 332
Monday and Wednesday 11:00-11:50-HH 122
Spring 2016
Instructor: Dr. Antwanisha Alameen-Shavers
Email: aalameen@mail.sdsu.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 8:45am-9:45am
Office Location: Arts and Letters 367
Office Phone: 619-594-6532
Course Description: This class seeks to provide a well-rounded understanding of
Black women experience(s) in the United States by exploring a number of issues
surrounding their historical realities and examining how such phenomena has affected
their current existence. Black women’s experiences have been marginalized and are often
omitted from disciplines such as History, Women Studies and Black Studies, just to name
a few, and as result, Black women and their specific issues are frequently ignored. Their
dual identity, as Black and Woman, forces them to confront issues related to both racism
and sexism. Some scholars have even referred to Black women’s existence as double
jeopardy. We will explore how Black women identities were social constructed by the
dominate culture in order to maintain power and how Black women have worked to
dispel such myths while fighting for the liberation of all Black people and women.
*This is a hybrid course which uses both in class and online methods for knowledge
dissemination. Thus, online activities are a requirement.
Course Objectives:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the history of Black women prior to and after
enslavement.
2. Explain the role that Black women have played in political, economic and social
movements for the liberation of African people the United States.
3. Articulate in writing and verbally the major issues that Black women experience
in contemporary society.
4. Identify the ways in which Black women have exercised agency in an oppressive
society
5. Explain the role of Black feminist/womanist thought in contemporary society.
6. Demonstrate an ability to think critically, analyze issues and present them orally
and in writing.
7. Critique the ideas and opinions of others.
8. Write and present a cohesive argument demonstrating knowledge of research
techniques, documentation, organization and the mechanics of writing.
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Required Text:
1. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics
of Empowerment by Patricia Hill Collins
2. Handouts will posted on Blackboard or distributed in class
Participation
Students will be expected to participate in class discussions and be prepared to discuss
the contents in the readings every class period. Students will be called on frequently
without notice to contribute to class activities, so please be prepared. Students that
refused to participate or are not prepared will be penalized accordingly. Remember, if
you are not in class then you cannot participate and therefore you will not be eligible to
earn all your points. Students are allotted ONE unexcused absence. For each unexcused
absence henceforth, 20 points will be deducted from your participation points. Students
can earn up to 100 points for classroom participation.
Assignments:
1. You will be quizzed on the assigned readings on a weekly basis. The weekly quiz
will include questions from both Monday and Wednesday readings. There are 15
quizzes total. You will have until Friday at 11:59 pm to complete the quiz. There
will be no more than 10 questions per quiz. Quizzes will be timed (20 minutes)
and you can only take it once. Each quiz is worth 10 points. All 15 quizzes are
worth 150 points combined.
2.
Every two weeks, students will participate in online discussions. The purpose of
the forum is to generate further discussion on course material beyond the
classroom. The more we discuss issues, the more we learn from them. Students
will be required to respond to a prompt question that will be posted by Monday at
the end of the day on Blackboard under the discussion forum tab. I will post a
short video, and/or content from a blog that will supplement the readings and
stimulate discussion. You are to post an original response to the prompt question
and two additional responses to two separate student’s responses. The idea is to
get you all conversing with one another and sharing ideas and perhaps engaging
in productive debates. The first original response must be at least 100 words and
is worth 5 points. The second and third replies are worth 2.5 points each. You can
earn up to 10 points per discussion forum for a total of 50 discussion points for
the semester. Your original post must be posted by Wednesday or points will be
greatly deducted. You will have until Sunday night (11:59pm) to post the
subsequent replies.
3. Each student will be required to lead a discussion on one of the readings from
Wednesday. This assignment is worth 50 points. Students will present in pairs or
as individuals, depending on the class size. Student Sign-Ups will take place
February 3rd in class.
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4. The Final paper is due during finals week. Students will form groups to do
research on one topic about Black women. The research will be presented during
our scheduled final time, May 9. Each group will write a group paper, however,
each student is graded separately. Your final paper and presentation is worth 200
points: 50 points for the presentation and 150 points for the written paper. The
Final Paper/project includes one group proposal, Final paper, and presentation of
paper. Further instructions will be provided.
I DO NOT except late papers! Please do not email me the paper. All submissions
should be done through Blackboard.
Assignment Points
15 quizzes- 150 pts
Leader of Classroom discussion – 50 pts
Final Project- 200 pts
Discussion Forum-50 pts
Participation Points- 50 pts
_____________________________________________________________
Total Points= 500 points (2x to calculate points)
Grading Scale
A= 930 -1000 D=630-620
A- = 900-920
D- =600-620
B+ = 850-890 F= 599 and below
B=830-840
B- = 800-820
C+ =750-790
C= 730-740
C- =700-720
D+ =650-690
Class Meetings and Schedule Readings
Week 1 Introduction to Course
Jan. 20- Introduction to class and review of the syllabus
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Week 2 Black Feminism
Jan. 25- Read Chapter 1“The Politics of Black Feminist Thought” and in Black Feminist
Thought
Jan. 27- Read Chapter 2 “Distinguishing Features of Black Feminist Thought” in Black
Feminist Thought
Quiz 1
Week 3 Black Women in Africa
Feb. 1- Read “Maintaining Harmony and Ensuring Justice: The Role of Women in Igbo
Government” by Antwanisha Alameen-Shavers
Feb. 3- Read “African Warrior Queens” by John Henrik Clarke
Student Presentations sign-ups (Wednesday)
Quiz 2
Week 4 The Exploitation of Black Women’s Labor
Feb. 8- Read “The Life Cycle of the Female Slave” by Deborah Gray White
Feb. 10- Read Chapter 3 “Work, Family, and Black Women’s Oppression” in Black
Feminist Thought
Student Presenters:
Quiz 3
Week 5 The Politics of Black Womanhood
Feb. 15- Read Chapter 4 “Mammies. Matriarchs, and Other Controlling Images” in Black
Feminist thought
Feb. 17- Read Chapter 6 “The Sexual Politics of Black Womanhood” in Black Feminist
Thought
Student Presenters:
Quiz 4
Discussion Forum 1
Week 6 Black Women’s Relationships
Feb. 22 – Read “The Down Ass Bitch” in the Reality Television Show Love and Hip
Hop: The Image of the Enduring Black Woman and Her unwavering support of the Black
Man” by Antwanisha Alameen-Shavers
Feb. 25 - Read Chapter 7 “Black Women’s Love Relationships” in Black Feminist
Thought
Student Presenters:
Quiz 7
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Week 7 The Politics of Beauty
Feb. 29 - Read “The Emergence of Modern Colorism in the Americas" by Kathy
Russell-Cole, Midge Wilson, and Ronald E. Hall
Mar. 2 - “Hair Misorientation: Free your mind and your Hair will follow” by Kamau Atu
Imarogbe
Group Final Project Sign-ups (Monday)
Students Presenters:
Quiz 5
Week 8 The Politics of Beauty
Mar.7- “The Tiers of Color Prejudice in America" by Kathy Russell-Cole, Midge Wilson,
and Ronald E. Hall Watch Dark Girls
Mar. 9- Watch ending Dark Girls
Quiz 6
Discussion Forum 2
Week 9 Portraits of Black Women in Liberation Struggles
Mar. 14- Read “To Sell My Life as Dearly as Possible: Ida B. Wells and the First
Antilynching Campaign” Watch Movie Ida B Wells-Barnett
Mar. 16- Read “A Life History of Being Rebellious”: The Radicalism of Rosa Parks
Students Presenters:
Quiz 8
Discussion Forum 3
Week 10 Portraits of Black Women in Liberation Struggles
Mar.21- Read “Behind-the-Scenes View of a Behind-the-Scenes Organizer: The Roots of
Ella Baker's Political Passions" by Barbara Ransby
Mar. 23- “Chronicle of a Death Foretold”: Gloria Richardson, the Cambridge Movement,
and the Radical Black Activist Tradition” by Sharon Harley
Group Proposal Due (Wednesday)
Student Presenters:
Quiz 9
March 28-April 1- Spring Break!
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Week 11 Portraits of Black Women in Liberation Struggles
Apr. 4- Read “Anger, Memory, and Personal Power: Fannie Lou Hammer and Civil
Rights Leadership" by Chana Kai Lee
Apr. 6- Read - "We do Whatever Becomes Necessary”: Johnnie Tillmon, Welfare Rights,
and Black Power” by Premilla Nadasen
Student Presenters:
Quiz 10
Discussion Forum 4
Week 12 Black Women and Domestic Violence
Apr. 11- “The Problem of Male Violence against Black Women” by Beth E. Richie
Apr. 13- “Intimate Partner Violence Victimization Among Undergraduate Women at
HBCUs” by Barrick, Krebs and Lindquist
Students Presenters:
Quiz 11
Week 13- Black Women and Health
Apr. 18- “A Cautionary Tale: Black Women, Criminal Justice and HIV” by Gloria J
Browne-Marshall
Apr. 20- “You Have to Show Strength": An Exploration of Gender, Race, and
Depression” by Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafoutant
Student Presenters:
Quiz 12
Discussion Forum 5
Week 14- Black Women and Motherhood
Apr. 25- Read “Racism, Birth Control, and Reproductive Rights” by Angela Davis
Watch MAAFA 21
Apr.27- Watch ending of MAAFA 21
Quiz 13
Week 15- Black Women and Motherhood
May 2 - Read Chapter 8 “Black Women and Motherhood” in Black Feminist Thought
May 4- Read “Read “Prison, Foster Care, and the Systematic punishment of Black
Mothers” by Dorothy Roberts
Student Presenters:
Quiz 14
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Week 16- Group Presentations
May 9- 10:30- 12:30
Group Presentations and Paper is due
Quiz 15
Plagiarism/Cheating
Each student agrees to submit and take credit for only his or her own work, individually
or in a group. Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated. Engaging in plagiarism will minimally
result in a failure (automatic zero) for that assignment and could potentially result in a
failure of the course. A detailed description of what constitutes as plagiarism can be
found in the General Catalog (2010-2011, pp. 471-472).
Counseling & Psychological Services: http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/cps/index.html
The Counseling Center offers counseling for personal & career concerns, self-help
information, and referrals for additional mental health services. Counseling &
Psychological Services Counseling Center is located in Calpulli Center, Room 4401.
Student Disability Services (SDS): http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/sds/
SDS is the campus office responsible for determining and providing appropriate
academic accommodations for students with disabilities. Please inform your
Instructor if you require special classroom accommodations due to a disability. You
must register with SDS prior to receiving these accommodations. Student Disability
Services is located in Calpulli Center, Suite 3101.
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