HUM 2240|Humanitites II: Black Experiences from 1896-Present.
| Dr. Erica Horhn
Dr. Erica Horhn| ehorhn@nccu.edu| office number 919-530-7712
Office: COM 312
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesdays 8:00-10:00am; 2:00-4:00pm; Fridays 8:0010:00am
Catalogue Description: This course explores the impact of the New South on the arts and
Humanities in America, using these historical milestones: the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision,
the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Depression, Brown v Board of Education (1954), the 1960’s
Civil Rights Movement, and the post 1970’s thrust for cultural diversity.
Texts: Arts & Humanities II: Cultural, Humanistic, and Artistic Impacts in the US from 1896 to
present ISBN: 9781649503671
*Can only be purchased or rented from the bookstore*
Course Objectives:
By the end of the semester students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate their cultural literacy through various written and/or oral assignments.
2. Recognize some of the leading figures, works, and/or movements associated with
religion, philosophy, art, music, literature, and theater.
3. Identify legal, historical, and social movements that impact Black experiences in the US.
Course Policies and Responsibilities:
On Academic Honesty and Responsibility: When a student’s actions are meant to deceive the
audience –when the actions constitute intentional plagiarism– then the student demonstrates a
deep disregard for the academic processes that govern the construction and mediation of
knowledge. It remains your responsibility to engage in course work ethically and honestly.
**In this course, cheating or plagiarism of any kind is absolute grounds for a failing
grade for the assignment, the course, or worse. I have a three-strike policy. Strike 1= F
on assignment and option to rewrite. Strike 2= F on the assignment with no revision.
Strike 3= F in the course and reported for judicial decisions.
Communication: Email is always the fastest way to contact me. Feel free to email Monday
through Friday 8am-5pm EST. I frequently check my email throughout the day until 5pm.
Emails received after 5pm will receive a response the next day or in class. In the event you have
not received a response, please do not hesitate to send me a follow-up email. I do not respond
to emails during weekends or school holidays.
Attendance Policy: North Carolina Central University recognizes and honors the value of the
face-to-face classroom experience for enhancing student engagement and academic outcomes.
Per the University Attendance Policy, any student who misses more than 2 weeks of classes,
(6 classes for a MWF class) will be withdrawn from the course with a WA.
Submitting assignments: You should submit your assignments in a word doc or PDF. Do not
submit Google Docs links, Pages or the like. Also, make sure you also have a copy of the work
you submitted in Canvas for your own record.
Missing and Late Work: Because all work is submitted online through Canvas, being absent is
no longer an excuse for not submitting your work. All assignments should be completed and
turned in on time unless PRIOR arrangements have been made. Unless otherwise noted, most
assignments will be uploaded to Canvas. All links will expire at 11:59 p.m. 24 hours after the
due date. Once the link has expired, you will not be able to submit the assignment. Please leave
enough time for technical glitches. Now, while the policy is no late work accepted, if you have
run into a situation, please reach out to me BEFORE the deadline. This does not always mean I
will grant an extension, but it can’t hurt to ask. Once I have graded and returned work, it simply
is not fair to other students to accept any late work. The key here is to ask before the deadline.
Ask before I have graded and returned the work.
University Polices and Resources
Statement of Inclusion/Non-Discrimination:
North Carolina Central University is committed to the principles of affirmative action and nondiscrimination. The University welcomes diversity in its student body, its staff, its faculty, and its
administration. The University admits, hires, evaluates, promotes, and rewards on the basis of
the needs and relevant performance criteria without regard to race, color, national origin,
ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic
information, veteran's status, or religion. It actively promotes diversity and respectfulness of
each individual.
Student Accessibility Services:
Students with disabilities (physical, learning, psychological, chronic or temporary medical
conditions, etc.) who would like to request reasonable accommodations and services under the
Americans with Disabilities Act must register with the Office of Student Accessibility Services
(SAS) in Suite 120 in the Student Services Building. Students who are new to SAS or who are
requesting new accommodations should contact SAS at (919) 530-6325
or sas@nccu.edu to discuss the programs and services offered by SAS. Students who are already
registered with SAS and who would like to maintain their accommodations must renew
previously granted accommodations by visiting the NCCU Accommodate Website
at https://nccu-accommodate.symplicity/students/index.php and logging into their Eagle
Accommodate Student Portal. Students are expected to renew previously granted
accommodations at the beginning of each semester (Fall, Spring & Summer
sessions). Reasonable accommodations may be requested at any time during the semester for
all students; however, accommodations are not retroactive. Returning semester requests for
returning students are expected to be done within the first two weeks of the semester. Students
are advised to contact their professors to discuss the testing and academic accommodations that
they anticipate needing for each class.
*Students identifying as pregnant or other pregnancy-related conditions who would like to
request reasonable accommodations and services must register with SAS.
Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting:
All forms of discrimination based on sex, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating
violence, domestic violence, and stalking offenses, are prohibited under NCCU’s Sexual
Harassment Policy (NCCU POL 01.04.4). NCCU faculty and instructors are considered to be
mandatory reporters and are required to promptly report information regarding sexual
harassment to the University’s Title IX Coordinator. The Sexual Harassment Policy can be
accessed through NCCU’s Policies, Regulations and Rules website at www.nccu.edu/policies. Any
individual may report a violation of the Sexual Harassment Policy (including a third-party or
anonymous report) by contacting the Title IX Coordinator at (919) 530-7944 or TitleIX@nccu.edu,
or submitting the online form through the Title IX Reporting Form, located
at www.nccu.edu/titleix.
Other Campus Programs, Services, Activities, and Resources
Student Advocacy Coordinator. The Student Advocacy Coordinator is available to assist students
in navigating unexpected life events that impact their academic progression (e.g., homelessness,
food insecurity, personal hardship) and guide them to the appropriate University or community
resources. Contact Information: Student Services Building, Room G19, (919) 5307492, studentadvocacy@nccu.edu
Counseling Center. The NCCU Counseling Center is staffed by licensed psychologists and mental
health professionals who provide individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, substance
abuse prevention and intervention, anger management, and other services. The Counseling
Center also provides confidential resources for students reporting a violation of NCCU’s Sexual
Misconduct Policy. Contact Information: Student Health Building, 2nd Floor, (919) 5307646, counseling@nccu.edu.
University Police Department. The University Police Department ensures that students, faculty,
and staff have a safe and secure environment in which they can live, learn, and work. The
Department provides a full range of police services, including investigating all crimes committed
in and around its jurisdiction, making arrests, providing crime prevention/community programs,
enforcing parking regulations and traffic laws, and maintaining crowd control for campus special
events. Contact Information: 2010 Fayetteville Street, (919) 530-6106, nccupdinfo@nccu.edu.
The Speaking & Writing Studio. Assists you with writing and speaking assignments. For this class,
it will be useful as you prepare for smaller writing assignments and presentations. 102 Taylor
Education Building Appointment Desk: 919-530-6035
Grading and Assignments
Your Overall Grade is Based on a Point System:
A= 895-1000 points
B= 894-795 points
C= 794-695 points
D= 694-595points
F= 594 and below
Point Totals
Creative
Project
13%
Assignments
35%
Exams
40%
Exams
Events
Assignments
Events
12%
Creative Project
Assignment Breakdown
14%
29%
57%
Reflections
Webhunts
In-class work, homework, quizzes
Assignments: This grade consists of general homework assignments, in class activities including
but not limited to small group work and in-class writings/ responses and reading quizzes. See
chart above.
Exams: Consists of 4 end of unit exams for 100 points each
Events: You are required to attend and write a response to four (4) events outside of class to
include the following:
1. Arts performance (music, theatre, dance, museum exhibit…)
2. Academic lecture or symposium
3. Cultural or Community event
4. Free choice
*Please note, Homecoming activities are not eligible the arts or cultural event
Creative Project: Group Project. Details to come.
Fall 2023 Schedule
Week
Topics and Readings
Week 1
August 13-19
Welcome/ Fears and Expectations/ What is Humanities 2420?
Week 2
August 20-26
Week 3
Aug 27-Sept 2
Enslavement and Longing for Freedom
20: Equiano (Canvas)
22: Selected slave narratives (textbook)
24: Wheatley and Lucy Terry
Navigating Freedom
27: Reconstruction
29: Booker T Washington “A slave among slaves” and “The Atlanta
Exposition” (textbook)
1: WEB Dubois “On Washington and Others” (textbook)
Week 4
Sept 3-Sept 9
Week 5
Sept 10-16
Week 6
Sept 17-23
4: No class Labor Day Weekend
6: Ida B. Wells-Barnett “A Red Record” (Canvas)
8:
11: Gather notes and prepare notecards
13: Exam Review
15: Exam One
Freedom to Create: The Harlem Renaissance: Art for Art’s sake?
18: The New Negro Movement (overview)
20: George Schuyler “The Negro Art Hokum” (Canvas)
22: Langston Hughes “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain (Canvas)
Week 7
Sept 24-30
25: Zora Neale Hurston “Six Gilded Bits”
27: “How it Feels to be Colored Me” (Canvas)
28:
Week 8
Oct 1-7
2: Willard Motley “The Almost White Boy” (Canvas)
4: Passing (film)
6: Passing (film)
Week 9
Oct 8-14
8: No class (Fall break)
10: Exam Prep
13: Exam Two
Week 10
Oct 15-21
Fighting for Freedoms
16:
18:
20:
Anne Petry “Like a Winding Sheet”
Week 11
Oct 22-28
23:
25:
27:
Final Project Proposals due
Week 12
Oct 29-Nov 4
30: Exam Prep
1: Exam Three
3: Homecoming Weekend
Week 12
Nov 5-11
Week 13
Nov 12-18
Week 14
Nov 19-25
Coping with Freedoms: Laughter and Humor
6: Rappaport “Why we laugh” (Canvas)
8: Ethnic Notions (film)
10: Ethnic Notions (film)
13: “Black nerds: New directions in African American humor” David Gilotta
(Canvas)
15:
17: Exam Prep
20: Exam Four
22: Break
24: Break
Week 15
Nov 26-Dec 2
27: last day of class
Week 16
Nov 26-Dec 4
Final presentations