HST 3620WE: African American History from Emancipation to the Present
Spring 2013, MWF 10:10-11:00 am, Dial 214
Dr. Jaime Amanda Martinez
209 Dial Building
(910) 775-4031, jaime.martinez@uncp.edu
Office Hours:
MW 11 am-12 pm
F 2:30-4 pm
Course Description:
The course starts with the Emancipation Proclamation and traces the triumphs and challenges
encountered by African Americans during Reconstruction and studies the emergence of Jim
Crow legislation in the South. Attention is also devoted to the creation of various civil rights
organizations and leaders, key Supreme Court decisions, federal laws, and the turbulent decade
of the 1960s, and the modern civil rights movement.
Course Objectives:
 Identify major cities, rivers, states, and regions on a map of the United States; identify
major cities, rivers, and nations on maps of Africa and the Caribbean.
 Summarize major economic, social, religious, and political trends in African American life
during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
 Differentiate between primary and secondary sources, and locate primary and
secondary sources relevant to class assignments.
 Compose historical essays based on primary and secondary sources in both short and
long formats.
 Critique historical interpretations put forth by classmates, the instructor, and readings.
Writing Across the Curriculum Objectives:
 Articulate the purpose of a piece of writing and effectively organize the writing in light
of that purpose
 Adopt appropriate voice, tone, and level of formality with attention to appropriate
audience. Exhibit skills in style and fluency, including voice and vocabulary appropriate
to audience, discipline and task
 Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, critiquing, editing, and proofreading/copy-editing
 Use appropriate syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Exhibit competency in
usage and writing mechanics so that words accurately convey the writer’s meaning, and
demonstrate the ability to incorporate research appropriately and to cite sources
accurately.
Pre-Requisites:
A grade of C or better in ENG 1050 is required before taking this Writing Enriched course. It is
strongly recommended that you successfully complete ENG 1060 and HST 1020 before taking
this class. History and Social Studies Education majors are encouraged to take HST 3000 prior to
or consecutively with this course.
Required Books:
Kevin Boyle, Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age (New York:
H. Holt, 2004)
Christina Greene, Our Separate Ways: Women and the Black Freedom Movement in Durham,
North Carolina (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2005)
Elizabeth Regosin, Freedom’s Promise: Ex-Slave Families and Citizenship in the Age of
Emancipation (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 2002)
Deborah Gray White, Mia Bay, and Waldo E. Martin, Jr., Freedom on My Mind: A History of
African Americans with Documents, Volume II (Boston: Bedford St. Martin's, 2013)
Additional Required Resources:
Students will need reliable access to Blackboard, Bravemail, the library’s catalog and electronic
resources, and several other websites in order to successfully complete this course.
Important Dates:
Friday, January 11
Friday, January 18
Wednesday, January 23
Monday, February 4
Wednesday, February 6
Thursday, February 7
Monday, February 11
Friday, February 15
Monday, February 18
Monday, March 4
Friday, March 8
Wednesday, March 20
Friday, March 22
Wednesday, March 27
Monday, April 1
Wednesday, April 3
Friday, April 12
Monday, April 15Wednesday, April 24
Monday, April 22
Friday, April 26
Monday, April 29
Online Add/Drop Deadline
Book Review #1 Due/Regosin Discussion
Map Quiz
Article Summaries Due
Peer Review Session
History Movie Night, 5-7 pm
Book Review #2 Due/Boyle Discussion
PURC Proposal Due
Exam One
Midterm Grades Available
Book Review #3 Due/Greene Discussion
PURC Poster Workshop, 11:30 am
Peer Review Session/Withdrawal Deadline
Poster Due
Peer Review Session
PURC Symposium
Exam Two
Research Presentations
Essay Draft Due
Peer Review Session
Research Essay Due
This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact Disability
Support Services, DF Lowry Building, Room 197, or call 521-6695.
Assignments and Grading
Participation (150 points): Most class sessions will contain a mix of lecture and discussion;
regular attendance and active participation is expected. Book Discussion days are worth more
points than a regular class session.
Journal Entries (50 points total): Each student will complete 10 entries in a Blackboard journal;
each entry is worth 5 points and will be graded on the basis of completion and adherence to
content instructions. Entries will typically need to be about 200 words in length, and are usually
due prior to class on Mondays. Journal prompts will often, but not always, be related to the
research paper assignment.
Book Reviews (75 points): You will write a 500-word review of each book and submit it via
Blackboard by 6 am on the corresponding discussion day. Make sure your review meets the
expectations we will discuss during the first week of class.
Map Quiz (25 points): A quiz reviewing basic US political geography will take place at the
beginning of class on Wednesday, January 23. Blank maps and lists of terms for study are
available on Blackboard.
Exams (100 points): There will be two in-class essay exams, each worth 50 points. Exam One will
address Units I and II, and will take place on Monday, February 18; Exam Two will address Unit
III, and will take place on Friday, April 12.
Article Summaries (25 points): Read and summarize three approved journal articles related to
your research topic. Each summary should be approximately 150 words in length and should
restate the author's argument and main points. Summaries are due on Monday, February 4.
You will be sharing these summaries with the members of your research group.
Research Proposal and Poster (25 points): Each research group will submit a proposal for the
PURC Symposium (due to me on Friday, February 15) and create a poster (due to me on
Wednesday, March 27). Research groups will create posters even if not selected for the
symposium.
Peer Review (25 points): All students are expected to work in a group to complete some
portions of the research assignment, and to read and comment on various components of their
group members’ research projects; these comments will be graded. Students will receive more
specific instructions prior to each peer review session.
Research Presentation (25 points): Each student will give a ten-minute (maximum) presentation
on his/her individual research project during the final two weeks of the semester. Presentation
dates will be determined by the total number of students in the class and the distribution of
projects across subject areas.
Research Essay (100 points): Your research essay, which you will work on in stages during the
semester, and on which you will have several opportunities to receive feedback, is due at noon
on Monday, April 29. Essays should be approximately 2000 words (8 pages) long, and will
require students to research and assess the evolution of one of the themes of the course (for
example, voting rights or community leadership) during the past thirty years.
Class Policies
Students with Disabilities: Any student with a documented disability needing academic
adjustments is requested to speak directly to Disability Support Services and the instructor as
early in the semester as possible (preferably within the first week). All discussions will remain
confidential. Please contact Disability Support Services, DF Lowry Building, Room 197, or call
910-521-6695 for an appointment.
Attendance: Attendance and participation accounts for 25% of your grade in this class. I will
take attendance at the beginning of each class, and a strong attendance record over the course
of the semester typically leads to better overall performance in class. You have two “free”
absences you may use for regular class days—use them as you wish, but any additional
absences will affect your participation grade. Missing a Book Discussion day without an excused
absence will also harm your participation grade. Attendance is absolutely required on exam,
presentation, and peer-review days (all on list of Important Dates); missing one of those days
without providing advance notice of an excused absence will automatically result in a failing
grade for the course. Excused absences include required field trips for other classes, varsity
athletic travel, necessary surgery, severe illness, religious holidays, or death in immediate
family. Again, please contact me before you miss class to make arrangements.
Full Participation: Engaging in daily discussions will allow you to test your knowledge of the
material, thus ensuring better comprehension. You are expected to participate in all classroom
activities and discussions and to complete all assignments and exams. Failure to complete the
research essay, give your presentation, or take the exams will result in a failing grade for the
course, regardless of your final average for all other work.
Classroom Environment: I will also note your classroom conduct, and your behavior affects your
potential for succeeding in this class. If you demonstrate to me that you are working hard and
improving over the course of the semester, then I will take into account your effort when
figuring your final grade. Your classroom conduct and effort can earn you several extra points
on your final average for the semester. Although a few points may not seem like much, they
may make the crucial difference when it comes to borderline grades. Please respect the
following guidelines:
 Class will begin and end on time, so be here and ready to begin promptly at 10:10 am,
and remain in the classroom until I dismiss class. If you need to leave due to a personal or
physical emergency, please do so as quietly as possible, and please contact me afterwards.
 Cell phones and ipods should be shut off and put away during class time.
 Save napping, eating lunch, texting, Facebook, talking with your friends, and finishing
homework for outside of class. Beverages (non-alcoholic) are permitted as long as they do
not in some way disrupt class (i.e. repeated spills). Please remember to place all trash in the
classroom trash can before leaving the room, and place recycleables in the recycling bin
down the hallway.
 Help create a positive learning environment. Respect other students’ opinions during
class discussions, encourage each other to participate and test new ideas, and refrain from
interrupting while someone is speaking.
Academic Honesty: You are expected to abide by the standards of UNCP’s Academic Honor
Code in this course. You are expected to understand what constitutes plagiarism. Be aware
that plagiarism not only includes directly copying from a source without proper citation, but
also includes paraphrasing or using another individual’s ideas without proper citation. Proper
citation formats will be discussed well in advance of the first writing assignment. If you are
unsure what constitutes plagiarism, then it is your responsibility to consult a reference guide or
to consult with the instructor.
From the UNCP Catalog: “Students have the responsibility to know and observe
the UNCP Academic Honor Code. This code forbids cheating, plagiarism, abuse of
academic materials, fabrication or falsification of information, and complicity in
academic dishonesty. Any special requirements or permission regarding
academic honesty in this course will be provided to students in writing at the
beginning of the course, and are binding on the students. Academic evaluations
in this course include a judgment that the student’s work is free from academic
dishonesty of any type; and grades in this course therefore should be and will be
adversely affected by academic dishonesty. Students who violate the code can
be dismissed from the University. The normal penalty for a first offense is an F in
the course. Standards of academic honor will be enforced in this course.
Students are expected to report cases of academic dishonesty to the instructor.”
Course Calendar
Unit I: Life in the Post-Emancipation South (January 7-25)
 What events led to the abolition of slavery?
 How did black and white southerners adjust to emancipation—politically, socially, and
economically?
 What were the origins of segregation and disfranchisement?
Special Events:
Map Quiz, January 23
Major Assignments: Book Review #1 and Book Discussion, January 18 (Regosin)
Unit II: Surviving Jim Crow (January 28-February 18)
 What strategies enabled black southerners to survive (and in some cases, thrive) in the
Jim Crow south?
 How did white Americans use both legal and extralegal means to maintain white
supremacy?
 Why did black Americans leave the south in large numbers in the early twentieth
century, and what economic, social, and political conditions did they encounter outside
the south?
Special Events:
Peer Review Session, February 6
History Movie Night: The Help with Dr. Frederick, February 7, 5-8 pm
Exam One, February 18
Major Assignments: Article Reviews, February 4
Book Review #2 and Book Discussion, February 11 (Boyle)
PURC Proposal, February 15
Unit III: The Long Civil Rights Movement (February 20-April 12)
 What factors contributed to the success of civil rights agitation in the 1950s and 1960s?
 What people and organizations brought about change on both local and national levels?
 What were some of the internal disputes that affected civil rights organizations, and
how did the movement’s methods and priorities evolve over time?
 How did the modern Civil Rights Movement serve as a model for other political, social,
and cultural movements?
 How did civil rights struggles evolve in the 1970s and 1980s?
 What were the movement’s key successes and failures? What problems remain?
Special Events:
PURC Poster Workshop, March 20, 11:30 am
Peer Review Session, March 22
Peer Review Session, April 1
PURC Symposium, April 3
Exam Two, April 12
Major Assignments: Book Review #3 and Book Discussion, March 8 (Greene)
Research Poster, March 27
Unit IV: Since 1984 (April 15-29)
Special Events:
Research Presentations, April 15-24
Peer Review Session, April 26
Major Assignments: Essay Draft, April 22
Final Essay April 29, 12 pm