San Diego Community College District Page 1

Course Syllabus

BLAS 140A (84590)

HIST U.S./BLACK PERSPECTIVES
2010 - FALL

INSTRUCTOR: DARIUS SPEARMAN

TELEPHONE: (619) 388-3187
E-MAIL VIA WEBCT

OFFICE HOURS: MON & WED 9:30-11:00AM;

TUE & THUR 11:05AM-12:35PM
AND BY APPOINTMENT,
ROOM A-1(E)

CLASS MEETS: MW, 11:10AM–12:35PM

FROM 8/23/2010 TO 12/18/2010;
ROOM A215

ADVICE: English 51 and passing score on English 51 exit exam

THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Students will be notified of syllabus changes during a regularly scheduled class. It will be the students’
responsibility to ensure they possess the latest version of the class syllabus.

NOTE: Controversial subjects may be the topic of discussion or readings.

WHAT’S INSIDE:
REQUIRED TEXTS ............................................................................................................................................ 2
COURSE DESCRIPTION & STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES ........................................................................... 2
COURSE REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................................ 3
ATTENDANCE AND GRADING ......................................................................................................................... 4
HONEST ACADEMIC CONDUCT ....................................................................................................................... 6
DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES (DSS) STATEMENT ...................................................................................... 6
COURSE SCHEDULE ........................................................................................................................................ 8
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Course Syllabus

REQUIRED TEXTS
1. Hine Darlene Clark, et.al., African Americans: A Concise History (Combined Edition 3/E),
Prentice Hall, 2009, ISBN: 0136002781
2. Davis, Angela. Women, Race, and Class, First Vintage Books Edition, 1983; ISBN 0-394-
71351-6
3. Lapp, Rudolph, Blacks in Gold Rush California, Yale University Press (1995); ISBN
0300065450
4. Voeks, Robert. “African Medicine And Magic In The Americas” (Online Reading)

COURSE DESCRIPTION & STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

An in-depth study of the African-American experience from African origins to the conclusion of the
Civil War, with emphases on the Atlantic slave trade and American slavery, the African in the New
World and the United States Constitution.

Upon successful completion of the course the student will have gained experience in:

1. Discuss the main features of African culture prior to the enslavement of Africans in
America.
2. Critically analyze evidence that suggest the presence of Africans in the Americas before
Columbus, and compare and contrast aspects of African and Native American cultures.
3. Trace the course of African enslavement in the Americas and explain the European rationale
for the enslavement of Africans.
4. Explain the importance of the mercantilism and the Atlantic economy in the development of
the economic and social systems in the English colonies.
5. Analyze the role played by slave trade in the Atlantic trade, Industrial Revolution, and the
development of European capitalism.
6. Discuss the role of African labor in the economies of the English colonies.
7. Describe the role culture, political institutions, and economic developments played in the
emergence of representative government in the English colonies.
8. Discuss the development of colonial laws legalizing slavery and racial oppression.
9. Explain the role played by African Americans, on both sides of the conflict during the
American Revolution, and the impact of Revolutionary ideas on the institution of slavery.
10. Discuss the philosophical ideas held by the framers on such questions as: the origins and
purpose of government, the relationship between individuals and government, and the
relationship between government and society.
11. Summarize the basic principles of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and identify
fundamental American political values that flow from the Constitution.
12. Identify and discuss Constitutional provisions that legitimized slavery and racial oppression,
and analyze the contradictions inherent in as society founded on the principles of freedom
and equality, and the persistence of slavery and racial oppression.
13. Discuss the emergence of de facto and de jure racial discrimination in the post-revolutionary
America and its impact on African Americans.
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Course Syllabus

14. Explain why African Americans found it necessary to establish separate social, religious,
educational, economic and cultural institutions after the Revolution and identify the specific
institutions they founded.
15. Identify factors that account for the persistence of slavery after the Revolution and discuss
the role that slavery played in western territorial expansion.
16. Discuss the development of an African American culture and analyze its relationship with,
and influences on, the European American culture.
17. Discuss the methods used by enslaved Africans to resist slavery and how this resistance led
to the enactment of laws to suppress it.
18. Summarize the arguments of pro-slavery and anti-slavery advocates and explain the
differences among anti-slavery groups such as the Abolitionists and the advocates of free
soil.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
This is a web enhanced course. We have created an online companion to this course that will
allow you to communicate with your online community and access useful tools. After the first
week of class you will be automatically enrolled in the Blackboard community. To log on:

Login URL: http://online.sdccd.edu

Username: CSID number
Password = 8 digit birthdate: (mmddyyyy)

5 Response Papers (50 points each)

Write a 500-700 word typed paper on a prompt to be determined in class. To adequately address
each question, we would suggest a minimum of 3 main points explored in a fair amount of
detail. The assigned readings should be sufficient to adequately address the topic, and should be
the only materials referenced in your essays. DO NOT CITE FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES.
Key points must be supported and cited with evidence from the required readings. You MUST
cite from at least two sources per paper – i.e. (Author, p. 10). Allow the material to speak to you
and for you. Doing so should also permit you to be creative in how you piece the material
together. Be SPECIFIC in your answer. Eliminate the following words from your vocabulary:
“this,” “these,” “that,” “they,” “its.”
Please see the Response Paper Grading Rubric for specific details on how you will be assessed
for this assignment.
Honors Option (100 Points) *
Write a 7-10 page research paper on the topic of your choice. Your paper should include no less
than four print sources such as books or scholarly journals – no more than two of those sources
may be from texts used in the classroom. Please discuss and clear your topic with me by
9/24/2010.

*
Please contact the Honors Department for details in room A1-N (619) 388-3512, or http://www.sdcity.edu/honors/.
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Course Syllabus

Weekly Reading Journal (100 points)

To prepare you for class discussion, each week you will be expected to come to class with your
own “Talking Points” on the reading. 5-7 sentences should be adequate. Your thoughts and
questions should demonstrate some degree of reflection on the material and should be intended
to stimulate discussion, such as, “The author makes an interesting point on page …” NOT “In
what year did the Reconstruction end?” Be sure to cite a page reference with each point.
Your “Talking Points” or journal will be turned on the due date for that week’s reading
assignments. Journals MUST be typed. Handwritten journals will not be accepted.

Class Discussion/Participation (50 Points)

Much time will be spent in class for active discussion of the reading. Your attendance and
participation in the discussion section, your ability to answer questions, and to initiate dialogue
based on the required readings, will be graded. Each student is expected to have read the
assignments and have given them careful thought. In class discussion will be based in part on a
random check of preparedness. When asked “What should we be talking about today?” Your
response should be along the lines of “The author makes an interesting statement on page …”
NOT “Chapter 4.” Additionally, group work will be factored into your class discussion grade.

Computer Skills Advisory

Enter level of computer skills expected or types of assignments requiring computer skills. (In
most college courses students are expected to have a basic familiarity with computer terms and
use: word processing, document manipulation, spreadsheets, email, and online services. These
skills can be learned at any of the colleges or Continuing Education.)

ATTENDANCE AND GRADING

Attendance Requirements
Active participation in the class requires that you be present. Students are expected to attend
every class meeting, arrive on time, and stay throughout the class period. Class will be in
session and the classroom door will be closed within ten (10) minutes of the scheduled start
time. You may not enter the classroom once class is in session and anyone not seated at that
time will be considered absent. Students may be dropped after four (4) unexcused absences OR
after having missed four (4) assignments. Unexcused absences are at my discretion, so please
keep me informed of any issues as they arise and allow me to help you work through them.
It is the student’s responsibility to drop all classes in which he/she is no longer attending (for on
campus classes).
• Deadline to drop classes with no “W” recorded is 9/3/2010.
• Withdrawal deadline is 10/29/2010. No drops may be accepted after this date.
Students who remain enrolled in a class beyond the published withdrawal deadline,
as stated in the class schedule, will receive an evaluative letter grade in this class.
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Course Syllabus

Grading will be on a point scale and will be assigned as follows:

REGULAR SCALE HONORS OPTION*
A = 400-360 Points A = 500-450 Points
B = 359-320 Points B = 449-400 Points
C = 319-280 Points C = 399-350 Points
D = 279-240 Points D = 349-300 Points
F < 240 Points F < 300 Points
Points for individual assignments will be broken down as follows:
• Response Papers: 250 points
• Weekly Reading Journals: 100 points
• In-Class Discussion/Participation: 50 points
• Optional Honors Paper: 100 *
Credit/No Credit
Beginning Fall 2009, the title “credit/no credit” will change to “pass/no pass” in accordance
with Title 5, section 55022.

All assignments are considered due at the BEGINNING of the class period of the due date:
LATE WORK WILL BE FORGIVEN ONCE (FOR ANY REASON) – AFTER THAT NO LATE WORK
WILL BE ACCEPTED **

*
Please contact the Honors Department for details in room A1-N (619) 388-3512, or http://www.sdcity.edu/honors/.
**
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HONEST ACADEMIC CONDUCT

Students are expected to be honest and ethical at all times in their pursuit of academic goals.
Students who are found in violation of district Procedure 3100.3, Honest Academic Conduct,
will receive a zero (0) grade on the assignment in question with no opportunity to make up the
grade. Additionally students may be referred for disciplinary action in accordance with
Procedure 3100.2, Student Disciplinary Procedures. This policy applies to all work submitted in
class or online including, but not limited to, emails, discussion postings, assignments, essays,
and exams.

DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES (DSS) STATEMENT

Please meet with me to discuss any academic accommodations that may be necessary for
students with disabilities. An alternate from of this syllabus and other class handouts is available
upon request. Further accommodations can be made upon arrangement with myself and the
Department of Disability Support Programs and Services (DSPS), Room A-115 (619) 388-3513
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Course Syllabus
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COURSE SCHEDULE

UNIT 1: ANCIENT AFRICA AND THE ATLANTIC WORLD (3 WEEKS)

WEEK DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENT
Week 1 Aug 23 Intro
Aug 25 Course Introduction: Ancient Africa Hine, CH 1
Week 2 Aug 30 African Survival in the New World
Sep 1 Voeks (Handout)
Week 3 Sep 6 The Atlantic Slave Trade
Sep 8 Hine, CH 2

UNIT 2: AFRICANS IN THE AMERICAS THROUGH THE REVOLUTIONARY ERA

(3 WEEKS)
Week 4 Sep 13 Introduction to Spanish Expansion
Sep 15 Lapp, CH 1
Response Paper 1 Due
Week 5 Sep 20 Colonialism to Race Awareness to Racism
Sep 22 Hine, CH 3
Week 6 Sep 27 The Revolutionary Era
Sep 29 Hine CH 4

UNIT 3: AFRICANS IN AN EXPANDING UNITED STATES (4 WEEKS)

Week 7 Oct 4 Who Are “We The People?”
Oct 6 Davis, CH 1; Hine, CH 5
Response Paper 2 Due
Week 8 Oct 11 The Making of Black America
Oct 13 Hine, CH 6;
Week 9 Oct 18 Black Women in Slavery in an Expanding Frontier
Oct 20 Davis, CH 2
Week 10 Oct 25 Constructing Free Life in the Post-Revolution
Oct 27 Hine CH 7;
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UNIT 4: REFORM, EXPANSION AND SECTIONAL STRIFE (4 WEEKS)

Week 11 Nov 1 African Americans in the Reform Era
Nov 3 Abolition and Women’s Rights Hine, CH 8; Davis CH 3
Response Paper 3 Due
Week 12 Nov 8 “Let Your Motto Be Resistance”
Nov 10 Video: The Underground Railroad Hine, CH 9; Lapp, CH 3
Week 13 Nov 15 The Black West
Nov 17 Lapp, CH 5-6; Davis, CH 4;
Week 14 ** Thanksgiving Holiday**

UNIT 5: THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION (3 WEEKS)

Week 15 Nov 29 A Prelude to War
Dec 1 Hine, CH 10; Lapp, CH 7
Response Paper 4 Due
Week 16 Dec 6 The Civil War
Dec 8 Hine, CH 11; Lapp, CH 8-9
Week 17 Dec 13 Reconstruction: The Meaning of Emancipation
Dec 15 Hine, CH 12; Davis CH 5
Response Paper 5 Due
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Course Syllabus