African History

Students will write a short research paper approximately 6-8  double- spaced, typewritten pages in Times New Roman 12-point font for their final. Students must select and examine a historical or contemporary movement for freedom, justice, equality, autonomy, and self- determination. Freedom is the operative word because the movements and activists we are reading about and will discuss, emerge out of, or struggle against, the conditions of containment and incarceration. Incarceration or imprisonment is not limited to the formal jail or prison; as we will explore the conditions after emancipation, the conditions of Southern sharecroppers, the position of Black women under racism and patriarchy, incarcerated activists and political prisoners, the experience of being hemmed is experienced differently through history. Students will examine how people challenge these conditions, how movements are formed to overturn the various “prisons” that dominate and subjugate aggrieved populations. Students may select from a wide range of movements, including labor, civil rights, socialism and communism, Third World liberation, radical feminism, and prisoners’ rights. Students can choose to write about social justice organizations such as SNCC, The League of Revolutionary Black Workers, CORE, The Black Panther Party, etc. Students will make use of course readings, university press published books, academic journal articles, and primary sources (interviews, newspapers, archival documents) for their research papers. Please remember you should be reading selected chapters from Robin Kelley’s Freedom Dreams, which is posted in week 14 in modules and listed on the course syllabus. Students must include proper citations within the text of their research papers using footnotes and include a bibliography. Students must use the Chicago Manual of Style for all citations. The final research paper is due Monday December 13th by 11:59pm. All students must submit an electronic copy of their papers to Canvas through turnitin.