AFRS 130T-01 THE BLACK MALE EXPERIIENCE: HE LACK ALE XPER ENCE

I N S T IIT U T IIO N A L O P P R E S S IIO N ,, S O C IIA L G E N O C IID E ,, A N D R E V O L U T IIO N INST TUT ONAL OPPRESS ON SOC AL GENOC DE AND REVOLUT ON
T. HASAN JOHNSON, PH.D. SPRING 2012 Course Meeting Time: T/Th 12:30-1:45pm Class Location: Family, Food & Science Bldg #314 Phone: (559) 278-8805 Email: THJohnson@csufresno.edu Office Location: Science Building 1, Rm#168 Office Hours: Mon 1:45-2:45pm, Tue/Thu 1112pm

C O U R S E D E S C R IIIP T IIIO N C O U R S E DE S C R P T O N OURSE ESCR PT ON

From the onset of chattel slavery in the western hemisphere, males of African descent have been constantly under duress. They have endured being corralled, arrested, accosted, tortured, studied, worked to death, feared, sexually fetishized, bred, villainized, hyper-athleticized, and scapegoated to say the least. Yet, despite such harsh treatment, and the systemic exploitation they have suffered in every society that has been redeveloped in the western tradition, they have still developed ways to survive, sustain, and even thrive. Sometimes, contradictory, at other times subtle, and yet still, in your face, Black men have created opportunities to speak out and articulate hard truths to those that would dismiss their experiences. In this course, we will study the history of Black men, Black manhood, and representations of Black men in media over the last fifty years. We will explore Black mens relationships with the Black women, the State, and even to other Black men, while also exploring the complex space of negotiating interracial relationships in America, nationalism, and the Obama Effect, or color-blindness in todays society.
R E Q U IIIR E D C O U R S E T E X T S RE Q U R E D C O U R S E T E X T S EQU RED OURSE TEXTS Athena Mutua, Progressive Black Masculinities? (New York: Routledge, 2006). Mark Anthony Neal, New Black Man (New York: Routledge, 2006). Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X (New York: Ballantine Books, 1987). Online pdf articles on Blackboard. G R A D IIIN G P L A N GR A D N G PL A N RAD NG LAN

Exams (4) Subject-Specific Discussion Board Conference Participation Elder Recognition Blog

20% 20% 20% 20%

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G R A D IIIN G P L A N GR A D N G PL A N RAD NG LAN 90 100+ 80 - 89 70 - 79 60 - 69 59 and below C O U R S E A S S IIIG N M E N T S CO U R S E A S S G N M E N T S OURSE SS GNMENTS A B C D F

1.

EXAMS (4) (20%): Four quizzes on BlackBoard will be given to assess student progression. EXAMS RUBRIC +13-16 +9-12
Almost all (8089+%) answers have no errors. Answers are mostly complete and are presented in a neat and organized fashion that is usually easy to read. Some (70-79+%) of the answers have no errors. Answers are mostly incomplete and are presented in an organized fashion but may be hard to read at times.

+17-20
Most (90-100%)

+5-8
Some (6069+%) of the answers have no errors. Answers are fairly incomplete and are presented in an somewhat organized fashion but are often hard to read at times.

+0-4
Most (0-59%) answers have errors. Answers are incomplete and appear sloppy and unorganized.

ERRORS of the answers

have no errors.

COMPLETENESS

Answers are complete and presented in a neat, clear, organized fashion.

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2. SUBJECT-SPECIFIC DISCUSSION BOARD PARTICIPATION (20%): Students will have discussion boards posted on Blackboard for them to debate assigned issues pertaining to Black men. SUBJECT-SPECIFIC DISCUSSION BOARD RUBRIC +17-20 +13-16 +9-12 +0-8
Student participated in the discussion and posted two responses. Student submitted at least three sentences of quality content. Student posted at least twice. Student participated in the discussion and posted one response. Student participated in the discussion and posted at least one response, but had poor quality contributions. Student submitted at least one sentences of quality content. Student posted at least once. Student did not participate in the discussion and did not post a response.

PARTICIPATION

QUALITY OF CONTRIBUTION

Student submitted at least two sentences of quality content. Student posted at least twice, but the quality was poor.

Student did not submit a sentence of quality content.

FREQUENCY

Student did not post.

3. CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION (20%): Students will organize a mini-conference as their final score toward the end of the semester. Students will have an opportunity to dialogue in class, as well as online on a discussion board. CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION RUBRIC +17-20 +13-16 +9-12 SUBMISSION OF CONTRIBUTION
Student submitted a substantive written contribution in hard copy format. Student substantively Student submitted a written contribution in hard copy format. Student contributed to Student submitted a poor quality written contribution in hard copy format. Student contributed to at

+0-8

Student did not submit a written contribution in hard copy format.

INTELLECTUAL

Student did not contribute to the

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CONTRIBUTION contributed to
the conference discussions. Student substantively contributed to the discussions for the planning of the conference.

PLANNING PARTICIPATION

some of the conference discussions. Student contributed to the discussions for the planning of the conference.

least one of the conference discussions. Student partially contributed to the discussions for the planning of the conference.

conference discussions. Student did not contribute to the discussions for the planning of the conference.

4. ELDER RECOGNITION BLOG (20%): Students will interview a Black male elder (a person over 45 years old) who they perceive to have made a relevant contribution to a community. They can be family, friends, church members or clergy, and/or ELDER RECOGNITION BLOG RUBRIC +17-20 +13-16 +9-12 RESEARCH INTERVIEW USE OF WRITING CENTER
Interview was documented and submitted with paper. Paper was taken to a campus facility for editing writing. Paper written Interview was partially documented and submitted with paper. Interview was poorly documented and possibly submitted with paper.

+0-8
Interview was not documented and not submitted with paper. Paper was not taken to a campus facility for editing writing. Paper written poorly (or not at all) with errors, in less than two page format.

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-----

WRITTEN with few to no MATERIAL errors, in two

page format.

Paper written with errors, in two page format.

Paper written with errors, in less than two page format.

C O N F E R E N C E A S S IIIG N M E N T CO N F E R E N C E A S S G N M E N T ONFERENCE SS GNMENT Students will be responsible for organize a conference where they will decide the conference title, its breakout sessions, the specific subjects of each session, and the overall focus of the conference. They will be expected to use their expertise (and vocabulary) in issues pertaining to Black males to analyze Black males experiences from an academic context. Students will also be expected to lead discussions in each session, and each student will be expected to have made a contribution to the conference, both logistically (helping to facilitate) and intellectually (helping to discuss). Lastly, students will submit a written breakdown in hardcopy format as to what their logistical contribution to the conference will be (as an intellectual contribution is assumed). To summarize: 1) Organize the conference. 2) Plan and implement conference using materials and information gained from class. 3) Submit written account of your contribution.

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L E A R N IIIN G O B JJJE C T IIIV E S LE A R N N G OB E C T V E S EARN NG B ECT VES 1. Students will learn relevant histories and theories regarding Black males from the fields of: Africana Studies, Media Studies, Gender studies such as Womens Studies and Masculine Studies, and History. 2. Students will analyze historical and theoretical issues regarding Black males in the 20th Century. 3. Students will compare overlapping forms of socio-political oppression and describe how they function in society in relation to Black males. 4. Students will learn to formulate their own arguments and articulate them orally at the end-of-semester conference. L E A R N IIIN G E X P E R IIIE N C E LE A R N N G EX P E R E N C E EARN NG XPER ENCE 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Students will attend lectures, read assigned texts, participate in class discussions, and watch in-class films. Students will participate in online discussion on Blackboard about specific subjects as assigned. Student will take written exams to assess material comprehension. Students will read articles regarding micro and macro-oppressive forms of white supremacy, patriarchy, classism, and heteronormativity. Students will present their reflections at the end-of-semester conference. L E A R N IIIN G O U T C O M E S LE A R N N G O U T C O M E S EARN NG OUTCOMES Students will learn how to include critiques of academic arguments in oral dialogues in calss in prearation for their end-of-semester conference. 3. Students will be able to think critically about concepts of masculinity, interdisciplinarity and multidimensionality, and apply them to contemporary issues. 4. Students will learn how to formulate an original conference, develop it at each stage, and articulate reflections during the event. 5. Students will become familiar with oral argumentation, learning to defend an argument while incorporating anticipated critiques. H O W T O S U C C E E D IIIN T H IIIS C O U R S E H O W T O SU C C E E D N T H S C O U R S E OW TO UCCEED N TH S OURSE A. If you are not used to reading a lot, GET USED TO IT!!! This course is the equivalent of a course offered at any UC, Cal State, or private college/university (USC, Stanford, Chapman, Pomona, etc.). Therefore, the reading load for this course may be heavy. It is expected that you spend a minimum of at least eight (8) hours a week on the reading and preparation for this course. There may be times when you feel overwhelmed by the reading material. However, here are some suggestions that may help you along the way: 1.

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1) Find a quiet space away from any distractions so that you can concentrate fully on the reading assignments. 2) When you are doing the reading, do it as if you are on a mission. This means that you should look for the main ideas, concepts, and arguments in each textbook chapter, article, and document that is assigned. Ask yourself questions when you read: What are the main points in this chapter/article/document? What does the author of the textbook/article/document want me to know? 3) Outline and/or summarize the assigned chapters, articles, and documents in your notes. When you are reading chapters from the textbooks, look for headings and subheadings. Write down the main points that are addressed under each heading and subheading. When you are reading articles or documents, outline the points that are made in each paragraph of the article or document. 4) DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!! While it is human nature to wait until the last possible minute to do the work assigned for your classes, this strategy has been proven, time and time again, to lead to a student's downfall. Do not wait until the night before a quiz/exam to do all of the reading that the quiz/exam will cover. If you do, you will find yourself trying to cram a large amount of reading material that most likely you will not remember when you take the quiz/exam. The reading for this course has been broken up so that you will have reading assigned for days when there will not be a quiz. It is extremely important that you do the reading assignments for those days so that you will not have to cram at the last minute for quizzes or exams. In addition, the readings will help you to understand the lectures for those days on which they are assigned. 5) Review your notes after you have written them!! 6) If it is possible, form study groups with your colleagues. Obtain the phone numbers of some of your colleagues and schedule times when you can get together and discuss the readings. 7) If you are having trouble with the concepts addressed in the readings, do not hesitate to contact me. C L A S S P O L IIIC IIIE S CL A S S P O L C E S LASS OL C ES A. Attendance, Tardiness, and Absences: In order to do well in this class, attendance is MANDATORY. If for any reason you need to miss class, you must call or e-mail me in advance. A class roster will be circulated during each class meeting. It is the students responsibility to sign it. The student is also responsible for securing notes on class lectures and announcements. ARRIVE ON TIME!! Late arrivals disrupt the lecture and you may miss important announcements as well as lecture material. B. Cell phone policy: cell phones may be kept on vibrate or silent only. If a call must be answered, it must be answered outside of the class. No text messaging or emailing should be done in class. In the best interest of the class, please be considerate of your classmates by following these guidelines. C. Make-up essays and extensions of due dates: Requests for approved absences must be submitted in writing prior to missing class. Requests for an extension or make-up opportunity must be submitted prior to the assignment due date, in writing. However, submission of request in no way guarantees professors approval. D. Participation: Even though this class is primarily a lecture course, active--not passive-participation in class is a MUST. By active, I do not mean just being in class physically. Active

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participation entails being engaged with the material and being able to comment/critique the readings and films. I will not hesitate to call on you, so it would be in your best interest to come to class prepared to discuss the issues addressed in the material. In borderline cases, your participation level will determine your final grade. U N IIIV E R S IIIT Y P O L IIIC IIIE S UN V E R S T Y PO L C E S N VERS TY OL C ES STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Upon identifying themselves to instructor and the university, students with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation. For more information, contact Services to Students with Disabilities in Madden Library 1049 (278-2811). the

CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM: Cheating is the actual or attempted practice of fraudulent or deceptive acts for the purpose of improving one's grade or obtaining course credit; such acts also include assisting another student to do so. Typically, such acts occur in relation to examinations. However, it is the intent of this definition that the term 'cheating' not be limited to examination situations only, but that it include any and all actions by a student that are intended to gain an unearned academic advantage by fraudulent or deceptive means. Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating which consists of the misuse of the published and/or unpublished works of others by misrepresenting the material (i.e., their intellectual property) so used as one's own work. Penalties for cheating and plagiarism range from a 0 or F on a particular assignment, through an F for the course, to expulsion from the university. For more information on the University's policy regarding cheating and plagiarism, refer to the Class Schedule (Legal Notices on Cheating and Plagiarism) or the University Catalog (Policies and Regulations). Any student wishing to submit a written assignment that is the partial or entire product of work completed for another course must FIRST obtain WRITTEN permission from the instructor specifying the extent to which the earlier work is acceptable, and also include a copy of the earlier work with the current submission. Note that in NO case is a paper that was prepared for another course acceptable as a submission in the General Education courses. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in the initiation of actions regarding breaches of policy on Cheating and Plagiarism. COMPUTERS: At California State University, Fresno, computers and communications links to remote resources are recognized as being integral to the education and research experience. Every student is required to have his/her own computer or have other personal access to a workstation (including a modem and a printer) with all the recommended software. The minimum and recommended standards for the workstations and software, which may vary by academic major, are updated periodically and are available from Information Technology Services

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(http://www/csufresno.edu/ITS/) or the University Bookstore. In the curriculum and class assignments, students are presumed to have 24-hour access to a computer workstation and the necessary communication links to the University's information resources. DISRUPTIVE CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR: The classroom is a special environment in which students and faculty come together to promote learning and growth. It is essential to this learning environment that respect for the rights of others seeking to learn, respect for the professionalism of the instructor, and the general goals of academic freedom are maintained. Differences of viewpoint or concerns should be expressed in terms which are supportive of the learning process, creating an environment in which students and faculty may learn to reason with clarity and compassion, to share of themselves without losing their identities, and to develop and understanding of the community in which they live. Student conduct which disrupts the learning process shall not be tolerated and may lead to disciplinary action and/or removal from class. COPYRIGHT POLICY: Copyright laws and fair use policies protect the rights of those who have produced the material. The copy in this course has been provided for private study, scholarship, or research. Other uses may require permission from the copyright holder. The user of this work is responsible for adhering to copyright law of the U.S. (Title 17, U.S. Code). To help you familiarize yourself with copyright and fair use policies, the University encourages you to visit its copyright web page. http://www.lib.csufresno.edu/libraryinformation/campus/copyright/copyrtpolicyfull.pdf Digital Campus course web sites contain material protected by copyrights held by the instructor, other individuals or institutions. Such material is used for educational purposes in accord with copyright law and/or with permission given by the owners of the original material. You may download one copy of the materials on any single computer for non-commercial, personal, or educational purposes only, provided that you (1) do not modify it, (2) use it only for the duration of this course, and (3) include both this notice and any copyright notice originally included with the material. Beyond this use, no material from the course web site may be copied, reproduced, re-published, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way without the permission of the original copyright holder. The instructor assumes no responsibility for individuals who improperly use copyrighted material placed on the web site. HONOR CODE: Members of the CSU Fresno academic community adhere to principles of academic integrity and mutual respect while engaged in university work and related activities. You should: a) understand or seek clarification about expectations for academic integrity in this course (including no cheating, plagiarism and inappropriate collaboration) b) neither give nor receive unauthorized aid on examinations or other course work that is used by the instructor as the basis of grading. c) take responsibility to monitor academic dishonesty in any form and to report it to the instructor or other appropriate official for action.

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Instructors may require students to sign a statement at the end of all exams and assignments that "I have done my own work and have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work." If you are going to use this statement, include it here. Please refer to the policies document at http://academicaffairs.csufresno.edu/undergrad_studies/RequiiredSyllabusPolicyStatements.htm SPECIAL NOTE: This syllabus is subject to change in relation to the needs of the class (and in the best interest of learning) as assessed by the instructor.

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