This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
Journey through the exciting story of how the heroes and villains of America shaped the developments and progress of Civil Rights in America.
Total classes: 14
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade (Adjustments can be made to assignments in order to accommodate Middle School students.)
Suggested credit: One full semester of American History or Social Studies
Description
American Civil Rights have developed very slowly since the nation’s inception, with no more controversial aspect than the fight to treat blacks with equity. This class uses black civil rights as a case study in America, beginning by briefly tracing the background to black slavery and racism in America, leading up to the first great national Civil Rights movements and their victories in the Civil War and early post-Civil War Eras. Next, the class dwells long and hard upon the period of Jim Crow where Southern states essentially rolled back the hard-won victories of the Reconstruction. Finally, the class explains the motivations and consequences of the great era of the Civil Rights movement, followed by a brief epilogue about what the Civil Rights movement looks like in the modern age.
Outline
Week 1: Introduction and overview of syllabus and assignments
Week 2: Slavery and Emancipation
Week 3: The Rule of Andrew Johnson
Week 4: Reconstruction under Grant
Week 5: Heroes and Martyrs of Reconstruction
Week 6: Jim Crowe, and the Lost Cause
Week 7: Big Picture Civil Rights, 1890-1924
Week 8: The Emergence of Civil Rights Lawyers
Week 9: Lynchings
Week 10: Cold War Civil Rights
Week 11: Malcolm X
Week 12: Martin Luther King Jr.
Week 13: The Black Panthers
Week 14: The Burden of the Modern Age
Materials and Homework
Course Materials: None required – all course materials are provided free by the instructor.
Homework: Writing is an integral part of demonstrating both the assimilation of knowledge, and the articulation thereof. Therefore, students will be guided through the process of writing a short (3-5 page, double-spaced) review of a book of their choice relevant to the subject matter.
NOTE: Middle School students taking this course may instead write a 1-2 page book report
Also, students will have weekly, optional, short (5-10 minute) quizzes based on classroom lectures and discussions.
Important Dates
Class Dates: Wednesdays, September 4 to December 11, 2024. (No class Nov. 27)
Starting Time: 4:00 PM Eastern (3:00 Central; 2:00 Mountain; 1:00 Pacific)
Duration: 55 minutes
