HIST101-02 SPRING 2024 MULTIPLE VOICES, AFRICA IN THE WORLD T/TH 10AM-11:50AM CRAIG LEE 105 Syllabus Prof. Sherri V. Cummings | scummings@ric.edu Craig Lee 447. Office hours by appointment
We honor and Rhode Island College sits on the traditional homelands of the respect the many Narragansett and Wampanoag diverse Indigenous peoples. Additionally, the college, peoples still like many other institutions in Island, is not devoid of connected to this Rhode historical linkages to the African land on which slave trade in the Americas. It is we gather. important to understand the longstanding history that has brought the college to reside on this land, and to seek to understand our roles within that history. These acknowledgments commit me to a lifetime of historical work dedicated to reclaiming the voices and experiences of those Indigenous and African peoples and their descendants today.
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ubuntu [oo-boon-too]
‘Ubuntu ngunmuntu ngabantu’ To be human is to recognize the humanity in others. - Nguni, South Africa This course is taught in the spirit of “Ubuntu” meaning I Am Because You Are. Ubuntu embodies all the virtues that maintain harmony and the spirit of sharing among the members of a society. It applies an appreciation of traditional beliefs and a constant awareness that an individual’s actions today reflect the past and will have far reaching consequences for the future. It is my intent that students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, a source of strength and overall benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Moreover, I am attentive to real world realities. If any of our meetings pose a personal conflict, please let me know. Prof. Sherri V. Cummings | HIST101-02 Spring 2024 | Page 3
It is not just about historical events. It is about the ways
This General Education Course is part of the Multiple
in which Black people responded to phenomenon
Voices series and introduces
affecting their daily lives. Through their voices, we will
students to the historical
examine themes related to race, slavery, abolitionism,
intellectual contributions of
religion, identity, motherhood, education, gender,
African individuals and their descendants throughout
activism, and resistance in Africa, Europe, the
the Diaspora.
Caribbean, South America and the United States.
Students will have the opportunity to critically analyze primary and secondary sources, engage in research and compose assignments that will help reinforce methodologies found in the historical discipline. With this in mind, students will achieve a foundational understanding of intellectual history and how historians engage with this unique archive to comprehend the world of Black life beneath the veil, from the Black perspective.
LEARNING GOALS & OBJECTIVES
1. 3.
Critically examine primary sources to comprehend the intellectual production of African and Afro-descended people throughout the African Diaspora.
Critically synthesize your own thoughts about the experiences and intellectual contriputions of Black individuals across the Diaspora, specifically as it pertains to legacies of race, identity, resistance and the lasting effects of transatlantic slavery.
2.
Identify the ways Black people responded in order to express their own voices relevant to issues that were paramount to their daily lives.
4.
Gain critical skills for working in an archive with Special Collections at RIC, as well as examining primary sources in Special Collection pertinent to the final research project.
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COURSE STRUCTURE & REQUIREMENTS The purpose of this course is to comprehend the intellectual production of African people and their descendents across the Diaspora as they respond to phenomenon that affects their daily lives. You are responsible for completing all required readings and coming to class ready to engage. Your participation is key and counts towrds your final grade. I do not consider your attendance as part of your final grade. If you know you will be absent, you are responsible for notifying me (and your groupmates), by email, of your absence. Moreover, you are accountable for identifying what you have missed and need to catch up on. I. Weekly classes are divided into two parts. The first part of the class will consist of a twenty to thirty minute lecture focusing on historical context. The second portion of the class is conducted as a “lab” where you will work in groups to examine primary sources — original documents of first person accounts, ie. letters, newspaper articles, speeches, and more — to examine the intellectual production of individuals across the African Diaspora. For each primary source assigned to a group, students will: 1.
Summarize the text of the primary source.
2. Place the source in historical context. 3. Critically analyze and examine the source based on a specific set of predetermined criteria. 4. Conclude analysis with thoughts and questions for future examination. 5. Submit Google Form, on Blackboard, by end of each class. 6. Each week, each group will choose a primary source to post on the course Instagram site. This allows the group to share their thoughts about the primary sources they are engaging with in a creative way. I encourge students to think outside of the box and be creative about their posts. A post can include images, music, etc., and will be shared with the RIC community. II. There will be four take home essay quizzes to access your understanding of topics discussed. These quizzes will be available on Blackboard. III. You are responsible for an individual final project. Students will have the unique opportunity to work with the Alternative and Underground Press Collection located in Special Collections in the James P. Adams Library. Upon completion of your project, your work will either be showcased in an exhibit in the Adams Library, or collected and printed in a “zine” for the RIC community. Prof. Sherri V. Cummings | HIST101-02 Spring 2024 | Page 5
IV. The class will culminate in a brief (5 minute) presentation discussing your research in Special Collections.
REQUIRED TECH:
LAPTOP
INTERNET CONNECTION
RELIABLE BROWSER
GOOGLE DRIVE
REQUIRED BLACKBOARD ACCOUNT
Use of AI with proper citation: In this course, students are encouraged to use Generative AI Tools like ChatGPT to support their work. To maintain academic integrity, students must disclose any AI-generated material they use and properly attribute it, including in-text citations, quotations, and references. A student should include the following statement in assignments to indicate use of a Generative AI Tool: “The author(s) would like to acknowledge the use of [Generative AI Tool Name], a language model developed by [Generative AI Tool Provider], in the preparation of this assignment. The [Generative AI Tool Name] was used in the following way(s) in this assignment [e.g., brainstorming, grammatical correction, citation, which portion of the assignment].” When using AI tools, it is important to be aware that AI-generated information is not always accurate. AI tools are known to make up incorrect information and non-existing references. You are responsible for fact checking any AI generated information and correcting it; any misinformation or errors will impact your grade. Also, the information you supply might be utilized for training AI models or other purposes. Consequently, there is no guarantee that the information you provide will remain confidential. Students should exercise caution and avoid sharing any sensitive or private information when using these tools. Examples of such information include personally identifiable information (e.g., your address, phone number), protected health information (e.g., any medical diagnoses or treatment you are undergoing), financial data, intellectual property (e.g., papers you’ve written or presentations you’ve given at a conference), and any other data that might be legally protected.
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COURSE RUBRIC I firmly believe that what you put into this course is what you will get out of it. In short, do the required work and you will be just fine. Failure to complete all required assignments will result in an “Incomplete” (IN) grade. It is up to you to communicate with your advisor and me to see how you can rectify your grade. If you do not do so in a timely manner, you will receive a failing grade.
• Quizzes • Lab Work • Weekly Post • Final Project • Presentation
20% 20% 20% 30% 10%
Grade Breakdown at RIC 95 - 100 90 - 94 87 - 89 84 - 86 80 - 83 77 - 79
A AB+ B BC+
74 - 76 70 - 73 67 - 69 64 - 66 60 - 63 Below 60
C CD+ D DF
RESOURCES Basic wellness needs. To learn effectively, you must have basic security: a roof over your head, a reliable place to sleep, and enough food to eat. If you’re having trouble with any of those things, please contact Learning for Life (l4linfo@ric.edu, or phone 401-4566320). Students dealing with heightened feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, and/or thoughts of harm or suicide, may schedule an appointment at the Counseling Center (401-456-8094). Also, students can call 401-456-4673 (HOPE) to confidentially speak with a licensed clinician. This service is available 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. Together we can work to meet all of these needs. The Writing Center, located on the lower level of the Adams Library is an informal, comfortable space in which writers can talk about their writing concerns with people (peer tutors) who are willing to listen, share, and respond. We believe that what writers need most is an informed audience of readers as well as active discussion about how writing happens. Thus, the tutoring
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appointment consists of reading, writing, and discussion. The goal of these writing conversations is to help students learn about their processes as they work through the writing assigned in their classes. People who use the Writing Center on a regular basis usually develop a heightened awareness of their writing process, discover a variety of strategies for working through their papers, and develop stronger pieces of writing. If you are having difficulty with writing or would like more information or assistance, consult the Writing Center. The Writing Center’s goal is to work with writers to explore and develop their ideas, to become aware of the needs of their readers, and to learn the rhetorical and syntactical strategies necessary for effective communication. To make an appointment, email: https://ricmywconline.com The Disability Services Center (DSC) at Rhode Island College is the College’s designated agent for determining eligibility, facilitating access, and coordinating accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. Students requesting adjustments, modifications, or services related to a disability should register with the DSC to determine eligibility. Students can request and manage their accommodations through the online portal, Accessible Information Management.
Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another. – Nelson Mandela Prof. Sherri V. Cummings | HIST101-02 Spring 2024 | Page 8
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COURSE SCHEDULE All course readings and primary sources are on Blackboard and organized by date unless otherwise noted. This course schedule, related readings and requirements are subject to change without notice. 1.16 | Introduction / Syllabus Review / Course Review 1.18 | What is Africana Intellectual History? Text:
“Introduction: The Contours of Black Intellectual History,” New Perspectives in the Black Intellectual Tradition. 3-18.
1:23 | Life in Ancient Egypt Text:
J. Yoyotte, “Pharonic Egypt: Society, Economy and Culture,” in General History of Africa, Vol. II. 112-135.
PS:
1. The Resurrection of Osiris, 2. The Dispute of a Man With His Soul, 3. Sinuhe’s Triumphant Return Home, 4. Queen Hatshepsut
1:25 | The Spread of Christianity Text:
T.T. Mekouria, “The Horn of Africa,” in General History of Africa, Vol. III. 558-574
PS:
1. Makeda Queen of Sheba on the Wisdom of Solomon, 2. King Ezana: The Decline and Fall of Meroë / Coins from Axum, 3. Periplus of the Erythrean Sea
1.30 | Islam Below the Sahel Text: Michael A. Gomez, “Slavery and Race Imagined in Bilad As-Sudan,” 2018. 43-57 PS:
1. Muhammad al-Farisi al-Istakhri, 2. Ibn Battuta: The Royal Court of the Sultan of Mali, 3. The Foretelling of the Great Sundiata’s Birth, 4. Leo Africanus: The Book of Trade at Timbuktu
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2.01 | European Contact with West Africans Text:
Toby Green, “The Formation of Early Atlantic Societies in Senegambia and Upper Guinea,” in The Rise of the TransAtlantic Slave Trade in Western Africa, 1300-1589
PS:
1. Excerpts from the Chronicle of Zurarra, 2. Letters from King Afonso I of the Kongo
2.06 | Controlling the Enslaved Body / The Slave Narrative Text:
Hortense Spillers, “Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Maybe , Diacritics, 1987
PS:
Excerpts from Equiano, Mary Prince, Florence Hall, Mahommah G. Baquaqua
2.08 | Black Freedom / Early Freedom Suits Text:
Donald R. Wright, “The American Revolutionary Era,” in African Americans in Colonial America, 2017. 185-232
PS:
The Somerset Case, Elizabeth Sutton, Quack Walker, Elizabeth Freeman
2.13 | The Declaration of the Rights of Man (France) Texts: Robert Forster, “Who Is a Citizen? The Boundaries of ‘La Patrie’: The French Revolution and the People of Color, 178991.” French Politics and Society 7, no. 3 (1989): 50–64. Kimberly Hanger. “Conflicting Loyalties: The French Revolution and Free People of Color in Spanish New Orleans.” Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association 34, no. 1 (1993): 5–33. PS:
1. Society of American Colonists, Petition to the National Assembly, 1789, 2. Vincent Og., Petition to the Assembly of the North Province, October 29, 1791, 3. The National Assembly Decrees the Enfranchisement of Free Men of Color, May 15, 1791
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2.15 | From Saint Domingue to Haiti Text:
Franklin W. Knight, “The Haitian Revolution.” The American Historical Review 105, no. 1 (2000): 103–15.
PS:
1. Toussaint Louverture, Letter (August 25, 1793), 2. Creole of Saint-Domingue, My Odyssey: Experiences of a Young Refugee from Two Revolutions (1793), 3. Jean Jacques Dessalines to Thomas Jefferson from, 23 June 1803 4. King Henry Christophe to the British abolitionist Thomas Clarkson, February 5, 1816
2.20 | Caribbean Emancipation / Black American Abolition Text:
Dexter Joey Gabriel, “African-Americans and British Emancipation,” Dissertation, Stony Brook University, 2016. 172-226.
PS:
1. The Colonization Controversy: John B. Russwurm to[Edward Jones], Mar. 20, 1830, 2. Joseph R. Dailey to Robert Purvis, April 12, 1833, 3. Speech by Sarah M. Douglass, Delivered before the Female Literary Society of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, [June 1832], 4. Ann Plato, The First of August, 1838
2.22 | Frederick Douglass / Emancipation / Reconstruction Documentary: Amend, Episode 1 * See Blackboard for Follow Up Assignment 2.27 | The Sovereignty of Quiet / The Black Body and Photography in the Late 1800s Text:
Kevin Quashie, “Publicness, Silence and the Sovreignty of the Interior,” 11-26
PS:
1. Library of Congress African American Photographs Assembled for 1900 Paris Exposition, 2. Photographs of Brazilian Customs, 3 Ganhadeiras: Sculptures of Black Workers of Brazil
2.29 | A New Dawn Text: Franklin and Higginbotham, “The Era of Self Help,” 287-326 PS: 1. Anna Julia Cooper, 2. Booker T. Washington, 3. Ida B. Wells, 4. Mahlon Van Horne, 5. George T. Downing
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3.05 | Early Pan Africanists Text:
Hakim Adi. “The Forerunners,” in Pan Africanism, A History, 2018. 7-23.
PS:
1. Edward Blyden, 2. Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford, 3. Mabel Dove Danquah, 4. George Padmore, 5. Sylvester Williams
3.07 | Garveyism Text:
Hakim Adi. “Pan Africanism and Garveyism,” in Pan Africanism, A History, 2018. 23-41
PS:
1. Marcus Garvey selected speeches, 2. Amy Ashwood Garvey, 3. Amy Jacques Garvey
SPRING BREAK 3.11 - 3.17 3.19 | The Harlem Renaissance Text:
Kenneth R. Janken, “African American and Francophone Black Intellectuals during the Harlem Renaissance.” 487–505.
PS:
1. Alaine Locke, “The New Negro,” 1925, 2.Langston Huhges, “The Negro artist and the Racial Mountain.” 1926, 3. Zora Neale Hurston, “Sweat,” 1926, 4. Richard Wright, “Between Laughter and Tears,” 1937
3.21 | Negritude Text:
Reiland Rabaka, “Prelude to Negritude,” 41-87
PS:
1. Leopold Senghor, 2.Aime Cesair, 3. The Nardall Sisters, 4. Léon-Gontran Damas
3.26 | African Liberation Text: Basil Davidson, “The Nationalists Win Through,” 95-152 PS:
1. Kwame Nkrumah, 2. Jomo Kenyatta, 3. Sekou Toure, 4. Amilcar Cabral
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3.28 | Black Leftists Text:
Michael W. Williams, “Nkrumahism as an Ideological Embodiment of Leftist Thought Within the African World.” Journal of Black Studies 15, no. 1 (1984): 117–34.
PS:
1. Robin D. G. Kelley, “The Negro Question,” 2. Claudia Jones, “On the Right to Self Determination for the Negro People in the Black Belt.” 3. Claudia Jones, “An End to the Neglect of the Problems of Negro Women.” 4. Cedric Robinson, “The Making of the Black Radical Tradition”
4.02 | The Civil Rights Movement / The Rise of Black Power Text:
Franklin and Higginbottham, “Black Power,” 549-579
PS:
1. Martin Luther King Jr, Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963, 2. Martin Luther King Jr. “The Other America” 3. Malcolm X, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” 1964, 4. Malcolm X, “Appeal to African Heads of State,” 1964 5. James Baldwin, The Fore Next TIme , 82-106, 6. Ashley Farmer, “The Black Revolutionary Woman, 1966-1975,” in Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era. 50-92
4.04 | Black Feminisim / Black Womanism Text:
The Combahee River Collective Statement (1977)
PS:
1. Audre Lorde, “A Litany for Survival” 2. June Jordan, “A New Politics of Sexuality” 3. Alice Walker, Preface, In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens. 4. Clenora Hudson-Weems, “Africana Womanism: An Overview,” 205-217, 5. Patricia Hill Collins, “What’s in a Name? Womanism, Black Feminism and Beyond.” 6. bell hooks, “Sisterhood: Political Solidarity between Women,” 7. Toni Morrison, Noble Laureate Lecture
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SPECIAL COLLECTIONS RESEARCH / FINAL PROJECT You will have the unique opportunity to work with the Alternative and Underground Press Collection (MSS-0037) located within the Special Collections holdings at the Adams Library. The culmination of your research will be featured in either a “zine” or an exhibition in the library. You will also prepare a short five minute presentation to showcase the work you have performed in the archive. See below for schedule. 4.09 | Introduction to Special Collections by Dr. Veronica Denison •
Definitions and Terminology (collections, primary sources, finding aids, inventories, etc.)
•
Care and handling of materials
•
Examples of collections – initial exploration
•
Zine project intro
4.11 | Exploring Collections •
Keeping track of primary source research
•
Taking pictures of materials for your project
•
More time to explore collections
•
Book your follow up appointment! Instructions to follow.
4.16 | Research Day 4.18 | Research Day 4.23 | Research Day / Submissions Due 4.25 | Presentations / Last Day of Class Prof. Sherri V. Cummings | HIST101-02 Spring 2024 | Page 15
NOTES:
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NOTES:
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Prof. Sherri V. Cummings | scummings@ric.edu