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RACE AND RACISM in US History

What is this class about? Race is the central justice issue in American history. The U.S. has been a country that declares “all men are created equal” while also building a system of laws that justifies violence and oppression against people of color. As students of history, we will look back to examine the shifting categories that made up race as an invented system that first created and then preserved elite white power. We will trace the ways that unequal legal systems have led to very different experiences for diverse groups of Americans. And we will study the stories of ordinary people, who through their extraordinary courage, evaded and challenged racism over and over again. Because this topic is one that continues to influence our present reality, we will create space for discussion and reflection on how each of our individual and family experiences relate to the larger history of race and racism in this country.

LOS ANGELES CITY COLLEGE, DEPT. OF SOCIAL SCIENCES INSTRUCTOR: CHRISTINA HEISSER, PH.D.

MEETING TIME: T/R 11:10 AM -12:35 PM; MEETING PLACE: FRANKLIN HALL 212

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION: Prof. Christina Heisser (Please call me Professor Heisser or Dr. Heisser)

Email: christinaheisser@gmail.comWebsites: http://lacchistory73.wordpress.com (getting started) and Canvas

Office: Franklin Hall 219-D; Office Hours: Tuesday 2-3 pm or Wednesday 2-4 pm; or by appt.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have. I am happy to help!

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IMPORTANT DATES: • September 2: Campus closed• September 6: Last day to drop

without a W and without a fee• November 11: Campus closed• November 17: Drop deadline (W)• November 26, 12:45 pm: Untold

Stories Showcase • November 28-29: Campus

closed• December 12, 10:15am: Final

discussion

What will you learn? At the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Explain the impact of racism on diverse groups of Americans in writing (assessed through exams and quizzes).

2. Analyze historical themes related to race and racism in primary and secondary historical texts (assessed through reading responses, exams, quizzes, and oral history project).

Each of us comes to this material from a different perspective, and so we each have our own views on its importance. I think this class and this topic are so important because racism is such a persistent problem in the country we live in, and one that is sometimes poorly understood. Racism isn’t just about individual people being racist, but about a whole system that gives advantages to some people and denies them to others. I think learning the history of race and racism in the U.S. helps us to avoid one of two traps we might face when confronting these problems: on the one hand, the denial that racism exists (as in, “Why are you always trying to make it about race?” or “But I’m not racist”), and on the other, the idea that we’ve always lived in a racist country, and there’s no point trying to change it.

History tells us that though racism has been with us from our nation’s founding, race and racism have both changed over time. History allows us to see not only the reality of racism but the falseness of race as

an idea. And it also shows us that individuals, and, more often, organized groups of people, have been able to force changes for equality on a resistant society. For me, all this information is crucially important to build the kind of multiracial society that the United States should have, “with liberty and justice for all.”

In addition to the content you learn in this class, the skills that you will practice are essential for any informed citizen or professional career. In this class, you will ask questions to identify bias and find meaning in confusing texts or in strange pictures. This practice will help you to better read between the lines for office politics in an email from your boss, decipher political rhetoric, and maybe even comprehend Ikea manuals. You will write and speak, in and out of class, and practice using evidence to support an argument - a skill that will help you advocate for proposals at work and win debates at the dinner table. If you already know how to do all these things, this class will give you an opportunity to continue to perfect your skills.

Why should you care?

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What will you do? Read. Stuff written by historians and other professional writers.

We will read a variety of articles and excerpts from books this semester, both during class and for homework. This will include significant excerpts from the book The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson, which is the only text required for purchase.

Stuff written by people who lived in the past.

Historians call these primary sources. I’ll post links for assigned reading on the web through Canvas and our course website.

Please print or bring these documents with you to class on your phone or laptop. We will discuss them in detail in class, and it’s important to have it with you for reference. Ask. Think. Discuss. Your questions are valued in this class, because it is by asking questions that we all learn. A historian asks questions about objects - like the photos and art in this syllabus - and, more often, texts. I hope you will ask relentless questions in this class - of me, of

your classmates, of the things we read and look at together. Your questions show your interest and your desire to learn, and that’s a wonderful thing!Your ideas and your voices are also crucial to this class. You and I - and you and your classmates - will have different ideas about what we read together. Discussing those ideas helps us all come to a better understanding of the history. It

also makes it possible for us to learn about one another and different ways of thinking about and experiencing the world.

Write. We will do a lot of writing in this class. Even if you are not confident in your writing, there are plenty of opportunities for you to do well.

First, much of the writing for the class - the reading responses and most in-class writing - will be ungraded, and only judged on satisfactory completion. This means if you do the work according to the requirements, you will earn 100% of the points.

Second, we will walk through all the graded written assignments so that you are absolutely clear on what I am looking for and how you will be graded. Essays on exams will be graded for content rather than for grammar. The research essay for the class will be developed in several stages, with lots of support from your classmates and from me.

My goal is to make this class a positive place for you to learn

and grow - that means that I want you to do well. I will do my best to make the work clear and comprehensible so that you know how to be successful, and how to get help if you’re confused.

If you have questions about anything related to the class, please get in touch with me - online through the Canvas inbox or in-person during my office hours. I am happy to help!

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Week 1Introductions and Historical Construction of Race; HW #1

Week 2The Construction of Race and Slavery; HW #2

Week 3Race and Native Americans. Project Proposal Due. HW #3

Week 4Race and CA in the 1850s; HW #4; Project work day

Week 5Emancipation, Reconstruction, and its Failures; HW #5. Interview Due.

Week 6Exam #1 Review; Exam #1

Week 7Research session(s); project workshop

Week 8Race and Immigration in the 20th century; HW #6

Week 9The Great Migrations; HW #7

Week 10World War II: Opportunities and Limits to Change;

HW #8

Week 11Civil Rights; HW #9

Week 12Radical Social Movements; Review discussion/writing.

Week 13Draft projects/project mockups due. Workshop session.

Week 14Showcase setup and project showcase: 12:45-2:10pm

Week 15Backlash… and beyond? How did we get here? HW #10

Exam week: Concluding discussion: recap and reflections.

Week-by-week: A tentative program

Attendance: Your attendance matters in this class. Exams and papers will build off lectures and in-class discussion, and a significant percentage of your grade will be comprised by your in-class writing and discussions. You need to be here to learn, and your work in class helps your classmates to learn, too. Students with more than four absences (unexcused and excused included) may be dropped from the course. If you miss class, you will need to get any necessary information from your classmates. It is a good idea to exchange contact info with someone in the class. Tardiness: Tardiness or coming in late to class is disruptive to the class and to the instructor. When you are on time and ready to participate at the start

of class, we are able to use all our time for the business of learning. It’s really important to me that you value our time together. I also value your time and will not hold you past the end of our class period.

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Assignments and Grading Reading responses (10@200 points total): Homework will be short (200 words) responses to the reading, submitted via Canvas. Responses must be submitted before the class in which the reading is due. No late responses accepted.

In-class writing (200 points total): Throughout the semester, we will do activities in class with a writing component, and you will sometimes write brief reflections on course material. As a whole, these short assignments will be worth 200 points. In-class writing cannot be made up - you must be present to complete it and receive credit. One “0” score will be dropped.

Participation (100 points total): Your active participation in class discussions is crucial to the success of this class as a learning experience.

Exam (1@100 points) and review discussions (2 @ 50 points each): Week 6; Week 12; Exam Week. The exam will be an essay exam. Review discussions will be in-class discussions that may require some individual writing as well.

Oral history project (Preliminary stages @ 150 points; Final project @ 150 points, including preliminary stages): Your final project for this class will be based on an oral history interview, in which you interview someone about racial identity and racism, and then connect that story to larger themes in history. You can choose to develop your interview and research into: • A traditional research paper, 5-6 pages in length. • A poster presentation. • A podcast. You will have the opportunity to share your work as part of an Untold Stories showcase on November 26, 12:45pm. Full details to follow.

Extra credit: You can earn up to 20 points extra credit across the course of the semester. See Canvas for full details.

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15%

Project Prep Work15%

In-Class Writing20% Participation

10%

Reading Responses20%

Review Discussions10%

Exam10%

Grade A: 900-1000 pts.

An “A” student actively participates in class, completes all course assignments, and contributes

insightful and interesting analysis of course material on graded assignments.

Grade B: 800-895 pts.

A “B” student regularly attends class and completes course work. They may be missing one or two

required homework assignments or have one low exam score, but overall they submit work and explain ideas clearly on graded assignments.

Grade C: 700-795 pts.

This student does most homework and completes most in-class activities. Student completes all required exams with realistic attempts on all

questions. This student is able to identify historical events but fails to interpret meanings.

Grades D&F: D: 600-695 pts.; F: less than 600 pts.

This student completes less than half of homework assignments and misses several in-class assignments.

Exam scores are low. This student is unable to identify historical events or explain meaning.

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Dropping the Class: It is the student’s responsibility to officially drop the class whenever he or she determines that he/she can no longer attend the class. Failure to drop a class officially may result in a failing grade and/or a financial obligation to the college.

Important! Drop Date InformationFor full semester courses in Fall 2019, the deadline to drop without a “W” on your transcript is September 6, 2019. Effective July 1, 2012 students are allowed three (3) attempts to pass a single class within the Los Angeles CommunityCollege District. If a student gets a “W” or grade of “D”, “F”, or “NP” in a class, that counts as an attempt. If you think you will not be able to complete this course with a C or better, drop by September 6, 2019. If the class begins or ends on a different date, please refer to http://www.lacitycollege.edu/services/admissions/dates.html

LACC Attendance Policy: Students who are registered and miss the first class meeting may lose their right to a place in the class. Whenever students are absent more hours than the number of hours the class meets per week, the instructor may exclude them from class. If the instructor determines that there are no mitigating circumstances that may justify the absences, the instructor may exclude a student from the class. Students are responsible for officially dropping a class that they stop attending.

If you need help paying for books and other college expenses,

call the Financial Aid Office at(323) 953-4000 extension 2010,

or see them at Student Services Village room 117http://www.lacitycollege.edu/stusvcs/finaid/

Disability Information: Students with a verified disability who may need authorized accommodation(s) for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and the Office of Special Services (SSV 100, 323-953-4000, ext. 2270) as soon as possible, at least two weeks before any exam or quiz.  All information will remain confidential.

Cell Phone/Computer/Electronic Device Policy: Students may not use cell phones to accept or make calls while in class.  They must be turned to silent mode.  Computers or tablets are permitted solely for note-taking or research, and no inappropriate uses during class.  Students who do

not adhere to this policy will be asked to leave class.  If there is a second occurrence, the student will be referred to the VP of Student Services, and will return to class after the VP has cleared her or him to return.

Academic Dishonesty/Cheating – Board Rule 9803.28: Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to, the following actions: cheating on an exam, plagiarism, working together on an assignment, paper or project when the instructor has specifically stated students should not doso, submitting the same term paper to more than one instructor, or allowing another individual to assume one’s identity for the purpose of enhancing one’s grade (see LACCD Board Rule 9803.28). Penalties may include a grade of zero or "F" on an exam or paper, or even suspension from the College. Class Conduct: Please treat all class members with respect. Please familiarize yourself with the Student LACC Code of Conduct for guidelines on acceptable and unacceptable conduct.

Disputing Grades: If you choose to dispute your grade for the course you must submit a type-written, double-spaced letter explaining why you believe your grade was not appropriate to the work you have completed. You must attach all supporting papers, exams, homework assignments and all applicable materials to support your case. I will review your information and make a determination if a grade change is warranted. As a reminder, as I review your information, your grade may be lowered due to my error in giving you a higher grade than you actually earned. You are responsible for your own performance and grade.

Note: This syllabus is tentative and subject to change. I may amend, add, and/or delete any of the items. You will be notified of any changes.

Rules, Regulations, and other Fine Print

My citations: Thanks go to my colleagues in the Faculty Teaching and Learning Academy (FTLA) and LACC Social Sciences Department for providing inspiration, help with the fine print (some of which is reproduced word-for-word here), and constructive feedback.

Images in this syllabus were taken from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Timeline of Art History (metmuseum.org/toah/) and from the University of California’s Calisphere website.(calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu). The Milli Vanilli picture came from Google images.

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