AFRICAN AMERICAN POLITICS IN THE UNITED STATES
POLS 311 -- Fall, 2001
Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:00 – 2:15
BSB Room 187
Professor: Dr. Valerie C. Johnson Office
Hours:
Office: BSB 1108-A Tu. &
Th. 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Telephone: 312.413.3773 (and/or by appointment)
valjohn@uic.edu
The goal of this
course is to give students a pragmatic understanding of the African-American
political experience in the United States in order to facilitate an
understanding of the current status of African-Americans in general, and the
plight of the African-American urban "underclass" in particular. Additionally, the course is concerned with
examining and eradicating myths associated with the African-American
"underclass". Therefore, the
course will explore the relationship between African-American and U.S.
capitalist development and political economy, throughout various historical
periods.
Throughout the
course, particular focus will be placed on the slave trade and slave experience;
the contradictions between the institution of slavery and American political
institutions and principles; barriers to African-American social, political and
economic progress; African-American protest and electoral movements, and the
subsequent success and failure of these movements; the contemporary social,
political and economic status of African-Americans; solutions that have been
advanced to facilitate equity within the American political\economic system,
and the feasibility of these solutions.
This course then, is not only concerned about the political status of
African Americans, but also concerns itself with the economic and social status
of African Americans.
The class will be taught in a discussion
format with a minimum of lecturing.
Thus, ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED. If you are absent you will be required to
provide an excuse that conforms to the University's guidelines no later than one week from the date in
question in order to receive attendance credit for that date.
MISSED
QUIZZES AND EXAMS
If you are
absent for a quiz or exam you have the responsibility of contacting me and
arranging a make-up. Make-ups must be
completed within one week of missing an exam or quiz. Make-up exams will be in essay format.
POLICY
ON ACCOMODATING DISABILITIES
Students with disabilities who require
accommodations for access and participation in this course must be registered
with the Office of Disabilities (ODS).
Please contact ODS at 312.413.2103 (voice) or 312.413.0123 (TTY).
Class will begin promptly at 1:00 p.m. Tardiness is disruptive and will be frowned
upon. After a student has been late
three (3) times, they will no longer receive credit for attendance after 1:10
p.m.
Cellular phones
and pagers are disruptive. UNDER NO
CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD STUDENTS RECEIVE CALLS OR PAGES DURING CLASS. If a student must bring cellular phones
or pagers to class they must be inaudible.
WITHOUT EXCEPTION, STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED
TO EAT IN CLASS. This includes
snacks of any kind, donuts, sandwiches, French fries, etc.
Although I detest surprise-grading
mechanisms (pop quizzes), I reserve the right to institute them in order to
encourage you to complete the reading assignments. Pop quizzes will be given only if the class deems it necessary by
exhibiting a lack of familiarity with the assigned reading material. If quizzes are necessary, they will
constitute a portion of your "class attendance" grade.
Examinations will test your knowledge and
comprehension of information from your class lectures and reading
assignments. There will be two
examinations for this class—a mid-term and a take-home final. Examinations will include 10 short answer
questions (worth 5 points each) and 2 essay questions (worth 25 points
each).
Please note
that your paper assignment for the semester is a "research"
paper. Therefore, in writing your paper
I expect you to utilize your research skills and the library’s many resources
in obtaining information for your paper.
If you have any questions related to accessing sources for your paper
you should consult with the reference librarian or the person in charge of
government documents.
The length of
your paper should be a minimum of 20 pages.
All papers must be typed, and include:
1) A thesis statement, which sets forth the
research question;
2) A section that provides relevant data to
support your thesis statement and alternative views;
3) A conclusion that includes your particular
ideas regarding your particular topic;
4) Footnotes (parenthetical style – see below)
for all of the sources that you consult; and
5) A bibliography. Your bibliography should include at least six sources in addition
to assigned class readings.
Any paper that does not include the
aforementioned items will be penalized 10 points for each missing item. ALSO
NOTE THAT TABLES AND CHARTS FROM OTHER SOURCES MUST BE REPRODUCED AND
CITED. COPIES OF CHARTS, TABLES, ETC.
ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.
YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR CHOICE OF THREE PAPER TOPICS IN WRITING ON SEPTEMBER
13, 2001. - I
will give you your approved paper topic on September 20, 2001. BECAUSE TWO PEOPLE AT MOST WILL BE ALLOWED
TO WRITE ON THE SAME TOPIC, IT WOULD BE GOOD TO CHOOSE AN ORIGINAL TOPIC.
All papers written
for this class will examine the status or condition of African Americans in
comparison to whites as it relates to a particular policy area. The policy areas and issues to be examined
are as follows:
1) Education
-- Your paper will examine the status and condition of African Americans in
comparison to whites in the area of education.
This topic includes a discussion and examination of educational
attainment, achievement, finances, opportunity and any problems associated with
this issue area as it relates to the lives of African Americans in the United
States.
2) Health
Care -- Your paper will examine the status and condition of African
Americans in comparison to whites in the area of health care. This topic includes a discussion and
examination of access to adequate and standard health care, particular health
problems that plague African Americans, and any other problem associated with
this issue area as it relates to the lives of African Americans in the United
States.
3) Crime
and the Criminal Justice System -- Your paper will examine the status and
condition of African Americans in comparison to whites in the area of crime and
the criminal justice system. This topic
includes a discussion and examination of crime rates, rates of victimization,
punishment (e.g. incarceration), and any problem associated with this issue
area as it relates to the lives of African Americans in the United States.
4)
Economic
Empowerment -- Your paper
will examine the status and condition of African Americans in comparison to
whites in the area of economic empowerment.
This topic includes a discussion and examination of the number and
proportion of businesses, the value and assets of businesses, the proportion
and amount of money that both groups spend as consumers, the products and
services that both groups spend money on, and any problem associated with this issue
area as it relates to the lives of African Americans in the United States.
5) Political
Empowerment -- Your paper will examine the status and condition of African
Americans in comparison to whites in the area of political empowerment. This topic includes a discussion and
examination of the number and proportion of elected officials, political and
voter participation, political ideology and party identification, and any
problem associated with this issue area as it relates to the lives of African
Americans in the United States.
6)
Housing -- Your paper will examine the status and
condition of African Americans in comparison to whites in the area of
housing. This topic includes a
discussion and examination relating to access to decent and affordable housing,
the proportion and number of both groups that occupy public, rental and
privately owned property, the median or average monthly payment for rental and
owner occupied housing for both groups, the value of owner occupied housing for
both groups, and any problem associated with this issue area as it relates to
the lives of African Americans in the United States.
7) Employment
-- Your paper will examine the status and condition of African Americans in
comparison to whites in the area of employment. This topic includes a discussion and examination of unemployment
rates, the number and proportion of both groups in the workforce, the
occupations of both groups, the number and proportion of both groups located in
particular industries, and any problem associated with this issue area as it
relates to the lives of African Americans in the United States.
8) Poverty
and Wealth -- Your paper will examine the status and condition of African
Americans in comparison to whites as it relates to poverty and wealth. This topic includes a discussion and
examination of poverty and income for both groups, the average worth and asset
accumulation for both groups, and any problem associated with this issue area
as it relates to the lives of African Americans in the United States.
9)
A
public policy issue of your choice
Use the following format for
references/citations in your paper:
1. When you quote or refer to portions of
someone's work in the body of your paper, put the author and page number(s) in
parentheses immediately following the passage.
Be absolutely sure you give credit any time you use another's work. Use quotation marks or indent the passage if
using direct quotations, and cite the work when referring to major ideas or
passages in a particular work. Indented
passages must be single-spaced.
Examples:
For Books:
The only way to keep government from
becoming tyrannical is to limit and divide power (Johnson 12-14).
Johnson (4) notes that "federalism can
best be understood by examining Supreme Court decisions since McCulloch v
Maryland."
In the case of a
newspaper article:
There is a clear correlation between
poverty and crime (Johnson D1).
In the case of a
journal article:
"One thing for certain, the time is
now (Johnson 6:456).”
For Internet
Citations:
The African American population has
increased dramatically over the past 10 years, from 12% of the population to
58% (Williams 4).
Citing
lectures and television programs is prohibited -- you must have a source for everything
you cite. If you have questions
regarding where I received particular information that I have used in a
lecture, see me.
Bibliography -- At the end of your paper give me the entire citation in a list of all the
sources you used on a separate page.
Title it "Bibliography" and list the works in alphabetical
order. Here are some examples using the
correct form.
For Books:
Johnson, Valerie. All you Have Ever Wanted to Know About American Government.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.
For an Article
in a Newspaper:
Johnson, Valerie. "Education Politics
in the United States." The Chicago Tribune, September 24, 1991,
1-10.
For Chapters in
an Edited Book:
Johnson, Valerie. "Why People
Rebel." In Rebellion in the United States. Ed. Kevin Lyles.
Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press, 1994.
For Chapters or
Articles in a Journal:
Johnson, Valerie. "Why People Rebel." The American Political Science
Review 2 (1994), 45-76.
For Articles in
a Magazine:
Williams, James. "Coming of Age.” Newsweek Jan. 1991: 55-57.
For Unsigned
Articles in Magazines:
Staff. "Coming of Age.” Newsweek
Jan. 1991: 55-57.
For Internet
Citations:
Williams, James. “The African American
Population Today.” Office of Population
Research, May, 2000, http://popindex.princeton.edu.
Research
paper--30%
Mid-term
examination--10%
Final
examination--40%
Class
attendance--20%
If
pop quizzes are given class attendance will constitute 15% of your grade and quizzes will constitute 5%
(regardless of the number of quizzes).
1) Lucius
J. Barker, Mack H. Jones and Katherine Tate, African Americans and the
American Political System, (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall,
1999).
2) John
Hope Franklin and Alfred A. Moss, Jr., From Slavery to Freedom: A History
of Negro Americans, 7th edition (New York, N.Y.: Alfred A Knopf, Inc.,
1994).
3) William
Julius Wilson, When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor,
(Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1996).
NOTE: ASSIGNMENTS ARE TO BE READ BEFORE COMING
TO CLASS ON THE DATES SPECIFIED.
August 21 First Day of Class -- Class Description
and Outline.
August 23 Introduction – Theories of African American
Politics
Assignment: *Barker, Jones
and Tate, Chapter 1
August 28 African
American Socioeconomic Status
Assignment: *Barker,
Jones and Tate, Chapter 2
August 30 The
African Way of Life and The Slave
Trade
Assignment: Franklin and
Moss, Chapters 1 and 3
August 31 LAST
DAY TO DROP THIS COURSE.
September 4 Life in Slavery
Assignment: *Franklin and
Moss, Chapters 5 and 6
September 6
Assignment: *Franklin and
Moss, Chapters 7 and 8
September 11 Drawing the Battle Lines Between North
& South
Assignment: *Franklin and
Moss, Chapter 9 and 10
REMINDER:
PAPER TOPICS DUE ON THURSDAY
September 13 Civil War and Reconstruction
Assignment: *Franklin and
Moss, Chapters 11 and 12
RESEARCH
PAPER TOPIC DUE
September 18 The
Post-Reconstruction Period
Assignment: *Franklin and
Moss, Chapters 13 and 14
September 20
Assignment: *Franklin and
Moss, Chapters 15-17
September 25
Assignment: *Franklin and
Moss, Chapters 18 and 19
September 27
Assignment: *Franklin
and Moss, Chapters 20 and 21
October 2
Assignment: *Franklin and
Moss, Chapters 22 and 23
MID-TERM
REVIEW SHEET HANDED OUT
October 4 *IN-CLASS REVIEW FOR MID-TERM EXAMINATION
October 9 MID-TERM EXAMINATION
October 11 The African American Quest for Political
Power
Assignment: *Barker, Jones and
Tate, Chapter 4
October 16
African American Political Behavior:
Interests Groups
Assignment: *Barker, Jones and
Tate, Chapter 7
October 18 African American Political Behavior:
Parties
Assignment: *Barker, Jones and Tate, Chapter 8
October 23 African American Political Behavior: Black
Voters & Electoral Politics
Assignment: *Barker, Jones and Tate, Chapter 9
October 25 African American Political Behavior: The
Congress
Assignment: *Barker, Jones and
Tate, Chapter 10
October 30 African American Political Behavior: The
Courts
Assignment: *Barker, Jones and
Tate, Chapter 5
November
1
Assignment: *Barker, Jones and
Tate, Chapter 6
November 6 African American Political Behavior: The
Presidency
Assignment: *Barker, Jones and
Tate, Chapter 11
November 8 NO
CLASS – TITLE 1 ANNUAL CONFERENCE, AUSTIN, TEXAS
November 13 The
Continuing Significance of Race
Assignment: *Barker, Jones and
Tate, Chapter 12
November 15 Continuing Challenges: Joblessness
Assignment: *Wilson, Chapters
Introduction, 1 and 2
November 20
Assignment: *Wilson,
Chapters 3-5
November 22
Assignment: *Wilson, Chapters
6-8
November 27 Continuing Challenges: Education and
Incarceration
November 29 LAST DAY OF CLASS -- DRAWING SOME CONCLUSIONS
RESEARCH PAPERS DUE
TAKE HOME
FINAL EXAMINATION AND INSTRUCTIONS HANDED OUT
Monday, December 3 FINAL EXAMINATIONS DUE NO LATER THAN
5:30
P.M.