HIS-30163 - 'Eyes on the Prize': The Struggle for Civil Rights in America (Part II)
Coordinator: David Ballantyne Tel: +44 1782 7 34409
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 6
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 733147

Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Yes

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2022/23

This module allows students to scrutinise the achievements and limitations of Civil Rights and Black Power activism in the United States. Complementing the issues addressed in HIS-30157, this module provides a closer examination of activism and resistance from the 1960s onwards, with particular focuses on Black Power, the roles women played in activism, the economic dimensions of the struggle, and the periodisation and achievements of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements.

Aims
This module aims:
to introduce students to the role of civil rights conflict in the shaping of the contemporary United States;
to assess the aims, achievements, and limitations of civil rights and Black Power activism;
to document and evaluate the contribution of protest and activism by ordinary men and women, black and white, northern and southern, in reshaping American society;
to document and evaluate the broader African-American contribution to American society and culture.

Intended Learning Outcomes

recognise and explain the particular issues and debates associated with the struggle for Civil Rights and racial equality in the United States: 1,2
use constructively source materials both in evaluating primary and secondary accounts and in developing original interpretations fostering competence in the handling and analysis of evidence: 1,2
conduct sophisticated analysis of primary source material with due regard to provenance, content, and interpretation: 1,2
assess the relative merits of conflicting interpretations of significant events and phenomena, recognising the complexity and diversity of historical situations, events and belief systems: 1,2

Study hours

11 x 2-hour seminars = 22 hours
11 x 1-hour workshops = 11 hours
11 x 4- hours seminar preparation = 44 hours
Group presentation preparation and writing = 26 hours
Essay preparation and writing = 47 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Presentation weighted 35%
Group Presentation
Small group presentation of up to 15 minutes. Presentations will critically engage with the assigned primary and secondary readings, and draw connections to wider course themes and raise questions for class discussion. Each member of the presenting group will be awarded a mark based upon their contribution to the presentation.

2: Essay weighted 65%
Long Essay
2000-word essay, excluding notes. Students will either choose a question, or create their own essay question following consultation with the module tutor.