ID10: Intro to Black Studies – September 24, 2007

 

Today’s Agenda

 

Quiz

Announcements

Grading the Quiz

Student Presentations

Film Clip

Small Group Discussion

 

Break

 

Large Group Discussion

 

 

 

Discussion Questions

 

Form groups of 3 or 4, no more than 4.  Groups should be mixed by ethnicity/race and gender

 

1.   What have you learned this semester that was new, eye-opening information?  What facts, theories or perspectives, have challenged your pre-existing world view?

 

Discussion Products

 

1.   surprised by the suppression of African history.  High school explores Europe, U.S. and world (Greek & Roman). 

2.   Study of the race of the Egyptians…. Thinking of them as lighter, or not part of Africa.

3.   Greek philosophy as ‘stolen’

4.   birth of Black Studies in student activism

5.   human race with African origin

6.   The African Maafa

7.   Jena 6 – only recently heard about

8.   Surprising accomplishments of DuBois, especially at such a young age

9.   complexity of tactics for capturing ‘slaves’ (not just guns—causing inter-tribal wars to take advantage of)

10.                    Black nationalism – form of economic independence; the Talented 10th;

11.                    Cinque revolt (on Amistad)

12.                    Ivory trade and its scope and effects

13.                    Greek philosophy as ‘stolen’

14.                    DuBois, despite amazing accomplishments, still felt ‘the veil’ (the sting of racial discrimination).

15.                    DuBois as prolific, yet outside of the ‘mainstream’ of sociology

16.                    collaboration & rivalries among Western Europe in vying for economic resources

17.                    the history of ‘the other’ so important in the rationalization for war.  Black studies as making the invisible, visible.

18.                    Indian profits re-invested in African slave trade

19.                    paradoxes that DuBois talked about

20.                     

 

 

 

 

2.   What critiques can you imagine of the material so far?  What do you disagree with?  What do you imagine other people disagreeing with?

 

1.   George GM James –

2.   Lack of evidence

3.   homo sapiens originating in Africa – homo erectus traveled and experienced parallel development into homo sapiens

4.   use of language (anachronistic use of terms “Negroid”)

5.   sentimental aspects (factual histories ought to be more dispassionate, without emotional appeals) (esp. G. GM James was more ‘sentimental’)

6.   Africa is a continent, not a country (heterogeneous)

7.   Why is it important where civilization starts?  What are the stakes?

8.   Blacks, themselves, participated in the slave trade.

9.    

 

 

 

 

 

3.   How does the reading material pertain to what is happening in Jena, Louisiana?  (See the YouTube video)

 

·       Many social issues are hidden from view

·       Supports view of Africans as less ‘genteel,’ ‘civilized’ – Africans/African American more criminalized

·       Criminal injustice system – disparities in treatment (arrest, charged, convicted, sentencing)

·       Mis-portrayals of national media representations

·       ‘race does not exist,’ therefore denying ‘race’-related problems … Jena 6 is a present day example of this sort of denial (& citizens of the town, Jena, LA, deny that they have a ‘race problem.’

·       Jena 6 as a reflection of the history of racial oppression (white domination) – history repeating itself

·       Rationalizing discriminatory treatment