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CS92PROD
The History of the Civil Rights Movement
AFAM 201
Fall 2008
Section: 01  
Crosslisting: HIST 268, AMST 205

For more than two centuries legal distinctions based on race were an everyday part of American life and their disappearance in the decades after World War II represents one of the most profound changes in modern American life. This course examines the American civil rights movement in broad context, both in terms of chronology and geography. It examines not just the end of legal segregation in the South but the question of racial discrimination in the North and West as well. We will focus on five major questions: Why did a "movement" occur in the 1950s and 1960s and not at some other time? Why did it emphasize integration, non-violence, and the idea of an inclusive American Creed? What is the distinction between DE JURE and DE FACTO segregation? What roles do region and class play in our understanding of civil rights activism? How do we account for state authority--local, state, and federal--in the making and unmaking of discrimination? We will use social, political, cultural, and intellectual history approaches to grapple with these questions, and we will draw on historical monographs, primary evidence, films, and literary fiction as our sources.

Essential Capabilities: None
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS AFAM
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: None
Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available

Last Updated on APR-20-2024
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