Where Am I?
Teaching
Philosophy
Martin Luther King, Jr. Black Studies
302030
F Ketchum
Spring, 1993
W, 0900-1130
ABA
William M. King
492-8189; 499-1659
I. Synopsis
Justice, love and hope. Racism, poverty and war. The first describes the man, Martin Luther King, Jr. and his goals; the second describes the issues of his time. From November, 1955, until his death on 4 April 1968, King was a significant player on the public stage. During these years, we know him principally as a civil rights leader and antiwar activist. However, he was much more. Indeed, now that there is a federal holiday symbolizing what he stood for, what he believed, and the goals he sought, there is the danger of forgetting that he was a man subject to the shortcomings of any man; that his agenda of realizing the Beloved Community, where people are evaluated in terms of the content of their characters rather than the color of their skins, is only partially realized and in danger of being reversed. Not only has the United States become more conservative and less humane in the years since his death, it seeks now to redefine and reposition itself as a nation in preparation for the coming of the new century. This new positioning will further distance it from a sensitive and conscious attention to its domestic needs resulting in a more oppressive and less democratic society than was the case before. Thus, the focus of this course is directed toward understanding the man, his times and the work he was about before he was brutally assasinated while lending moral support to a garbage collector's strike in Memphis, Tennessee.
II. Materials and Methods of Instruction
A. Background readings:
David L. Lewis, King, A Biography
James Melvin Washington, A Testament of Hope
B. Supplementary readings.
These are on reserve in Norlin Library. They are intended to supplement the background readings and amplify various of the course topics.C. Methods of Instruction
1. Structurally, this course is organized around several significant events in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. They are: Origins and early training; the Montgomery Bus Boycott; The Era of "nonviolence;" The Challenge of Black Power and the war in Vietnam; and the meaning of Martin Luther King, Jr. in this day and at this time.2. Operationally, the course is intended more as forum than lecture. What this means is that you must prepare for each class session because it is likely that you will be asked to offer a synopsis of and opinion on the materials you have read and participate in student-led small discussion groups at each meeting. Accordingly, to successfully transit the course, you are required first, to take responsibility for the quality of your own education because education, as distinct from schooling, is a participatory process; the instructor helps those who help themselves. To learn you must question: what you know, what you believe, and, what you have previously taken on faith. Second, you must acquire discipline which will assist you in securing mastery over whatever talents you possess. No matter how much talent you believe you have, if you have no discipline, you have no talent. And third, you must commit to excellence however you choose to define that word.
III. Topical Outline of the Course
A. Black History and Black Protest
B. The Black Church as Vehicle for Black Liberation
C. A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
D. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Some Aspects of his Theology
E. The Montgomery Bus Boycott
F. The Era of "Nonviolence"
G. The Challenge of Black Power
H. The Reemerging Revolutionary Consciousness of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I. Death and Transfiguration
J. The Meaning of Martin Luther King, Jr.
IV. Measures and Methods of Performance Evaluation
There will be three measures of performance evaluation used in this course this term. Two are written, one is observational. The two written items are worth eighty-five (85) percent of your final grade (45 and 40 respectively), while the observational is worth fifteen(15) percent of the same.
A. The late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was of the opinion that a man is not fully alive until he has found something for which he is willing to die. Utilizing that notion as conceptual model, our task this semester is one of increasing self-awareness by focusing on two questions: "What for me is important ?" and "What am I willing to do to get what I want?" Accordingly, in the first of your two written assignments this term, you will line out a response to question one (1) listing those items that are important for you ordinally in terms of their significance for you. Next, you will describe and explain the ways in which these items are important and how they came to be so. In doing this you might want to use King's life as witness for elucidating the ways struggle builds character.In the second of your two written assignments, you will address the second question beginning first with a summary reiteration of your responses to question one. Since all action transpires within a value framework that gives it meaning, I want you to describe and detail your values as best you can. Having done that you will then be ready to say what you are willing to do to get what you want. After doing this, I wish you to consider the consequences of your proposed actions for yourself, others and the arenas within which you operate over as broad a range and scope as you can. Since there are no "correct" answers to either of these questions, you are encouraged to trust your feelings in responding to the assignment.
The first question is due in my mailbox in Room 30 Ketchum Building not later than 1700, Friday, 5 March 1993.
The second is due in the same place not later 1700, Friday, 30 April 1993.
NOTE WELL: LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL RESULT IN LOWERED GRADES.
B. Class participation.
It is expected that you will read the assigned materials and be prepared to discuss them when you come to class, and also raise questions where such questions are warranted. To assist you in this regard, class participation will account for the remaining fifteen (15) percent of your final grade.
C. THE DAY MY EVALUATION OF YOUR WORK TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER THE PROCESSES OF ITS CREATION IN IMPORTANCE, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. NOT ONLY IS GRADING NOT FAIR AND NOT OBJECTIVE, IT HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH EDUCATION. PURELY AND SIMPLY, IT IS THE EXERCISE OF POWER THROUGH THE AUTHORITY OF THE TEACHER. ITS END IS PURPOSELY POLITICAL: TO LIMIT ACCESS TO A SMALLER AND MORE ELITE GROUP.
D. All work submitted must be an original copy. No reproductions (Xerox, mimeo, ditto, e.g.) will be accepted. Printer users: please remember to tear your sheets. Too, make sure you keep a copy of the work you submit--papers do get lost.
E. Since each of us has a different image of what a specific grade means, I offer herewith what the various letters mean for me.
1. "A." Easily evident mastery of the materials. A neat, solid, tightly organized presentation in which you make your case with authority.2. "B." A solid work but unimaginative in character. Covers all the bases but rarely transcends the party-line to express new insights or understandings.
3. "C." Mediocre presentation. Follows the letter not the spirit of the assignment. Lacks substance, effort, care and concern.
4. "D." A weak and ineffectual presentation. A thoroughly disorganized endeavor from start to finish.
F. GRADES SHALL BE DETERMINED ON THE BASIS OF HOW EFFECTIVELY YOU ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA.
1. Appropriate evidence of a thorough review of the pertinent literature for your work. This will be shown through the compilation of a significant bibliography, where warranted, addressing the major and minor aspects of your project. 15.2. Demonstrated understanding of your project, its supporting materials, and its relations. This will be reflected in the thought, detail, and examination of issues (indicators of rigor, discipline and skill) which appear in your paper. In short, how completely you have developed the character of your presentation. 35.
3. Effective transmission of the meanings you have made of your labors. This will be reflected in the organization of the work (form) and the manner (style) with which they are communicated. To achieve maximum impact and effectiveness, purpose, direction, focus, proper distribution of emphases and evidence to support your contentions must be clear; coherence and credibility are important here. 35.
4. Errors in composition. These include: neatness of final copy, spelling, syntax, grammar, typing and verb/subject agreements.
