History 4057/6057

PARALLEL LIVES: BLACK AND WHITE WOMEN IN AMERICAN HISTORY Dr. Beverly

Bond and Dr. Janann Sherman
The University of Memphis

TRUTH AND HISTORY:
The complexity and fluidity of historical experience defies certainty and closure. While we believe that truth exists, it is unobtainable by any one person and such truth necessarily eludes historians in search of it. All of us must inevitably understand the past and anticipate the future in the light of our own restricted experience. In addition, many personal characteristics affect our perceptions: age, gender, race, nationality, class/upbringing, marriage/children/sexual orientation and others. Hence, no statement we, as historians, make can ever be more than a small part of the truth. We must simplify to understand, and distortion is the price. The best we can strive for is partial, provisional truths, the accumulation of projections of reality from different angles of vision, whose validity depends on continued testing. Thus, the pursuit of historical truth is an open-ended process. It is never finished because we are never on sure enough ground that we can relax our quest for a more complete truth.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Together, we shall explore black and white women's actions and interactions, in private and in public, primarily during the 19th and 20th centuries. Readings will include primary documents, secondary articles and monographs (or parts thereof) featuring selections that encompass a comparative analysis of women's experiences. Choices that discuss black women's experiences will be paired to the extent possible with selections that consider white women in similar chronological or situational contexts. From these, we will examine and analyze their goals and strategies, successes and shortcomings, affiliations and altercations, points of connection and estrangement.

TEXTS:
Woloch, Nancy, Women and the American Experience, 2nd Ed. (McGraw-Hill, 1994).
Hine, Darlene Clark, Wilma King & Linda Reed, eds., We Specialize in the Wholly Impossible: A Reader in Black Women's History (Carlson Publishing, 1995).
Hewitt, Nancy A. & Suzanne Lebsock, eds., Visible Women: New Essays on American Activism (University of Illinois, 1993).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

• Attendance, think pieces, and general participation in class discussions (25% of course grade). Note: missed discussions and think pieces cannot be made up.
• Discussion leadership: primary guide (10%) and two secondary (5% + 5%).
• Research project (25%)
• Final project (30%)

FORMAT: Primarily discussions of readings, augmented by mini-lectures and films. Typically, these will be at once factual and interpretive, designed to provide additional historical and historiographical material to work with in developing your own interpretations, as well as observing two historians at work interpreting history.

DISCUSSIONS: All students, graduate and undergraduate, will be required to attend regularly, complete the readings, and actively participate in class discussions. With each class discussion, students will turn in an essay on the readings and class materials since the previous discussion. These essays--discussing the major themes and issues of the readings, lectures and films--should be approximately 2-4 pages in length and in the nature of a journal; that is, "think pieces" that include personal reflections, written analytically, but not necessarily formally. Grading criteria for participation and think pieces: personal engagement with the material, completeness of content, deliberation and thoughtfulness (including the ability to make connections, see similarities and differences, tie together and compare with earlier materials and/or personal experience/knowledge).

Discussion Leadership: Discussions will be led by a group of students consisting of one primary and two or more secondary discussion guides. Each student will serve at least once as primary guide and at least twice as a secondary. Primary responsibilities: present a brief (no more than ten minutes) overview of the topic/topics from the readings tying together major themes and helping to facilitate discussion tied to those themes (these are sometimes most useful for summing up at the end). Secondaries choose single readings for which to introduce (no more than five minutes) the key themes and issues and provide facilitating questions for discussion. Coordination between discussion leaders is strongly encouraged. Guides will be graded on thoughtfulness of introduction, quality and effectiveness of questions, and adeptness at keeping discussion "on topic." Please choose the sessions and readings for which you would like to be primary and two secondary as soon as possible. Sign-up sheets with be posted on Dr. Bond's office door. Note that a few topics are labeled GP, meaning these sessions require a graduate student as the primary guide.

A Note About Discussions: All students bring differences in perception and beliefs to classroom discussions. Learning is a process of interrupting accepted wisdom, pre-conceived notions and already-arrived-at conclusions. We do this by considering other points of view carefully before accepting or dismissing them, refraining from simply debating our own positions against one another. That means being open-minded, eager for new ideas and new ways of thinking about things, engaging with others' interpretations, both from the material and from other students who have absorbed this set of materials and processed them differently.

Additionally, classes at this level involve individuals with varying levels of education and training in discussion skills. For example, graduate students bring a broader base of knowledge and, more importantly, more experience in classroom discussion. Consequently grad students feel more comfortable with this format, and more skilled at taking advantage of it. Undergrads, as a rule, feel less certain that their perceptions are equally valid. Because of this, and our goal to have rewarding discussions, we need to be prepared to make some adjustments for one another.

To that end, a few suggestions:
Discussion leaders: Guide us through the complexities of the readings and keep us focused on them during discussion. Design questions that solicit responses and reactions to major themes and ideas, seeming contradictions, differing angles of view and so forth. Ask questions then stop. Guiding discussion is not the place to share what you have learned from this process, but to encourage the group to do so. This is one discussion during which you will say little, if anything, about your own positions. Secondly, avoid "what do you think about..." questions. What students think will come out as we discuss the material. Asking that kind of question directly solicits personal opinions and conclusions. Those can and will enter the discussion but preferably after we have explored what the material says about the topic. Most importantly, learn to tolerate a bit of silence. Ask your question and then wait. Give people a chance to process what you have asked. If students need clarification about what you mean, let them ask you.

Everyone: please remember that class participation means not only the ability to talk, but also the ability to listen. Students who dominate the discussion will do no better in this category than students who seldom contribute.

Our vision of this class is as a forum in which to learn from primary sources, secondary sources, and each other. Let's all work together to open the deliberation to everyone.

HISTORICAL RESEARCH PAPER: All students will produce an historical research paper, approximately 8-10 double-spaced, typed pages. Undergraduate projects will employ oral sources (published oral histories and/or interviews with women of racial/ethnic groups other than that with which the student identifies), as well as primary and secondary sources, to investigate the historical experiences of women in relation to a topic drawn from the content of this course. Choose topics as soon as possible and have them approved by Sept. 11.

Graduate students will meet the aforementioned criteria except grad projects will feature an analysis of black and white women's interactional strategies on an appropriate topic and include a significant historiographical component.

In addition, early in the course, graduate students will choose one category on the syllabus for which they will develop a bibliographic list of roughly 6-10 appropriate oral, primary and secondary sources for use by the undergraduates. Accordingly, these lists should focus on basic sources with accompanying call numbers, avoiding highly theoretical pieces. These will need to be typed and copies distributed to all class participants by Sept. 11. Grades for general reference bibliographies will be included in graduate research paper grade. Please indicate your choice as soon as possible. Graduate sign-up sheet for bibliographic category posted outside Dr. Sherman's door.

When writing your final draft, be sure to use proper footnote/endnote citations. For citation form, see Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations. This manual is the standard history format; it is available in McWherter Library and numerous bookstores.

Proofread your paper! This is more than simply using a spell checker (though this is also a good idea). You should write your paper, set it aside for a day or two, and then read it, preferably out loud. Make sure that your ideas are organized into distinct paragraphs that flow logically through the paper, and that your introduction and conclusion summarize your main points clearly and succinctly.

Let us emphasize here our absolute insistence that your final paper be well-written, neatly presented, proofread, well-organized, and clearly argued. Severe, non-negotiable penalties (1/4 letter grade per day) will be imposed on papers received after the due date. All students are expected to adhere to accepted norms of intellectual honesty. It is your responsibility to make certain that you fully understand what that entails. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse. Papers are due Nov. 4; these will be returned by Nov. 11 to allow sufficient time for rewrite if warranted; rewritten papers are due Nov. 18. Rewrites must be submitted with original paper attached. Grading criteria: depth and breadth of research, originality, quality of writing, appropriate format, proper grammar and punctuation.

FINAL PROJECT (in lieu of final exam):
Students will design and present a quilt square reflecting their personal engagement with a theme or themes of the course, a particular set of readings they found most meaningful, a relevant personal experience, a reflection of life experience as a black or white woman, or.... This is your chance to be creative, but remember that the design has to be appropriate for a quilt square. Requirements:
1. Design your square on 81/2 by 11 white paper in black and white only. Include a single-page (typed, double-spaced) description of your quilt square. For your design, you may use computer drafting, freehand drawing, or outside help in the design process. Designs will be photocopied back to back with accompanying essays. Each participant will receive the entire "class quilt" at the end of the course. In order to put these together, we must have your design and accompanying essay by Nov. 20.
2. Present your square to the class. This can be done in any media and in any creative way you prefer. For example, you may wish to actually stitch your square, use overhead projection of a transparency, cut and assemble your design in felt--whatever you choose as the best way for you to present your design. Time your presentations for 8-10 minutes. They will be done during class on Nov. 25 and Dec. 2.
Grading criteria: appropriateness and thoughtfulness of design and accompanying essay, neatness and creativity, quality of presentation.

READINGS ON RESERVE:
Cimbala, Paul A. & Randall M. Miller, eds., Against the Tide: Women Reformers in American Society (Praeger, 1997).
Crawford, Vicki L., Jacqueline Rouse & Barbara Woods, eds., Women in the Civil Rights Movement: Trailblazers and Torchbearers, 1941-1965 (Indiana U. Press, 1993).
Davis, Angela Y., Women, Race & Class (Vintage Books, 1983).
DuBois, Ellen Carol & Vicki L. Ruiz, eds., Unequal Sisters: A Multicultural Reader in U.S. Women's History (Routledge, 1990).
Fox-Genovese, Elizabeth, Within the Plantation Household (University of North Carolina Press, 1988).
Fry, Gladys-Marie, Stitched from the Soul: Slave Quilts in the Antebellum South (Dutton Studio Books, 1990).
Giddings, Paula, When and Where I Enter (Bantam Books, 1984).
Golden, Marita & Susan Richard Shreve, eds., Skin Deep: Black Women and White Women Write About Race (Anchor Books, 1995).
hooks, bell, Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (South End Press, 1984).
Lerner, Gerda, ed., Black Women in White America: A Documentary History (Random House, 1972).
Morrison, Toni, ed., Race-ing Justice, En-gendering Power (Pantheon, 1992).
Moses, Claire Goldberg and Heidi Hartmann, eds., U.S. Women in Struggle: A Feminist Studies Anthology (University of Illinois Press, 1995).
Reid, Inez Smith, "Together" Black Women (Emerson Hall Publishers, 1972).
Royster, Jacqueline Jones, ed., Southern Horrors and Other Writings (Bedford Books, 1997).
Safford, Carlton L. & Robert Bishop, American Quilts and Coverlets (E.P. Dutton & Co.).
Wheeler, Marjorie Spruill, New Women of the New South: The Leaders of the Woman Suffrage Movement in the Southern States (Oxford University Press, 1993).
Williams, Patricia J., The Alchemy of Race and Rights (Harvard University Press, 1991).

PHOTOCOPIES ON RESERVE:
"Birth Control Pills and Black Children: The Sisters Reply", "Patricia Robinson: Poor Black Women" from Judith Clavir Albert & Stewart Edward Albert, eds., The Sixties Papers: Documents of a Rebellious Decade (Praeger, 1984).
Collins, Patricia Hill, "What's In a Name? Womanism, Black Feminism, and Beyond," from The Black Scholar, (Vol.26, No.1) pp.9-17.
Evans, Sara. "Women's Consciousness and the Southern Black Movement" from William H. Chafe and Harvard Sitkoff, A History of Our Time: Readings in Postwar America (Oxford University Press, 1991).
Hayden, Casey & Mary King, "Sex and Caste: A Kind of Memo" and "SNCC Position Paper: Women in the Movement" from The Sixties Papers.
Harley, Sharon & Rosalyn Terborg-Penn, The Afro-American Woman: Struggles and Images, Chapter 2: "Discrimination Against Afro-American Women In the Woman's Movement, 1830-1920"
Horton, James O., "Freedom's Yoke: Gender Conventions among Free Blacks," Ch. 5 from Free People of Color: Inside the African-American Community (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993).
Lerner, Gerda, Why History Matters: Life and Thought (Oxford University Press, 1997), Chapters 10 and 11.
Lubiano, Wahneema, "Black Ladies, Welfare Queens, and State Minstrels: Ideological War by Narrative Means," from Toni Morrison, ed., Race-ing Justice, En-gendering Power (Pantheon, 1992).
Meigs, Charles, D., M.D., "Sexual Pecularities," from Angela Dorenkamp, etal., Images of Women in American Popular Culture (Harcourt Brace, 1985), pp.7-11.
Nelson, Jill, "Accepting Rage," Ms. (July/August 1997), pp.92-95.
"SDS Statement on the Liberation of Women", "The National Organization for Women Statement of Purpose", "National Black Feminist Organization Statement of Purpose", "The Combahee River Collective Statement", "Anita Hill: Statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee", "African American Women in Defense of Ourselves" from Miriam Schneir, ed., Feminism in Our Time (Vintage Books, 1994).
"Shulamith Firestone: The Dialectic of Sex" , "Frances Beale: Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female" in The Sixties Papers.
Meriwether, Elizabeth Avery, Recollections of 92 Years (EPM Publications, 1994), Chapter XXIV.

COURSE SCHEDULE:

Week I -- Introduction to Course; Videotape: "Imitation of Life"

8/26-8/28

Readings: Phyllis Marynick Palmer, "White Women/Black Women: The Dualism of Female Identity and Experience in the United States," Feminist Studies 9, no. 1 (Spring 1983) pp.150-170.

Week II -- Friendship Across Racial Lines (personal relationships)

9/2-9/4

Discussion of Palmer reading and "Imitation of Life"(Tues)

Readings: Golden and Shreve, Skin Deep C pages 1-5, 13-23, 36-59; Bonnie Dill Thornton, "Race, Class, and Gender: Prospects For An All-Inclusive Sisterhood," Feminist Studies 9, no 1 (Spring 1983), pp. 131-149; also in Moses, U.S. Women in Struggle pp.277-295 (Thurs).

Week III -- Junctures of Race and Class (theoretical basis)

9/9-9/11

Readings: Lerner, Why History Matters, Chapters 10 and 11.(Tues)
Hine, Chapters 1 and 3 (Thurs)

Week IV -- Race and Gender--Antebellum South

9/16-9/18

Readings: Hine, Chapter 5; Fox-Genovese, Chapters 2 and 3 (Tues)
Hine, 12 and 13; Woloch, Chapters 2 and 4 (Thurs)

Week V -- Race, Class and Gender--Antebellum North and South

9/23-9/25

Readings: Woloch, Chapter 6; Horton, "Freedom's Yoke: Gender Conventions among Free Blacks" from Free People of Color; Meigs, "Sexual Pecularities" from Dorenkamp, Images of Women (Tues)
Hine, Chapters 14, 15, 16 (Thurs)

Week VI -- Gender, Race and Class--Postbellum America

9/30-10/2

Readings: Lerner, Black Women In White America, pp.173-226; Hine, Chapters 17 and 21; Kathleen Blee, "Women In the 1920s' Ku Klux Klan Movement," Feminist Studies 17, no.1, pp.57-77; also in Moses, U.S. Women in Struggle, pp.89-109. (Tues)
Videotape: "Passion For Justice: Ida B. Wells" Cimbala, pp. 99-124; Giddings, Chapter 1, pp.17-32. (Thurs)

Week VII -- Fall Break (Tues)

10/7-10/9 Special Program (Thurs)

Week VIII -- Organizing for Change--The Women's Club Movement

10/14-10/16

Readings: Lerner, Black Women In White America, pp.164-171 & Chapter 8 ("Lifting As We Climb"); Giddings, Chapter VI ("To Be A Woman Sublime. . . ") (Tues)
Hine, Chapters 18 and 26; Hewitt, pp.243-324; Woloch, Chapters 7,8,12; Davis, chapter 8 (Thurs).

Week IX -- Twentieth Century Activism (Birth Control Movement, Woman Suffrage)

10/21-10/23

Readings: Woloch, Chapters 15 and 16; Cimballa, pp.125 - 138; Hine, Chapter 29; Davis, Chapter 12; "Birth Control Pills and Black Children: The Sisters Reply", "Patricia Robinson: Poor Black Women" from The Sixties Papers (Tues).
Giddings, Chapter VII ("The Quest for Woman Suffrage. . . "); Davis, Chapter 7; Hine, Chapter 28; Hewitt, pp. 62-100; Woloch, Chapters 13 and 14; Sharon Harley and Rosalyn Terborg-Penn, Chapter 2: "Discrimination Against Afro-American Women In the Woman's Movement, 1830-1920" from The Afro-American Woman; Wheeler, Chapter 1 and 2. (Thurs).

Week X -- The Civil Rights Movement

10/28-10/30

Readings: Crawford, pp. 13-37; 51-70; 145-167; 183-202; Woloch, Chapters 19. Hine, Chapter 32; Hayden & King, "Sex and Caste: A Kind of Memo," Sara Evans, "Women's Consciousness and the Southern Black Movement" from A History of Our Time.

Week XI -- Women's Rights Movement

11/4-11/6

Readings: Lerner, Black Women In White America, pp. 584-592; Cimballa, pp. 153-165; "SDS Statement on the Liberation of Women","The National Organization for Women Statement of Purpose", "National Black Feminist Organization Statement of Purpose", "The Combahee River Collective Statement" from Schneir, Feminism in Our Time; "SNCC Position Paper: Women in the Movement." (Tues)
Reid, Together Black Women, pp. 32-55; "Shulamith Firestone: The Dialectic of Sex" , "Frances Beale: Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female" in The Sixties Papers; Giddings, Chapter 17. (Thurs)

Week XII -- Black and White Feminism

11/11-11/13

Readings: Wolloch, Chapters 20; Golden, pp. 256-264; bell hooks, Chapters 1 and 4. (Tues)
Patricia Hill Collins, "What's In a Name? Womanism, Black Feminism, and Beyond," from The Black Scholar; Golden, pp. 229-267; Evans, "Women's History and Political Theory..." in Hewitt. (Thurs)

Week XIII -- Politics

11/18-11/20

Readings: Woloch, Chapter 21 and 22; "Anita Hill: Statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee", "African American Women in Defense of Ourselves" from Schneir; Kimberle Crenshaw, "Whose Story Is It Anyway?" from Morrison, ed., Race-ing Justice (Tues)
Lubiano, Wahneema, "Black Ladies, Welfare Queens, and State Minstrels", Christine Stansell, "White Feminists and Black Realities" from Morrison, ed., Race-ing Justice.; Williams, Chapter 6 and 9; Joan Tronto, "Changing Goals and Changing Strategies," in Moses, U.S. Women in Struggle.(Thurs)

Week XIV -- Quilt presentations (Tues)

11/25-11/27 Thanksgiving (Thurs)

Week XV -- Quilt presentations.

12/2

In this essay Dr. Sherman reflect on the insights leading to the creation of this course, describes its framework, and shares the pedagogical tools used to teach it. For additional information on this course, contact Janann Sherman, assistant professor of history at the University of Memphis: sherman@memphis.edu