Advanced Academic Learning Community

“The Civil Rights Struggle in Memory and Legacy”


The recent 45th Anniversary of the passage of the 1964 Civil Right Act acts as the impetus for the formation of an Advanced Learning Community titled: “The Civil Rights Struggle in Memory and Legacy”. The concept of a continuing and shifting civil rights legacy and its affects on the way students view history and American culture is the central focus of this Advanced Learning Community— that is, the cyclical nature of the ongoing development of civil rights in the United States. This Advanced Learning Community then, provides students with the opportunity to explore, examine, and investigate the African American struggle and its legacy from a variety of vantage points and both in and beyond the classroom. Students wishing to participate in this program must enroll in both HIST 2327: “The Civil Rights Movement in United States History” in Sequence 3 (Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 10; 30 A.M. to 11:35 A.M. taught by Professor Charissa Threat, and ENGL 4669 “Topics in 20th Century American Literature: Black Memory and Imagery” in Sequence “B” (Monday and Wednesday from 2:50-4:30 P.M.), taught by English Professor Kimberly Brown. The History course on the Civil Rights movement will provide students with the necessary knowledge on the background, historic context, and people involved in the civil rights struggle. The complementary course in the English department gives students a chance to investigate black memory and imagery of in which, the struggle for rights was so fundamental. It engages the artistic and self-reflexive insistence of the moment and explores the use of memoir and visual imagery (photography) as key mechanisms both for understanding factors pushing the demand for civil rights and for self-exploration. As African Americans withdraw from externally imposed identifications, visual images and literature become powerful means by which self-possession (and collective intention) takes place. Finally, in addition to the coursework itself , as students will also participate in a number of linked extracurricular activities designed to help them understand the ‘real world implications of the material of the courses and explore the legacy of the civil rights struggle in the United States and in their “neighborhood” of greater Boston.

Course Descriptions and Co-Curricular Activities:

Here are the two Spring 2010 Semester courses that together with several co-curricular activities comprise the AACLC for this year:

HIST2327 - The Civil Rights Movement in United States History
Professor Charissa Threat, (History Dept.)
Sequence 3
This course explores the origins, ideologies, path, and legacy of the long civil rights movement in American history. Through an examination of primary and secondary sources, the class will trace the origins of the civil rights movement from the post-reconstruction era in the United States, through the triumphs and defeats of the struggle to end racial segregation and the culmination of civil rights legislation in the 1960s. Finally, we will investigate how the legacies and memory of the movement shape our current understanding of civil rights. While this is a lecture-based course, students will be expected to participate in weekly discussions based on the readings and in-class lectures as part of their overall course grade.

ENGL 4669 Topics in 20th Century American Literature: Black Memory and Imagery
Professor Kimberly Juanita Brown (English Dept.)
Sequence: B
This course examines the role of the life story, or memoir in the construction of African American Identity after the Civil Rights Movement. In particular, we will focus on gendered constructions of memory as articulated through a plethora of artistic, personal, and political literary influences. The latter half of the 20th century holds significant meaning for the progression of race relations in the United States, the nuances of media representations and the proliferation of visual autobiography via documentary and photography. We will thus use this course to examine the works of: June Jordan, Deborah Willis, Tommie Smith, Kathe Sandler, bell hooks, Barack Obama, and Marlon Riggs in an attempt to explore the fullest measure of interiority available during this important historical moment.

Co-Curricular Activities linked to these courses:
The following proposed Co-curricular activities will be available for students enrolled in the two classes stress two flash points (art and history) that link the individual courses with the larger idea behind this Advanced Learning Community. Currently, these are only proposed activities. The list may change or expand:.
1. Visit the MFA or Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
    *Students investigate images concerning African Americans as part of the visual learning and memory of the ACL.
2. Walk the Black Heritage Trail in Boston and visit the Museum of African American History.
    *Students link the national rights struggle and history of African Americans with that of Boston.
3. Attend MFA Celebrity Speaker Series: Thelma Golden “Post-Black Art”: America’s Growing Multicultural Fabric” Feb. 3 or 4.
    *Students will engage in a conversation about art and artist liberated from racial identity in an ever increasing multicultural world.
4. Visit and explore the Freedom House Archives in the NEU Library and visit the Freedom House as well.
    *Students will explore the meaning, legacy, and fight for civil rights in their local community.
5. View the following films outside of scheduled classroom time:
a. “Traces of the Trade: A Story From the Deep South” (2008)
b. “Brick by Brick: A Civil Rights Story” (2007)
c. “Black is…Black Ain’t” (1995)
d. “James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket” (1990)
          “Students will learn from the experiences of others what this sturuggle has been about.

Students will also be urged to take advantage of other related open events that are scheduled to take place in the College and University this Spring.