Listed in: Black Studies, as BLST-245 | History, as HIST-250
Alec F. Hickmott (Section 01)
This course will explore the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Through a deep engagement with his published work and public rhetoric, relevant secondary literature, and personal papers, students will locate the civil rights leader within the broader upheavals of mid-century America. As such, the course serves as an introduction to modern US history, the black freedom struggle, and the archive of civil rights. Moving beyond mythology, this course will emphasize his connections to American liberalism, the labor movement, the black prophetic tradition and human rights. As such, this course will excavate the radical King, a man whose life and work often challenged the liberal consensus on questions of class, race, and empire, and thus questions later ahistorical characterizations of the Civil Rights Movement as either “moderate” or “conservative.” The course will culminate in a student research-led conference, to mark and reflect upon the fiftieth anniversary of King’s assassination in 1968. Two class meetings per week.
Limited to 20 students. Spring semester. Visiting Lecturer Hickmott.
If Overenrolled: Preference to History and BLST majors.
Section 01
M 02:00 PM - 03:20 PM MORG 110
W 02:00 PM - 03:20 PM MORG 110
| ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Civil Rights to Human Rights: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Struggle for Economic Justice | Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007 | Jackson, Thomas | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Reprint ed.) | San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1991 | Washington, James M., ed. | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Where Do We Go From Here?: Chaos or Community (Reprint ed.) | Boston: Beacon, 2010 | King, Jr., Martin Luther | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| From Reliable Sources: An Introduction to Historical Methods | Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2001 | Howell, Martha C. and Walter Prevenier | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.