Sociology 307
African American Social Thought
Fall 2002
Dr. Scott Schaffer

Final Paper Assignment

Due Date: This paper is due on Thurs Dec 12/2002 at 1230pm during the final exam session, which will be a mandatory closure discussion session. No late papers will be accepted without a compelling reason and overwhelming evidence. Papers that are not submitted on time will receive a zero (0), most likely resulting in a failing grade in the course.

Guidelines: This paper is to be a minimum of fifteen (15) full and complete pages in length; there is no maximum page count, so write until you have completed your argument. Your paper is to be typed, double-spaced, on 8 1/2" by 11" white paper, spell- and grammar-checked, proofread, and covered with a cover sheet, which will be the only place your name appears on the paper. All other listed requirements and deductions for missing elements for papers in this course, discussed on the course syllabus and elsewhere, pertain to this assignment.

This is an outside research project that requires you to develop an analysis and response to the big question as listed below. You must utilize a combination of outside scholarly research and course readings in the development of your argument.

The required sources are as follows:

• Elements of the course readings, as appropriate to the particular topic you've chosen for this project - these should include at least one slave narrative, one segregation-era book, and the Civil Rights Since 1787 text;

• At least two scholarly books - at least one of these will most likely be written by the social theorist you choose;

• At least nine scholarly journal articles (i.e., peer-reviewed or refereed articles in scholarly journals, not book reviews, opinion essays, or introductory editorial essays) - these can cover the social theorist and/or the social problem and/or the social movement in any combination;

• And at least three other sources you find in your research. You may use newspaper articles, web resources, and other resources to count for those, or you can find other sources meeting the requirements listed above.

You are required to cite all sources you utilize for this paper, and you are required to have a bibliography (following the format included in this handout) listing all sources you used. As this is a research project, you may judiciously use direct quotations from other sources; however, do not rely on these to make your argument for you.

The Question: Your paper will be a research-based argument that responds to the following questions:

To what extent do current trends in African American social thought represent a substantial change in our approach to eliminating institutional racism? And to what extent would your approach substantially improve the situation of African Americans and others in the US?

The development of your research will incorporate the following three items; failure to include one of them will result in failure on the paper paper. Other subjects may be pursued with my prior approval.

Social theorist: You must research the works of one of the contemporary social theorists listed below.

Sociopolitical issue: You must research one social and political issue of major concern to African Americans today, as well as how the social theorist you choose would deal with that issue.

Social movement: You must research one particular social movement that works on the issue you've identified and deal with the social-theoretical issues pertaining to that movement. You must also discuss how the works of the social theorist you've chosen would be or are used by this social movement.

Social theorists that are fair game for this paper - others may be used upon consultation with me:

Cornel West Drucilla Cornell Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Paul Gilroy William Julius Wilson bell hooks William Whyte Malcolm X Stokely Carmichael Bobby Seale Patricia Williams Kendall Thomas

Angela Davis Patricia Hill Collins Amiri Baraka Roy Innis Eldridge Cleaver James H. Cone James Forman Imari Obadele Manning Marable Howard McGary, Jr. Lewis Gordon Michele Moody-Adams

Albert Mosley Tommy Lott Anita Allen Naomi Zack Joy James Laurence Thomas Lucius Outlaw, Jr. Bernard Boxill Robert Birt Kwame Anthony Appiah Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw

Sociopolitical issues that are fair game for this paper - others may be used upon consultation with me:

Affirmative Action/Employment equity issues

Relations between African American and white communities

Relations between African American communities and other visible minority communities

Issues pertaining to the law, formation of laws, and law enforcement

Issues pertaining to political representation of African Americans

Economic issues pertaining to African American communities, including poverty, welfare, employment, income distribution, and others

Issues of environmental racism

Social-ecological issues, including education, community welfare, visible pollution/graffiti

Family-related issues in African American communities

In order to fully and completely respond to the big question, your paper must do the following things, making sure to detail the evidentiary chain that enables you to make these claims:

• Detail the social-theoretical viewpoint of one African American social theorist, in particular with regard to issues surrounding conceptions of humanity, freedom, self-determination, the economic order, or another issue discussed in this course;

• Analyze an instance of institutional racism in American society - one indicated by a particular social problem facing African American communities - to figure out how this instance is enabled;

• Outline the responses developed by African American communities or social movements to this example of institutional racism, making sure to tie their work (insofar as this is possible) to the theoretical position discussed in the first part of the paper;

• Extend the theoretical position discussed in the first section to show how the theorist you chose would figure out how to solve the example of institutional racism you analyze;

• Evaluate that argument with regard to its intellectual and/or political inheritance from other theorists discussed in this course;

• Utilize the argument developed thus far, as well as other ideas from the course, to extend the theoretical argument to show how you would solve the problem of institutional racism.

Evaluation Criteria: All criteria for the evaluation of your papers are listed on the front side of this page, as well as in our discussions of the midterm paper and the syllabus.

One thing you should note: This paper is not about showing that you’ve read a bunch of stuff. A "book report"can do no better than a D for this paper. Instead, as with all forms of knowledge, the point is to do something with it. This paper is your first - and hopefully not your last - opportunity to do so. If you are unclear about the requirements of the assignment or what would constitute an argument, PLEASE COME SEE ME ASAP. It is very likely that, with a fair amount of effort on your part and regular consultations with me regarding the project, you can receive an A - but you have to be sure to challenge yourself to do this.

Timeline: This schedule of "due dates" is intended to do three things: break down the scope of the project, help you improve your work, and think about the research process in a different way. These due dates are completely voluntary and heeding them will help your participation grade; failing to submit these tasks on the dates listed bears no penalty. Work submitted on these dates will be returned as quickly as possible, generally in the next class session.

M Oct 28: Final paper assignment handed out and discussed

F Nov 1: Library class - meet in front of Ganser Library

M Nov 4: Research question, research topic due

M Nov 11: List of references, refinement of research question and delineation of topic due

M Nov 18: Sketch outline, path of argument due

M Dec 1: Draft of assignment due at the start of class

Th Dec 12: Final version of assignment due at the start of final exam session

Term Project: Reference Sources, Citation Guidelines

Your best bet to find research materials for your term papers is through the MU Library web site, http://library.millersville.edu. There are two avenues for you there: The main library catalogue, searchable by author, title, or subject keyword; and the electronic resources. Most of the electronic information resources are subscription-based, meaning that you can only access them from the library's computers or through your Marauder account. The good news: Many of the electronic resources have full-text articles online, and most allow you to e-mail the entire article to your e-mail account for free, making it easy to print out.

Good resources to use (all available through the MU library computing system):

ABI/Inform (now ProQuest Direct - major business journals, on the order of 1300 of them)

Anthropological Index Online (free on WWW)

CARL Uncover

Chicano Database

Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Library

Cross-Cultural CD-ROM (available only in Library North 106)

EconLit

Environmental RouteNet

Expanded Academic ASAP (my favourite - many full-text articles, and can be e-mailed)

FactSearch (statistical statements on current social issues - goes back to 1984)

Index to Legal Periodicals and Books

JSTOR (by far one of the best - many journals have their entire post-WWII catalogues on here as full-text)

LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe

NTDB/STAT-USA Internet

PapersFirst and ProceedingsFirst (conference papers and proceedings published online)

Social Sciences Abstracts (gives you the abstract of the article, which allows you to decide if you want to xerox it)

Sociological Abstracts (same kind of thing - used to be SOCIOFILE)

Ulrich's Periodicals Guide (SilverPlatter - guide to major periodicals)

US Government Periodicals Index

Women's Resources International (available only on campus)

Your use of these resources should be determined by your topic. Each of them can be searched by author, title, or subject keyword. Just make sure to choose your references carefully. If you have any questions about using these resources, see me or the reference librarian.

Citation Guidelines: In the bibliography, be sure to alphabetize references by author's last name.

In-text: (Author Year: Page) (note: for web sites, use paragraph number instead of page number)

Book: Author. Year. Title of Book. City of publication: Publisher.

Book section: Author. Year. "Title of section." In Editor (ed.), Title of Book. City of publication: Publisher.

Journal article: Author. Year. "Title of article." Pages in Journal Title, volume #: issue #.

Web site: Author. Year of last update. <Organization's name> web site. URL (the address of the page you reference)

Evaluation Guidelines: Your work on this assignment will be evaluated based on the following criteria, treated in decreasing order of importance:

• The strength and cohesiveness of the argument made in response to The Big Question;

• Utilization of the evidence found to support your response to The Big Question;

• Accuracy and presentation of the materials found during your research;

• Presentation issues;

• And meeting the minimum requirements of the paper assignment as listed.

In general, grades on papers indicate the following (and note that failing to meet these criteria will generally result in a failing grade):

• "A" - directly answers the assigned question; well-argued in a logical order, making clear how the evidence presented is utilized

• "B" - evades answering the assigned question; fairly well-argued, but reasoning process or analysis of the evidence weak

• "C" - no attempt to answer assigned question; paper reads more like a book report than an analysis; assumption that the evidence will make the argument for you.

Potential deductions: Failure to follow the guidelines listed here and on the syllabus will result in the following immediate deductions:

·       Not using minimum number of sources: -1/3 letter grade per source you're short;

·       Not including a full and complete bibliography: -1 full letter grade;

·       Not proofreading your work: -2 full letter grades, unless this is your second offense;

·       Not meeting minimum page count: -1/3 letter grade per page the paper is short;

·       Plagiarism: immediate failure on this paper, probable failure in the course, and referral for disciplinary proceedings.

A Final Note: This assignment is where everything comes together - your knowledge, your increased theoretical and analytic sophistication, and your own ideas of how the world should work. You can do amazingly well on this assignment - the easiest way is by embarking on it now and consulting with me as soon as any question or issue comes to mind for you. This paper is also one of the few times in your university career in which you'll be able to say how it is that you think the world should run and be able to defend that claim, so you should do your best to enjoy the challenge presented to you here. As always, I am here to help you do the best work you're capable of; please feel free to utilize me as a resource for improving your work.

I wish you luck, and look forward to reading what you have to say.