African American Studies Discussion
Part One: Identifications (10 points each; 200 points total)
This section requires you to write short answers to each identification question. There are 20 identification questions worth 10 points each for 200 points total. Each answer must address who, what, when, where, and why in the identification.
Each answer should be no more than one paragraph in length (4-5 sentences or 100-150 words), double-spaced with 1-inch margins using 12 point Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman font. You are not required to include citations. Each answer must:
- Identify the individual named, author, event, and other key individuals and groups (2 points)
- Discuss what the identification term or name is about (2 points)
- Describe when it occurred (2 points)
- Describe where it occurred (2 points)
- Explain why the individual, group, or event is significant for understanding African American Studies (2 points)
Listed below are twenty identification terms you will need to answer in Part One of the exam. You must answer all twenty terms to receive full credit. DO NOT copy and paste language from classroom resources or any other source. This is an act of plagiarism and is a violation of the academic integrity pledge you signed in Week 1.
The twenty identification terms are drawn from Weeks 1-4 of the AASP 201 classroom resources. Please use your class readings first to answer the terms before resorting to outside sources.
- African American Studies
- Carter G. Woodson
- Henry Louis Gates
- Middle Passage
- Frederick Douglass
- William Green
- Reconstruction Amendments
- Freedmen’s Bureau
- Ida B. Wells
- Booker T. Washington
- Jim Crow
- Black Codes
- Reparations
- “Forty Acres and a Mule”
- W.E.B. DuBois
- Plessy v. Ferguson
- Blanche K. Bruce
- Reconstruction
- Mary Church Terrell
- Souls of Black Folk
Part Two: Essay (100 points)
You are required to answer one of three essay questions described below. The essay portion must be 4-5 pages in length, double-spaced, numbered, include 1 inch margins, use 12 point Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman font.
Your essay must include a Works Cited page. The citation style of the Works Cited page may be either Chicago, APA, or MLA. The selected citations must be appropriate to the exam topic and the citations must support the assertions made in the exam.
Your essay will include three main parts—the Thesis/Introduction, Argument, and Conclusion.
The Introduction section should clearly state the thesis within the first 1-2 paragraphs. The thesis must be relevant and appropriate to the argument and demonstrate an accurate and complete understanding of the question. This section should make it clear which question you are answering, but it should do more than restate the question by offering a brief response and it should be free of grammar and spelling errors.
The Argument section (3-4 pages) should incorporate pertinent details from the assigned readings but you may also use outside readings. The section must provide relevant historical evidence to support the thesis and the key claims made in the argument as needed. It should maintain focus and avoid sidetracking. It should present your answer to the question clearly and concisely in an organized manner and it should be free of grammar and spelling errors.
The Conclusion section should be in the last part of your essay exam within the last 1-2 paragraphs. It should briefly restate the thesis and summarize the main points of the argument. It should also demonstrate insight and understanding regarding the question asked and it should be free of grammar and spelling errors.
A scoring rubric for the essay portion is included below. Please answer one of the following essay questions:
- Discuss the Plessy v. Ferguson case. What was the Supreme Court’s reasoning in the Plessy v. Ferguson case? What was the impact of the decision on African Americans?
- Who was Ida B. Wells? What led her to challenge lynching in America? What did she do to challenge lynching in America? What were her publications?
- According to W.E.B. DuBois’s “The Dawn of Freedom” how did the Freedmen’s Bureau assist former slaves? How successful was the Freedmen’s Bureau in its overall mission to ease the transition from slavery to freedom?