Overview

The years between the collapse of Reconstruction and the end of World War I marked a pivotal moment in African American cultural production. Christened the “Post-Bellum-Pre-Harlem” era by the novelist Charles Chesnutt, these years look back to the antislavery movement and forward to the artistic output and racial self-consciousness of the Harlem Renaissance as “past is prologue.” The Evidence of Things Unseen: Art, Archives, and Harlem will examine the political, cultural and social forces that influenced and defined the Harlem Renaissance. In addition to class discussions of assigned readings, the course will function as a research workshop, providing support for primary research and exposing students to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture to get “hands-on” experience accessing and utilizing archival collections and digitally publishing their findings. 

Goals

• Produce well-reasoned written arguments using evidence to support conclusions using strategies such as summary, critical analysis, interpretation, synthesis, and argumentation.
• Research for primary and secondary sources relating to the Harlem Renaissance in the library’s databases/archives and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias.
• Encourage students to think critically and creatively about strategies for managing the archival record. 
• Expose students to the Schomburg Center to give “hands-on” experience exploring an archive.
• Present the information in a cohesive, clear, and engaging manner to a range of audiences using digital technology to create a multimedia digital research project.

Argumentative Writing 

This type of writing has a rhetorical purpose; it also aims to persuade an audience and influence the way the reader thinks about a given subject, in this case, the theme of the Harlem Renaissance. This type of writing must be evidence-based, hence the focus on navigating the library/archives. 

Throughout the semester, students will be acquiring skills in developing clear and logical:

1. thesis statements presenting their stance on a subject
2. body paragraphs in which students defend their stance by integrating and analyzing relevant sources.

This skill is not a mere academic exercise – it is a life-skills that prepares students for careers such as business and marketing planning, content development, blogging, etc.  

Review the “Research Topics & Themes” section of the syllabus for a list of research paper topics. 

Research & Critical Thinking 

To form accurate and educated opinions on a topic, one must learn how to gather and assess the material that influences that opinion. The Evidence of Things Unseen guides students in the process of navigating the library/archive databases and print collections, selecting and assessing sources. In addition to using the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the class will teach students to navigate the CCNY Library Archives and Special Collections. 

Special attention will be put into teaching students to cite and contextualize evidence and interpret it to prove a point.  

Digital Publishing

The class stresses the importance of distributing and disseminating information as well as aligning academic training with the skills needed in the job market. Students will be able to learn the basics of WordPress as well as best practices in digital publishing including Information Architecture (IA) and visual and conceptual hierarchy.

Attendance 

The CCNY 2018-2019 Bulletin states the following Policy on Lateness and Absence:

“Students are expected to attend every class session of each course in which they are enrolled and to be on time. A WU grade will be assigned to a student by the instructor for excessive absences. Students are advised to determine the instructor’s policy at the first class session. They should note that an instructor may treat lateness as equivalent to absence. No distinction is made between excused and unexcused absences. Each instructor retains the right to establish his or her own policy, but students should be guided by the following general College policy. In courses designated as clinical, performance, laboratory or fieldwork courses, the limit on absences is established by the individual instructor. For all other courses, the number of hours absent may not exceed twice the number of contact hours the course meets per week.”

Attendance is mandatory. The Evidence of Things Unseen course includes on-site research and Labs, hence only 2 absences will be permitted.

Grading

Grading Scale

Final Grade

Quiz 1: Critical Thinking	10%
Quiz 2: Research & Writing	10%
Mission Statement and Annotated Bibliography	10%
Quiz 3: Digital Publishing	10%
Press Release	10%
Website Content & formal email	15%
Sitemapping & Wireframing	10%
Final Project: Complete & Publish the Website	15%
Attendance and Participation	10%
TOTAL: 100%

 

Plagiarism and Cheating 

The CUNY Policy on plagiarism states the following:

Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s ideas, research or writings as your own. The following are some examples of plagiarism, but by no means is it an exhaustive list:

1. Copying another person’s actual words without the use of quotation marks and footnotes attributing the words to their source.
2. Presenting another person’s ideas or theories in your own words without acknowledging the source.
3. Using information that is not common knowledge without acknowledging the source.
4. Failing to acknowledge collaborators on homework and laboratory assignments.
5. Internet plagiarism includes submitting downloaded term papers or parts of term papers, paraphrasing or copying information from the Internet without citing the source, and “cutting and pasting” from various sources without proper attribution.

The City College Faculty Senate has approved a procedure for addressing violations of academic integrity.

 

AAC/SDS Statement

The AccessAbility Center/Student Disability Services ensures equal access and full participation to all of City College’s programs, services, and activities by coordinating and implementing appropriate accommodations. If you are a student with a disability who requires accommodations and services, please visit the office in NAC 1/218, or contact AAC/SDS via email ([email protected]), or phone (212-650-5913 or TTY/TTD 212-650-8441).