Writing tips

Here is a copy of Dr. Ownby's writing tips. They are good rules to follow.

By the way...

In case any of you are interested in what your instructor writes in his "free time," you can check out my food blog:

http://nystromtable.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Settin' the Woods on Fire

You will be able to find a copy of the DVD for the George Wallace documentary, Settin' the Woods on Fire, in the hopper on my door after 2:00 PM today. The only problem is that I only have 26 copies of the DVD. This means that we are about 10 copies short and some of you will have to share. If you know that you might watch it with a friend in the class, then please only take one for the both (or several) of you.

You will find a great deal of additional information at PBS's companion web site, including a full transcript.

Use this blog post for your comments.

Nonviolence Triumphant?

Robert F. Williams lived to old age. Martin Luther King died of a gunshot wound in 1968. One advocated self defense, the other, nonviolence. These themes I discussed with one of your peers after class on Tuesday. Let's continue that conversation and more. Please post your discussion question below.

The Mind of the South (really)

Okay, I mean it this time! Please post your discussion questions below. You might consider posing your question in the context of our proposed essays.

Essay 2 Options

Option 1: Tim Tyson's Radio Free Dixie, in particular, reveals the symbiotic relationship between the politics of the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement. The use that civil rights activists made of the Cold War hinged upon the manner in which the Jim Crow-era South resembled a totalitarian state for African Americans. In your essay, make a broad survey of the various sources we have used in the course since the first essay and describe the manner in which the Jim Crow South represented a totalitarian society for all southerners.

Option 2: Our sources in this section pay a great deal of attention to black masculinity and femininity in the context of the segregated South. Using these sources, explore the contours and expressions of A) black masculinity B) black femininity or C) the interplay between black and white women in defining gender roles within the confines of segregation. Consider this question broadly, but feel free to focus on a specific aspect of the topic. For instance, you might narrow it down to exploring the role of violence directed at and employed by black men as a vehicle for demonstrating self worth in the segregated South. You might consider the role music, both the blues and gospel, in creating an environment of personal dignity and protest for black men and women. Be creative. But also be sure to email me with your idea - that is, how you plan to approach and define your essay question.

The directions and length requirements for this essay are the same as for Essay 1, and I ask that you consult that post in the blog archive for details.

NOTE: you will ONLY use these sources for your essay:

Pete Daniel, "Not Predestination"
"Feel Like Goin' Home" (Blues Documentary)
Cobb, "The Blues is a Low Down Shakin' Chill"
The Color Purple
Radio Free Dixie
Away Down South, Chapters 5 and 6

LASTLY: this assignment has a new due date: by 2:00 PM on Thursday, April 9. Submit either via Google Documents or in my mailbox in Bishop Hall.

The Mind of the South

We're beginning to consider the ways in which the mindset of white southerners come full circle in the middle of the twentieth century. W.J. Cash produced one of the most debated works of its genre in The Mind of the South. Luckily, you get to read Cobb's distillation of it.

Please post your discussion question below.