Time: Monday 7:30-9:50 Classroom: King 335 Instructor: Albert G. Miller Office: Rice 327 Office Hours: Wednesday 9:00-11:20 am Office Phone: X8652 E-Mail fmiller@ocvaxa.cc.oberlin.edu
These quotes, by the two of the most significant African-American leaders of the later twentieth century, reveal opposite views of America and its relationship to black America. Rarely have two individuals been so compared and contrasted than the lives and thought of these two men.
This Colloquium will focus on the lives and thought of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. It will interpret them in the context of the black freedom movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The course will focus on their views of religion, both Islam and Christianity, America, justice, and race. The course will explore the theological, political, cultural, and psycho-social variables which informed their religious and moral thought. The course will use a variety of media including films, autobiographies, biographies, collected writings and speeches, other interpretations of these two religious and political leaders.
The purpose of this course is three-fold. First, the course will attempt to examine critically the life and thought of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Second, the course will try to identify the similarities and differences between them. Third, the course will seek to evaluate their contribution in religion and politics for their time as well as our own.
Everyone is expected to complete the assigned reading as scheduled, develop each week four to five question (which will be turned in at the end of each class) which will help to focus the class discussions, participate in the class discussion, make a class report (about 15-20 minutes), write two short written reports (3-5 pages), and one essay (10-12 pages).
There is no substitute for doing the assigned readings. By keeping up with the readings you will come to the class informed and prepared to discuss as well as listen. Each student is responsible for the completion of all required readings.
Attendance is of the utmost importance in this class. For every absence one point for every class absence will be deducted from your class participation grade.
Class Report: One or more persons will be asked to make a report on the readings which will serve as the starting point of the discussion that will follow. The report should include both the required readings and a sampling of the recommended readings. The report should be descriptive, critical, and constructive. It should not exceed twenty minutes.
Each student will write two reflective papers, one each on the life and legacy of Martin King and Malcolm X. The two papers should be between 4-5 pages each and reflect your critical assessment of each of the two individuals. Your reflections should be both descriptive and analytical, that is, they should describe your past and present understanding of each of these men and critically assess the meaning of their lives for the present. You should draw your critical reflections from the assigned and recommended readings and from the various biographies which are available on each of the men. Below are lists of several biographies which you can work from.
Martin L. King: David Garrow, Bearing the Cross David L. Lewis, King: A Critical Biography Stephen Oates, Let the Trumpet Sound Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters Due Date: March 6
Malcolm X: Peter Goldman, The Death and Life of Malcolm X C. Eric Lincoln, The Black Muslims in America Bruce Perry, Malcolm: The Man who Changed Black America Due Date: April 10
Paper The 10-12 page paper should compare critically Martin King and Malcolm X on a theme common to both. For example: �Violence, Nonviolence, and Self-defense�; �Integration, Separation, and Segregation�; �Love, Justice, and Hope�; �Bible and Christianity�; �Perspectives on White America�; �Perspectives on Black America�; �Perspectives on Women�; and �Blacks and the Third World,� etc. It is important to note the development in their thinking, identifying their similarities and differences, shifts in their perspectives, and their influence upon each other. A critical evaluation of Martin King's and Malcolm X's perspectives is encouraged, both in terms of their time and ours. The topic should be picked in consultation with the instructor. The paper will be due on the date of the final exam, May 17, 1995, 7-9pm in my office.
All papers must be typed, double-spaced, and proofread for spelling, sentence structure, and general use of language. For helpful suggestions relative to format, footnoting, etc., see Kate L. Turabian�s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations, 5th edition.
Class Grade will be based on the following:
Long Essay 40 points King reflection paper 15 points Malcolm reflection paper 15 points Class presentation 15 points Class attendance 15 points 100 points
Required Texts: Cone, James H. Martin and Malcolm and America: A Dream or A Nightmare. Orbis Books 1991. Washington, James Melvin. A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. Harper Collins, Dyson, Michael Eric. Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X. Oxford University Press, 1994 Haley, Alex. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Grove Press, 1965. X, Malcolm. The End of White World Supremacy: Four Speeches by Malcolm X. Edited and with an introduction by Benjamin Karim. New York: Arcade Pub., [1989?]
Recommended: Branch, Taylor. Parting the Waters. New York: Touchstone Book, 1989. Breitman, G. Malcolm X Speaks. New York: Pathfinder, 1989. Clark, Steve, ed. The Final Speeches / Malcolm X. New York : Pathfinder, 1992. Garrow, David J. Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr. and The Southern Christian Leadership Conference. New York: William Morrow and Co., 1986. Goldman, Peter Louis. The Death and Life of Malcolm X. Urbana : University of Illinois Press, c1979. King, Martin Luther, Jr. Stride toward Freedom; The Montgomery Story. New York, Harper & Row 1958. King, Martin Luther, Jr. Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? New York, Harper & Row 1967 Lincoln, C. Eric. The Black Muslims in America. Grand Rapids, Mich. : W.B. Eerdmans ; Trenton, N.J. : Africa World Press, 1994. Oates, Steven. Let The Trumpet Sound. New York : New American Library, 1985. Perry, Bruce. Malcolm: The Life of A Man Who Changed Black America. Barrytown, N.Y. : Station Hill Press ; New York, N.Y. 1991. X, Malcolm. By Any Means Necessary. New York: Pathfinder, 1992.
Bibliographical Note:
Malcolm X: Recent interest in Malcolm X has led to several book publications.
Bruce Perry, Malcolm: The Life of a Man Who Changed Black America (1991). Karl Evanzz, The Judas Factor: The Plot To Kill Malcolm X, (1992). Joe Wood, Malcolm X: In Our Own Image (1992). Michael Friedly, Malcolm X: The Assassination (1992). David Gallen, ed., Malcolm X: The FBI File (1991). David Gallen, ed., Malcolm X As They Knew Him (1992). Benjamin Karim, Remembering Malcolm (1992). Baba Zak A. Kondo, Conspiracys: Unravelling the Assassination of Malcolm X (1993).
Martin Luther King Jr.: Recent literature on King has focussed on important and controversial issues.
Clayborne Carson, ed., The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Volume I, Call to Serve, January 1929-June 1951, (1992). Keith Miller, Voice of Deliverance: The Language of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Its Sources (1992). Journal of American History, Vol. 78, No. 1, June 1991, "Becoming Martin Luther King, Jr. -- Plagiarism and Originality: A Round Table," pp. 11-123. Lewis V. Baldwin, There is a Balm in Gilead: The Cultural Roots of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1991). __________, To Make The Wounded Whole (1992). Ralph D. Abernathy, And The Walls Came Tumbling Down (1989).
Women and the Civil Rights Movement:
JoAnn Gibson Robinson, The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It (1987). Septima Clark, Ready From Within (1986). Vickie Crawford, et al, Women in the Civil Rights Movement (1990). Corretta S. King, My Life With Martin Luther King, Jr. Rosa Parks, My Story (1992) Susan Kling, Fannie Lou Hamer, a biography (1979) Kay Mills, This little light of mine : the life of Fannie Lou Hamer (1993)
Class Schedule:
February 6: Introduction to the Clas s
February 13: The Nationalist and Integrationist Tradition : Cone, Introduction, pp. 1-18 and Francis L. Broderick, The Gnawing Dilemma: Separatism and Integration, 1865-1925" and Edwin S. Redkey, �The Flowering of Black Nationalism: Henry McNeal Turner and Marcus Garvey,� in N.I. Huggins, M. Kilson, and D. M. Cox (eds.), Key Issues in the Afro-American Experience, Vol. II (1971), pp. 93-124 and/or Vincent Harding, There is A River: The Black Struggle for Freedon in America (1981), pp. 25-51, 75-157, and 172-194 BOTH ARE ON RESERVE.
Bibliography: Alphonso Pickney, Red, Black, and Green: Black Nationalism in the U.S. 1976. Theodore Draper, The Rediscovery of Black Nationalism (1969). Jeanne Grant (ed.), Black Protest: History, Documents, and Analysis, 1619 to the Present (1968). John H. Bracey, Jr., A. Meier, and E. Rudwick, Black Nationalism in America (1970). August Meier, Negro Thought in America 1880-1915 (1971). Charles Hamilton, The Black Experience in Politics (1973). Francis L. Broderick and August Meier (eds.), Black Protest Thought in the Twentieth Century (Second Edition, 1980). Lerone Bennett, Confrontation: Black and White (1965). __________, The Negro Mood (1964). Julius Lester, Search for the New Land (1969). Edwin Redkey, Black Exodus: Black Nationalist and Back-to-Africa Movements, 1890-1910 (1969). __________, "The Flowering of Black Nationalism: Henry McNeal Turner and Marcus Garvey" in Huggins, Kilson, and Cox (eds.), Key Issues, Vol. II (1971). __________ (ed.), Respect Black! The Writings and Speeches of Henry McNeal Turner (1970). Hanes Walton, Jr., "Black Political Thought" in the Journal of Black Studies, Vol. I, No. 2, Dec. 1970, pp. 213-218. David Cronon, Black Moses: The Story of Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (1955). Theodore Vincent, Black Power and the Garvey Movement (1971). __________ (ed.), Voices of A Black Nation: Political Journalism in the Harlem Renaissance (1973). Marcus Garvey, Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey, 2 vols. (1923, 1925). John Bracey, Jr., "Black Nationalism Since Garvey", in Huggins, Kilson, and Cox (eds.), Key Issues (1971).
February 20: Martin King: Where did he come from?(1929-52) : Cone, ch. 1 pp. 19-37. Branch, Parting The Waters, pp. 1-142 or Oates, Let the Trumpet Sound, pp. 1-60.
Bibliography: David L. Lewis, King: A Critical Biography, 3-45. Martin Luther King, Sr., Daddy King: An Autobiography (1980). Lerone Bennett, What Manner of Man (1964). L. Harold DeWolf, "Martin Luther King, Jr. as Theologian", in The Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Vol. IV, No. II, Spring 1977, pp. 1-11. (This entire issue is devoted to Martin King.) Coretta Scott King, My Life With Martin Luther King, Jr. (1969). Lawrence Reddick, Crusader Without Violence (1959). Robert W. Miller, Martin Luther King, Jr.: His Life, Martyrdom and Meaning for the World (1968).
February 27 Malcolm X: Where did he come from? (1925-53) : Cone, ch. 2, (pp. 38-57); Malcolm X, Autobiography of Malcolm X chs. 1-9 (pp. 1-150).
Bibliography: C. Eric Lincoln, Black Muslims in America (1973), especially pp. 207f. Louis Lomax, When the Word is Given (1963). __________, To Kill A Black Man (1968). Eugene V. Wolfenstein, The Victims of Democracy: Malcolm X and the Black Revolution (1981). James W. Fowler, "The Pilgrimage in Faith of Malcolm X" in James Fowler and Robin W. Lovin (eds.), Trajectories in Faith (1980). Eugene Bianchi, The Religious Experience of Revolutionaries. John H. Clarke, "Malcolm X: The Man and His Times" in Negro Digest, May 1969, pp. 23-27; 60-65.
March 6: King�s Dream (1955-64) : Cone, ch. 3 (pp. 58-88): Washington, A Testament of Hope, 35-40, 135-144, 197-200, 208-216, 217-220, 224-226, 289-302, and 417-490;. M. L. King, Jr., Stride Toward Freedom.
Bibliography: Southern Christian Leadership Conference: "The Ultimate Aim is the 'Beloved Community'" in F.L. Broderick and A. Meier (eds.), Black Protest Thought in the Twentieth Century (1965), pp. 302-306. Milton Viorst, Fire in the Streets (1979), pp. 19-51. This is an account of the role of E. D. Nixon in the Montgomery bus boycott. Contrast with M. L. King, Jr.'s account in Stride Toward Freedom. Howell Raines, My Soul is Rested: Movement Days in the Deep South Remembered (1977), Cf. especially E. D. Nixon's and others' account of Montgomery, pp. 37-70. Stephen Oates, "The Intellectual Odyssey of Martin Luther King", The Massachusetts Review, Summer 1981, pp. 302-320. Southern Exposure. A special issue on the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's, Vol. IX, No. 1, Spring 1981. Harvard Sitkoff, The Struggle for Black Equality, 1954-1980 (1981). James A. Miller, "Martin Luther King, Jr.: The End of An Era" in Black Academy Review, Vol. 1, No. 3, Fall 1970, pp. 27-33. Kenneth Smith and Ira Zepp, Jr., Search for the Beloved Community: The Thinking of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1974). Robert Franklin, "An Ethic of Hope: The Moral Thought of Martin Luther King, Jr.," (USQR, 1986), pp. 41-51. Hanes Walton, Jr., The Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr., pp. 38-116. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, "Nonviolence is the Foundation" in Ibid., pp. 307-308. James Lawson, Jr., "We Are Trying to Raise the 'Moral Issue'" in Ibid., pp. 308-315. John J. Ansbro, Martin Luther King, Jr.: The Making of A Mind (1982). David Lewis, King: A Critical Biography. William D. Watley, Roots of Resistance: The Nonviolent Ethic of Martin Luther King, Jr., (1985).
David Garrow, Protest at Selma (1978). __________, Bearing the Cross. __________, "The Intellectual Development of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Influences and Commentaries", Union Seminary Quarterly Review, Vol. XL, No. 4, 1986, pp. 5-20. C. Eric Lincoln (ed.), Martin Luther King, Jr. (1970). The Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Vol. IX, No. II, Spring 1977. The entire issue is on M. L. King with a good bibliography of dissertations on his theology and political philosophy. Robert W. Miller, Non-Violence: A Christian Interpretation (1968). Louis Lomax, The Negro Revolt (1963). Peter Paris, Black Leaders in Conflict (1978), pp. 70-108. Robert Penn Warren, Who Speaks for the Negro? (1965), pp. 202-221. Ira G. Zepp, Jr., "The Intellectual Sources of the Ethical Thought of Martin Luther King, Jr." Ph.D. Diss., 1971.
March 13: Malcolm�s Nightmare (1953-63):: Cone, ch. 4 (pp. 89-119); Malcolm X, The End of White World Supremacy, pp. 67-120 and �The American Negro: Problems and solutions�, in the Speeches of Malcolm X at Harvard, edited by Archie Epps (1969), pp. 115-131.
Bibliography: C. Eric Lincoln, The Black Muslims in America. Oba T'Shaka, The Political Philosophy of Malcolm X. Peter Goldman, The Death and Life of Malcolm X. Peter Paris, Black Leaders in Conflict, (1978), pp. 140-174. Shawn Maglangbayan, Garvey, Lumumba, and Malcolm X; Black National-Separatists (1973). Louis Lomax, When the Word is Given. John H. Clarke (eds.) Malcolm X: The Man and His Times, pp. 7-12; 149-181. Malcolm X, "An Interview with Alex Haley (1963)" Interview in Playboy (1981). __________, "We Arose From the Dead" in Moslem World and the U.S.A., Aug.-Sept., 1956, pp. 24-27, 36. __________, "Playboy Interview", Playboy, May 1963. __________, "Malcolm X" (Interview with Kenneth B. Clark), in King, Malcolm, Baldwin, K.B. Clark, pp. 33-48. W. Koerpeise Kgositsile, "Malcolm X and the Black Revolution," in Negro Digest, No. 1968, pp. 4-10; also in John H. Clarke, Malcolm X: The Man and His Times, pp. 42-49.
March 20: Open class
Spring Break
April 3: King: His Faith and the Church:: Cone, ch. 5 (pp. 120-150); Washington, A Testament of Hope, pp. 5-34, 35-42, 289-302, and 491-517; King, The Strength to Love.
Bibliography: James H. Cone, "Martin Luther King, Jr., Black Theology and the Black Church," Drew Gateway, Winter 1985, pp. 1-16. __________, "The Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr.", Union Seminary Quarterly Review, 1986. __________, "Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Third World", Journal of American History, September 1987. __________, "Martin Luther King: The Source of His Courage to Face Death", Concilium, 1983. __________, "Black Religious Thought", in Speaking the Truth (1986). David Garrow, Bearing the Cross. Martin King, A Testament of Hope, ed. by James M. Washington, pp. 5-11; 35-42; 289-302. Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters.
April 10: Malcolm: His Faith and Theology : Cone, ch. 6 (pp. 151-180); Malcolm X, Autobiography, chs. 10-15 (pp. 151-287) and The End of White World Supremacy, pp. 23-66 and 121-148.
Bibliography: C. Eric Lincoln, Black Muslims in America. Louis Lomax, When the Word is Given. Elijah Muhammad, Message to the Blackman in America (1965). Albert Cleage, Jr., "Brother Malcolm" in Black Messiah (1968). A. Adeyemi Smith, Malcolm on Islam and Social Justice" in African Mirror, Vol. 3, July 1980, pp. 41-50. E. U. Essien-Udom, Black Nationalism. bell hoods, "Sitting at the Feet of the Messenger: Remembering Malcolm X," in her Yearning: Race, Gender and Cultural Politics, pp. 79-87.
April 17: Chickens Coming Home To Roost (1964-65) : Cone, ch. 7 (pp. 181-212); Malcolm X, Autobiography, chs. 16-19; and one of the following: Malcolm X Speaks, ed. by G. Breitman By Any Means Necessary, Malcolm X ed. by G. Breitman Malcolm X: The Last Speeches, ed. by Bruce Perry (1989) Malcolm X on Afro-American History, ed. by G. Breitman Malcolm, Bruce Perry, 202-380.
Bibliography: Peter Goldman, The Death and Life of Malcolm X, pp. 123f George Breitman, The Last Year of Malcolm X
April 24: A Dream Turns To A Nightmare (1965-68) : Cone, ch. 8 (pp. 213-43); Washington, A Testament of Hope, pp. 231-44, 245-52, 253-58, 259-67, 279-86, 313-28; and King, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? or The Trumpet of Conscience. (or read excerpts in Washington, pp. 555-653).
Bibliography: Martin L. King, "Where Do We Go From Here?" in James M. Washington, A Testament of Hope, pp. 245-252. __________, "I See The Promised Land", Ibid., pp. 279-286. __________, "A Testament of Hope", in Ibid., pp. 313-328. __________, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? __________, The Trumpet of Conscience. __________, "PLAYBOY INTERVIEW", Playboy, Jan. 1965.
May 1: Malcolm and Martin: Two Roads to Freedom : Cone, chs. 9-12 (pp. 244-318); Peter Goldman, "Malcolm and Martin", in his Death and Life of Malcolm X, pp. 383-392; ames H. Cone, "America: A Dream or a Nightmare?"; Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Vol. XIII, No. 2, Spring 1986, pp. 263-278; James Baldwin, "Malcolm and Martin", Esquire, April, 1972, pp. 94-97. Complete Michael Dyson, Making Malcolm.
Bibliography: James Baldwin, "Malcolm and Martin", Esquire, April, 1972, pp. 94-97. Peter Goldman, "Malcolm and Martin", in his Death and Life of Malcolm X, pp. 383-392. James H. Cone, "America: A Dream or a Nightmare?"; Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Vol. XIII, No. 2, Spring 1986, pp. 263-278. Alex Haley, "Alex Haley Remembers Malcolm X", Essence, Nov. 1983, pp. 52, 54, 118, 122. "The Black Scholar Interviews: Alex Haley", Black Scholar, Sept. 1976, pp. 33-40.
May 8: Conclusion and Assessment