Eyes on the Prize is a documentary that tells the definitive story of the civil rights era from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life, and embodied a struggle whose reverberations continue to be felt today. Winner of numerous Emmy Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, an International Documentary Award, and a Television Critics Association Award, Eyes on the Prize is the most critically acclaimed documentary on civil rights in America.

This documentary offers important lessons about the power of ordinary citizens to shape democracy. This course helps bring the history of the civil rights movement alive for learners providing an invaluable resource that brings this landmark television documentary into the classroom in new and exciting ways.  

This course allows learners to engage with the stories of everyday Americans who challenged their government and communities to live up to their promises of equality and justice. By examining such issues as the power of civic participation in a democratic society, the role of non-violence in social movements, the importance of voting rights, the tensions between state and local control, and the role of the courts in addressing injustice, students will explore the fundamental tenets of our democracy and think about their power to make a difference today.

Week 1
Civil Rights from 1954-1956: Awakenings
This week will cover an introduction to the course, the murder of Emmett Till and the trial the followed, the refusal of Rosa Parks to give up her seat and the emergence of a young Martin Luther King Jr. A conversation about word choices will be a large part of this first class.

Week 2
Civil Rights from 1957-1962: Fighting Back
This week focuses on the struggle to enforce federal civil rights legislation across the South. This study will focus in on enforcing equal education judicial decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education.  By examining several stories this week considers the difference between desegregation and integration and begins to examine what the Civil Rights Movement's goals were.  

Week 3
Civil Rights from 1960-1961: Ain't Scared of Your Jails
This week we look to the younger generation of activists, empowered by the Brown v. Board Supreme Court decision and excited to become involved in advocacy efforts.  Analyzing the Nashville lunch counter Sit-ins and the Freedom Rides across the south, the week will introduce learners to the concept of nonviolent direct action and the strategies and tactics involved. 

Week 4
Civil Rights from 1961-1963: No Easy Walk
This week follows the expansion of the Southern civil rights campaign into a mass movement. This will lead to an exploration of the work of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as well as exploring some of the challenges that the leadership experienced with the boundaries created by the nonviolent direct action campaign.

Week 5
Civil Rights from 1962-1964: Mississippi, Is this America?
Beginning with the murder of Medgar Evers, the week studies the rise of white students joining the movement and the debate over the appropriate role of white people in the Civil Rights Movement.  This week also looks at the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and their challenge to acquire recognition within the larger National Democratic Party. 

Week 6
Civil Rights 1965: Bridge to Freedom
The focus of the class this week will be on the Selma march and the events that surrounded it, asking and discussing questions such as, 'How did nonviolent direct action force people in Selma and around the country to assess their accepted customs and their consciences?', 'What role did the press play?', 'What choices did local and national leaders make in response to the events in Selma?', 'Why did activists demand federal intervention in Selma?', 'How effective were the nonviolent tactics in Selma?', 'How did they help reshape American democracy?'

Week 7
Civil Rights from 1964-1966: The Time Has Come
This week introduces Malcom X and the class will focus on assessing how his views challenged the nonviolent tradition of the Civil Rights Movement.  The Black Power movement is explored and the draw of Malcom X's message for some key members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee who were eager for faster change. 

Week 8
This final week of Part 1 of this Civil Rights class will conclude with final project presentations as well as a final debate on the benefits and challenges of the two different approaches to racial and social change in America.  

My classes are structured to be discussion based in nature.  Readings and audio/visual supplements will sometimes be used in class to further discussion, debate or class projects.  In class projects and socratic method teaching is used to ensure critical thinking as an important part of the learning process.  The goal of this course is not to simply learn about the various events and characters of the Civil Rights Movement but rather to gain a nuanced understanding of the challenges and issues presented allowing the learner to have balanced information from which to analyze and make informed conclusions.  My classes are generally highly interactive.  However, I will never force anyone to participate in my classes, preferring to ensure an inclusive classroom, where shy learners are respected and various learning styles valued.