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 is part 2 of two parts to the course, beginning around 1965 and moving into the early 1980s.  

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 1965-1968: Two Societies
This week will cover an introduction to the course, and then begin with the movement of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from focusing solely on the South.  We will consider the choice to move the focus of the work to Northern Urban Centers such as Detroit and Chicago and the different challenges and issues that presented the Civil Rights Advocates in these new urban areas.

Week 2
Civil Rights from 1966-1968: Power!
Week 2 explores the influence of the idea of Black Power on the freedom movement. We will study three different leaders of three Black communities and their efforts to gain the political and economic power that would enable advancements in employment, housing, and education. 

Week 3
Civil Rights from 1967-1968: The Promised Land
This week covers the assassination of Dr. King and how this event shaped the landscape of the Civil Rights Movement.  From the issues of economics and the Vietnam war, the movement was changing and molding itself to current day issues in America.  The assassination of Dr. King would challenge the group as never before, and how their Poor People's campaign moved forward will be analyzed and debated.  

Week 4
Civil Rights from 1964-1972: Ain't Going to Shuffle No More
With young Black Americans having greater access to higher education, the fight for cultural self-determination and Black pride becomes a central part of the Civil Rights movement.  This week we will be considering and analyzing the attempt to set a new direction for Black politics in America.

Week 5
Civil Rights from 1968-1971: A Nation of Law?
Week 5 investigates the relationship between racism and the criminal justice system—the police, courts, and prisons. Exploring the systematic targeting of political dissenters, civil rights activists, and minorities, the episode questions the assumption that the law in mid-twentieth-century America was universally and uniformly applied. It also links inequity in the criminal justice system to the
discontent and distrust members of these groups harbored.

Week 6
Civil Rights 1974-1980: The Keys to the Kingdom 
During these years the focus moved from questions about the best way to secure equal rights to questions about the best way to guarantee equal opportunity for all Americans. Twenty years after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling that racially separate schools were both unconstitutional and unequal, educational institutions across America remained racially imbalanced. This week explores some of the controversial programs to find a way to guarantee equal opportunities in America. 

Week 7
Civil Rights from 1979-1985: Back to the Movement
By the late 70s and early 80s many urban centers were on the decline:  lack of investment in local businesses, cuts in social programs, discriminatory housing practices, and chronically neglected schools led to widespread disillusionment and rising unemployment and crime. While many people fl ed to the suburbs, waves of Asian and Latino immigrants moved to the cities and introduced new political and economic challenges for Black Americans.  This very last episode of the series explores these challenges and in the course of this class we will ask the tough questions that come along with these complex issues.  

Week 8
This final week of Part 2 of this Civil Rights class will conclude with final project presentations.

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.