Notes & Reminders

NOTES: Thanks for the submissions on the family exercise on the speeches of Imam Zaid and Cornel West. They were both interesting and insightful and everyone received the 10 points for this activity. I may highlight a few points that were brought out when we get together next time.

I began reading your last set of journal entries last night, and it caused me to do some re-reading of Chapter 6 in Between Cross and Crescent. That made me realize that some of my criticisms of Baldwin who wrote that chapter may have been a bit unfair. It is not as if Baldwin directly says that King inspired the sit-ins and freedom rides, and made the decision to use children in Birmingham (in fact, he does mention Rev. Bevel, who I noted was directly responsible for that), but he does seem to IMPLY that. Also, Baldwin does make a reference to King's work with young people to try to discourage them from rioting during the mid-60s.

REMINDERS: First, remember that the essay on Obama's take on black nationalism is due this FRIDAY, APR. 30TH.
Second, your papers on Malcolm X (either topic I or II) is due NEXT FRIDAY, MAY 7TH.
Third, next Tuesday will be our last regular class, since you will be taking the final exam on the last class day, TUESDAY, MAY 11TH. In that regard, you need to read Michael Eric Dyson's book, "Making Malcolm," because I plan to cover as much of it as I can in our last class.
Finally, DON'T FORGET TO START TO REVIEW YOUR NOTES AS WELL AS BLOG MATERIAL AND MAKE UP SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS FOR THE FINAL EXAM. NEXT TUESDAY I WILL GIVE THE TWO FAMILIES SOME TIME TO CONFER ABOUT THIS, BUT I WILL NEED THOSE QUESTIONS BY NEXT WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH, TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTING THE FINAL EXAM.

Note About Current Family Activity & Making Up Questions for the Final Exam

NOTE ABOUT FAMILY ACTIVITY: I assume you have all familiarized yourselves with the description of this family activity (previous blog post). Remember, there are two things, basically, that I want each of the families to address AS A GROUP. First, describe something your speaker (Blue Family - Zaid Shakir & Red Family - Cornel West)had to say which connects in some respect with that Baldwin passage. In general, I believe the Blue Family might have an easier time with this than the Red Family because of some of the things Imam Zaid brought out in his talk. But, in any case, this is a matter of interpretation and there is not any particular right or wrong answer. And, then, again AS A GROUP, identify what you felt was the most significant point your speaker made, especially as it relates to the legacy of Malcolm X. Once you have come to an agreement on these two points, someone from each family should post your findings as a comment on that blog post describing this activity. If possible, I'd like you to do this by next Tuesday.
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MAKING UP QUESTIONS FOR THE FINAL EXAM: We need to begin the process of having the two families confer on questions for the final exam. I'll need to have those questions (and answers) several days before our last class on May 11th when you will take this exam. I will ask each family to submit SIX SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS (NO true-false or multiple choice questions, but fill-in-the-blank is ok), of which I will try to accept a minumum of FOUR QUESTIONS. For each additional question I decide to use, that family will earn a bonus point, so you may earn up to two bonus points for this exercise. The questions can come from anything we have covered in class over the semester, including some material I posted on the blog, such as notes on Malcolm X's assassination. I believe both families have members who have done this for me in other classes, so they can serve as guides for those who are doing this for the first time.

I will give the families some time in class next Tuesday (the 27th) at least to get organized or perhaps divide up responsibilities. But you can all, individually, begin to give some thought to this. Then, in the following class (May 4th) I will give the families 20-30 minutes to confer and decide on which six questions each family will submit. I will, then, want a hard copy or email copy of each family's questions (and answers) NO LATER THAN 2PM WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH. I will consider them and make my selections and then post them on the blog by FRIDAY AFTERNOON, MAY 7TH, so you can have them to study for the final exam on TUESDAY THE 11TH.

This exercise is worth 10 points, and you each have to participate to earn those points, not to mention possible bonus points.

FAMILY ACTIVITY: Upon Viewing "Malcolm & Martin: Implications of Their Legacies for the Future"

At the end of Chapter 3: Of Their Spiritual Strivings: Malcolm and Martin on Religion and Freedom, in "Between Cross and Crescent," Lewis Baldwin makes the following observation:

"Thus, the message emerging out of Malcolm's and Martin's legacies is that interreligious dialogue and cooperation in the black community and indeed the whole world is authentic to the degree that it is concerned with the socioeconomic and political liberation of individuals and communities."

"Malcolm and Martin brought us closer to the view that because no religion exhausts truth, different traditions can complement and enrich each other rather than being mutually exclusive rivals. Their different faiths complemented each other because they ultimately shared a common goal, namely, to embrace the essential 'oneness' of humanity, among which the many religions, while upholding their own truth claims, will also affirm their individual obligations to contribute to the shaping of a shared universal ethic. There is no greater legacy for the twenty-first century." (p. 127)

In light of the above passage, I want each family to discuss how one of the speakers (Cornel West or Imam Zaid) reflect the points that Baldwin makes. Before seeing this video next week (4/13), we will flip a coin to see which family will focus on which speaker. Then, following the viewing of this video, I want the families to begin conferring on this topic. I also want each family to determine what they felt was the most significant point each speaker made, especially with reference to Malcolm X in particular. Since we only meet once a week, it is quite possible you will need more time to confer with your family members and you will have to do so outside of class. Finally, I want a representative of each family to post your findings (a couple paragraphs) as a comment on this blog post, and to do so NO LATER THAN A WEEK AFTER WE SEE THE VIDEO, NAMELY, TUESDAY, APRIL 20TH.

This family exercise is worth 10 activity points.