W&L Home Directories Journalism Home
 

Return to Syllabus

 

Week0

 

 

Week1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week4

 

 

 

 

 

Week5

 

 

 

 

 

Week6

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week7

 

 

 

 

 

Week8

 

 

 

 

Week9

 

 

 

 

 

Week10

 

 

 

 

 

Week11

 

 

 

 

Week12

 

 

 

Schedule

Sept. 10 – (Fri): Introductions, going over syllabus and bibliography. Blackboard & online resources.

 

Sept. 13 – (Mon): Lecture: preludes and themes; W.J. Cash’s Mind of the South (reading: “A Journalist’s View” in Changing South of Gene Patterson

Sept. 15 – Dick Grefe in library. Reading: “How the South Covered Desegregation,” Cumming, in Blackboard.

Sept. 17 – Lecture: Egerton’s Speak Now Against the Day. Video: Popham Seminar. Reading: Readings: "Race in Aiken," by George McMillan, pp. 82-84;
"Literacy Tests: Southern Style," Jack H. Pollack, pp. 85-91; "Florida's Legal Lynching," Ted Poston, pp. 125-129; "The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi," by William Bradford Huie, pp. 232-240; "How to Solve the Segregation Problem," by Harry L. Golden, pp. 401-405 , in Reporting Civil Rights.

 

Sept. 20 – History leading to Brown v. Board of Education and outsiders reporting from within the South; video: Eyes on the Prize. Reading: Alan Paton (“The Negro in America Today” from “Colliers” in BlackBoard and on reserve) and Roi Ottley (“I met the Grand Dragon,” on BlackBoard and in Burning All Illusions, pp 78-82; and in Reporting Civil Rights on reserve).

Sept. 22 – Insiders explain to outsiders. Reading: McGill, “Long Night in London,” Ch. 2, South & Southerner; Ashmore’s Epitaph for Dixie pp. 118-132 (both books on reserve)

Sept. 24  -- Discussion on readings. Video: Popham seminar (cont.). Reading: Lillian Smith, Killer’s of the Dream, pp. 120-133. (on reserve)

 

Sept. 27 – Library exercise. Meet in reference department of Leyburn. See Library exercise file in Blackboard.

Sept. 29 – Discussion: on Crisis in Print intro, and doing media research. Reading: Hugh David Graham, Crisis in Print, pp. 3-28, intro (paragraphs assigned for discussion); and Ch. 2, "Two Cheers for Segregation"

Oct. 1 - First 2 student presentations: Katie Henderson, on Claiborne’s Charlotte Observer; Erin Teichgraber on Martin’s Deep South Says Never Reading: James Patterson, Ch. 3 "The Court Decides" (46-69) and Ch. 4 " Crossroads, 1954-55" (pp. 70-85).

(If time allows: Discussion of Brown v. Board readings. Video: 50th Anniversary of Brown in Lee Chapel: Gov. Linwood Holton.

 

Oct. 4 – Discussion: the white reaction.

Oct. 6 – Discussion:  Student presentations: Elizabeth Wilson on Dabbs’ Southern Heritage. Discussion: the conservative Southern press. Reading: Waring, in Harper’s (e-reserves); “Jimmy Ward and Jackson Daily News” in Press and Race (in L: drive)

Oct. 8 – Class: The Movement begins. Reading: From Changing South of Gene Patterson, 1960-62, pp. 45-119.

 

Oct. 11 – Student presentations. Marie Trimble on Sarratt’s Ordeal of Desegregation; Meg Strother on Kilpatrick’s The Southern Case of School Segregation. Arsenault, “A Historian’s View,” in Changing South, pp. 17-41.

Oct. 13 – No class. Turn in papers on book, in box outside Prof. Cumming's office. (Prof. Cumming away)

Papers on student-selected book due.

Reading Days

 

Oct. 18 – The Movement (cont). Students must have selected Southern journalist they plan to profile; discuss in class. Reading: from Raines, My Soul is Rested, Intro, pp. 17-24; "Black Surprise" pp. 75-108.

Oct. 20 – Case study: coverage of James Meredith, 1962. Reading: from Ashmore, Hearts and Minds pp. 342-47 (in L: drive), Patterson column (pp. 113-16) & Susan Weill on Ole Miss in ’62, from Press and Race, pp. 30-38 (in L: drive).

Oct. 22 – Student presentation: Stephanie Weichmann on Bragg’s All Over but the Shoutin’

 

Oct. 25 -- Student presentation:   Will Kahn, on "Orange Journalism."   Reading: Gene Patterson columns, 1963-65, Changing South, pp.120-97

Oct. 27 -- Student presentation: Sarah Northen, on The Smell of Burning Crosses, by P.D. East; Gabrielle Allen, In Search of the Silent South.    Reading: Gene Patterson columns, Changing South, 1966-68, pp. 199-241.

Oct. 29 -- Student presentations: Erin Tainer on Hodding Carter's Main Street; Laura Neller, "The African-Americans" in U.S. News Coverage Reading: from ASNE discussion, 1956.

 

Nov. 1 – Quiz in class. Discussion: white press, black press. Reading: "Changing South of Gene Patterson," chapters 12-15, pp. 245-286.

Nov. 3 – Special Guest: B. Drummond Ayres, Jr., retired NYT reporter. (Readings from Ayres will be put in L: drive) 

Nov. 5 – Student presentation: Adam Turer on The Prevailing South, collection of essays from AJC, 1988. Reading: start reading for Nov. 8, below.

 

Nov. 8 – Discussion: Covering the movement. Reading: Raines, My Soul Is Rested, "The Reporters," pp. 367-93.

Nov. 10 – Student presentation: Matt Wallace on ?  Reading: (in L: drive) Peter Applebome, Ch. 12 of Dixie Rising, pp. 323-45.

Nov. 12 – Discussion: Racial conversion narrative of the white writer. Reading: Pat Watters

 

Nov. 15 – Discussion: Media conglomeration in the South. Reading: Cumming, "The 70s and 80s" in L: drive. Case studies due

Nov. 17 – On doing oral history. Prof. Ted DeLaney visits, explains our oral history project on local school desegregation. Reading: Telling Our Stories (Prof. DeLaney) and Botetourt County (Prof. Cumming), in L: drive and Blackboard.

Nov. 19 – Student presentations: Megan Ward, on Egerton's A Mind to Stay Here; Ryan Hoover, on Buying and Selling of America's Newspapers.

    THANKSGIVING BREAK

 

Nov. 29 – The Southern media market today. Reading: Cumming, "The 90s" in L: drive

Dec. 1 -- Discussion: Covering race in the 90s.  Reading: Kevin Sack, "Shared Prayers, Mixed Blessings" from How Race Is Lived in America (in L: drive)

Dec. 3 – Reading: "Building Resentment," by Prof. Cumming, in L: drive. Talk about oral history interviews & journalists: Katie, Marie, Erin Teichgraeber, Erin Tainer, Ryan Hoover, Matt Wallace, Laura Neller.

 

Dec. 6 – Talk about oral history interviews & journalists: Elizabeth Wilson, Will Kahn, Meg Strother, Adam Turer, Brie Allen, Steph Wiechmann.

Dec. 8 – Profile/Q & A from Southern journalist due. Repair to lab for course evaluation on BlackBoard.

Dec. 10 – Last class: Kickin' back in 2nd floor conference room.

 

     
Page updated Aug. 24, 2004
Questions and comments: Doug Cumming
© 2003 Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia 24450-0303