SOCIAL JUSTICE Course Description

In the 19th century, western New York and the Finger Lakes region was the setting for important events in the antislavery and women’s suffrage movements.  Major historical figures such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frederick Douglass called this area home.  More recently, this region has been a major setting for controversies about environmental protection, immigration policies, and Native American justice.

This course will give students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the local communities of western New York and the region’s powerful history as a setting for social justice struggles.  Through a mixture of short historical readings (these will be pre-circulated and should be completed before students arrive on campus), seminar discussions, and field trips to sites of historical importance, students will have the opportunity to explore these issues with faculty and community members who are experts in the field.  Through the fall semester, students will also have opportunities to check in with the class faculty and other students and participate in on-campus programs that connect to the course theme.  

Students will be graded based on participation (including attendance at several history-related events through the fall semester), a journal of reflections on the readings and field trips, and a reflective paper on the course experience.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

  1. The ability to articulate the significance of change over time
  2. The ability to apply the practices of historical thinking to social, cultural, and political problems. 
  3. The ability to construct historical arguments that are analytical and based on the critical evaluation of primary and/or secondary source evidence.
  4. The ability to communicate orally and in writing using the conventions of standard English.

Materials

  • Selections from Susan B. Anthony
  • Selections from Frederick Douglass
  • “General Tubman,” in Bound for Canaan: The Epic Story of the Underground Railroad, America’s First Civil Rights Movement, by Fergus M. Bordewich (New York: Amistad, 2005), 344-373.

Supplies

  • Good Walking Shoes
  • Notebook/Journal
  • Sunscreen
  • Extra Money for Souvenirs 

Schedule

  • Sunday: Arrive on campus; move into room for the fall semester, move into room for the Summer Experience Program
  • Monday through Wednesday: Class sessions and Field Trips from 9 am - 6 pm
  • Thursday: Settle into Geneseo
  • Friday: New Student Move-In!

Grading:

  • Journal Entries
  • Final Reflection Paper
  • Participation in 2-3 campus or community events engaging in local history during the fall semester

 Social Justice of Western NY Experience   Summer Experience Program Geneseo: Expanding Home