The stories of US History are generally told through the lens of white folks; this is a class about civil war era US history, with a focus on Black folks. Here’s the blurb about the podcast, which was created in 2018:

“Uncivil brings you stories that were left out of the official history of the Civil War, ransacks America’s past, and takes on the history you grew up with. We bring you untold stories about resistance, covert operations, corruption, mutiny, counterfeiting, antebellum drones, and so much more. And we connect these forgotten struggles to the political battlefield we’re living on right now. The story of the Civil War — the story of slavery, confederate monuments, racism — is the story of America.”

Mature themes in that the life and times of enslaved people (and free Blacks) were harsh. Plus war, and a few (minor) swears.

Logistics:

For each class session, you’ll research and define a few relevant concepts/vocabulary words before listening to a 20-30 minute podcast. After listening, you’ll answer a few short reflection questions about what you heard and submit a Google doc that includes evidence of your vocabulary research as well as your reflection piece.

This is a version of an asynchronous class: I’ll provide assignments and you’ll do your work and submit it all via Classroom, but we’ll all set aside the same time on the schedule each week to do the work. I’ll be available during that slot to answer any questions and be a resource via Zoom/Slack. I reserve the right to gather us via Zoom occasionally if it feels like we could benefit from that.

Required texts/materials: Uncivil Podcast Students will be responsible for obtaining their own texts/materials. Materials should be procured by: Download Uncivil podcast episodes before the first class meeting