Discussion #5: Slave Culture and Resistance

Our course pack contains readings from two authors in section XI (pp. 267-299), William J. Faulkner and Peter Kolchin. These authors provide different perspectives on slave culture, life, religion and resistance. While Kolchin’s work is scholarly, the excerpts from Faulkner come from the book The Days When the Animals Talked. This is an amazing book of folklore; I have provided a helpful review of Faulkner’s book from Amazon.com to give you a sense of his work:

5.0 out of 5 stars Among the best of its kind, March 16, 2011

By

Andre M. “brnn64” (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Mt. Pleasant, SC United States) –

This review is from: The Days When the Animals Talked: Black American Folktales and How They Came to Be

This is unquestionably hands-down one of the best books ever written on Black American Folklore.

This was where William J. Faulkner (not to be confused with the the Nobel-winning Misssissippian author of the same name) recalled the tales told to him as a child by an ex-slave handyman named Simon Brown in rural South Carolina circa 1900 when the author was about 10 years old.

The title and cover may give you the impression that this is a children’s book. It’s not. Simon Brown’s recollections of slavery (the first half of the book) are often quite raw and similar to the kind of tales told by ex-slaves in the WPA Slave narratives of the 1930s, in regards to beatings, concubinage, and other atrocities. He also delights in telling young Faulkner some tall tales and stories about the religious and social practices of slaves. This is best for about teen age to adults. Faulkner also puts the Brer Rabbit and other animal tales (the second half of the book in the context of being thinly disguised analogies of slaves overcoming masters). The story about Brer Rabbit and the meeting with the long-tailed animals (not found in any of Harris’ Uncle Remus collections) deserves special attention as one of the most simple and brilliant analogies of racial injustice-this is a great wasy to articulate this subject with children!

Faulkner has done his homework and the tales are recorded in an entertaining style.

As with most educated Black writers of the time (Zora Neale Hurston being an important exception), Faulkner eliminates the dialect Simon Brown would have used as he wanted to discourage the use of dialect among schoolchildren (a stance that would horrify the politically correct utopian thought police of today), but the standard English is not unrealistic to the character and does help the stories to read better. This is important because part of the reason Black Folklore is such a lost art today is because most of the best books on the subject (see below) were written in a “Negro Dialect” so thick that ithey are almost unreadable today. In a sense, this book is kind of a flipside to Joel Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus books in that Harris (with rare exceptions such as the opening chapter of “Daddy Jake the Runaway”) tended to show the softer side of slavery.

However, in reading this book, one really envies Faulkner as he graphically describes the joy of listening to an elder regale him with marvelous stories. Those of us who came of age when this was a common experience will truly identify with this, while those who did not will get an idea of what this was like and wish they had the pleasure of such an experience.

I would place this book with other classics of the genre such as Julius Lester’s “Black Folktales,” Edward C.L. Adams’ “Tales of the Congaree,” Ted Poston’s “Dark Side of Hopkinsville,” Charles W. Chesnutt’s “The Conjure Woman,” Zora Neale Hurston’s “Mules and Men,” and of course the Harris Brer Rabbit books. Read, think, learn, and enjoy.

Once you have read the excerpts from Faulkner, the review on Amazon, and the Kolchin article, please comment on the following question:

How did slaves use folklore, religion and African practices to create a unique culture under slavery? How powerful and effective do you think culture would have been in the slaves’ efforts to resist the oppression of slavery?

• The essay contains a clear and explicit argumentativethesis statement.
• The essay contains explicit, independent, and well-explained reasons for supporting the thesis statement.
• The essay is clear, logical, organized, and understandable. It contains no major mechanical issues and has correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• The essay considers and adequately responds to at least one strong objection to the thesis statement.
• The essay critically engages in a significant way with at least two assigned readings.
• The essay is five to six pages in length.
• The essay is properly formatted:
  • Double-spaced, 1” margins, 12 pt. Times New Roman font
  • Include a header that consists of the course name, due date, your name, and my name. There is no need for a title page.
  • Include page numbers at the bottom of the essay
  • Citations are formatted according to MLA

Additional information:

• You can and should liberally use “I”
• Use signposts
• Use straightforward, clear, and precise language and unambiguous terminology
• Use gender neutral language
• The introduction paragraph should be modest, straightforward, and to the point. Introduce your thesis statement quickly and give a brief roadmap to your essay
• Avoid loaded language like “ridiculous” or “absurd.” Calling the opposing position absurd is not an argument.
• Avoid rhetorical questions. Rephrase into a statement.
• Avoid long quotations from the text or too many quotations. Strike a balance between your words and the authors’.
• Use articles in the book “3rd edition Environmental ethics, What Really Matters, What Really Works”

1. Introduction 2. What is environmental justice? You need to be clear on what it is and why violations of it are wrong. You could also include environmental racism. 3. The case –– brief explanation of the main facts 4. Connect #2 to #3 –– Why the case is an example of environmental injustice and/or environmental racism. You could bring up more of the facts of the case in here, but you need to tie them explicitly to your criteria for environmental injustice to support your claim. What I don’t want to see is just a list of facts of the case with you assuming that your reader will automatically conclude/agree that these facts mean there was injustice. You have to make the case for that. Connect the facts to your moral claim that there was injustice. This section is the heart of your paper. 5. Objection and response. I’d like to see some that target your moral reasons or look more like moral objections to your claim –– see the objections that Shrader-Frechette responds to for an idea. I assume you’ll use Shrader-Frechette. What will your second article from the syllabus be?

Assignment

Discuss public funding of art in the U.S. Advocate either for or against it. Draw on material and cases in “Visual Shock” as well as other cases not discussed in the textbook.

Possible questions to explore:

• What effects (positive or negative) has public funding had on art in America?
• What responsibilities do artists have toward the public when working for the public?
• How do regional issues influence decisions about publicly funded art?
• How important is art in forming a sense of nation character?

Objectives

• Identify and analyze ethical issues confronting the arts in the U.S.
• Discuss strategies for resolving ethical issues confronting the arts.

Paper Specifications

• Digital file in PDF format.
• Minimum of 1000 words of original text (about 4 pages)
• Double spaced, 12pt font size, with 1 inch margins
• Arial or New Times Roman font
• Appropriately referenced with citations of your sources

Note on references: Any facts that you learn from a book in researching your paper need to be cited. Common knowledge is not necessary to reference. Web sites with original content, like archives of a major newspaper, are appropriate sources. Wikipedia, or any other encyclopedia, is not a source. But it may list reliable sources which you can use and cite. You may use any style of formating for the body of your paper and references as long as it is clear. A good guide for style is the Chicago Manual, which has a convenient, Quick Guide on-line.

Paper Grading Criteria

• 20% Specifications – Pay close attention to the required specifications and you will get full points here.
• 20% Grammar and Style – In addition to the basics of spelling and sentence structure, make sure that your paper has an introduction, body and conclusion.
• 20% Factualness – Make sure that your sources are good and that you don’t mix up facts in your paper.
• 20% Depth of material – Provide sufficient material to support assertions made in your paper.
• 20% Logic and Relevance – How well do the facts in your paper support the assertions that you make?

On-line Resources

Here are a few useful web sites that contain further information on art controversies and censorship.

http://www.thefileroom.org/documents/CategoryHomeP…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_films

Project 3: Culture, Climate, and Ethical Decisions feedback:

• 2/15

Patrick, this project demonstrates a broad understanding of the key concepts of organizational culture, climate, and ethics; though, it was incomplete (e.g., did not include presentation/PPT speaker notes) and was not sufficiently responsive to the project’s requirements/competencies. The rubric contains an assessment of each competency as well as comments. Rubric comments are also noted below. Some of the shortfalls identified, were the same ones noted in Project 2.

As noted in the rubric feedback, the updated submission needs to include the memo and presentation/PPT with speaker notes. There is no requirement to narrate the updated presentation as you’ve very nicely demonstrated this skill.

This course provides the opportunity to update your submission to demonstrate your competency grasp. As noted by the syllabus, this must be done within the 2-week project submission window (i.e., by Wednesday, 4 March). I encourage you to update and resubmit this project within the next week. The syllabus addresses the project resubmission process.

As noted in the course syllabus, and course announcements, successful completion of this course requires earning a grade of at least meets standards in each and every project and doing this requires earning a grade of at least meets standards on every project competency.

I look forward to seeing your updated submission.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Kathleen

1.3: Provide sufficient, correctly cited support that substantiates the writer’s ideas.:

• 2/15

References in memo are incomplete for 2-sources.

Attribution is not appropriately used; you are attributing to the authors, Schwab’s operation. Course material and general business literature should be used in defining/describing concepts. Research discussing/assessing Schwab should be used to identify/describe Schwab’s operation vis a vis the project concepts.

In-text citation process had errors in both presentation and memo.

In updating this project, greater accuracy is needed in appropriately citing and referencing relevant material in developing discussion/analysis. The UMGC Effective Writing Center is a free resource I encourage you to reach-out to for support of this key MBA competency.

1.6: Follow conventions of Standard Written English.:

• 2/15

Presentation clearly narrated!

Presentation did not include required speaker notes.

Memo exceeded 3-page double-spaced page limit (not including reference page). The memo is to be briefly highlight the project’s key points.

Presentation and memo design would have benefitted from greater adherence to Project 3 “description of final deliverable” posted in Step 1.

Presentation template excellent!

In power point, encourage greater use of shorter phrases/bullets in charts. Charts should highlight key points that are then expanded upon in narration/speaker notes.

In updating this project –

– I urge attentiveness to editing and proofreading to achieve a logical flow of ideas that address the project requirements, as summarized in the Project 3 “description of final deliverable”, posted in Step 1.

– Specified project requirements need to be provided

— A brief, no more than 3-double spaced page memo that summarizes the project’s key points.

— The presentation/PPT needs to include speaker notes/script. You’ve successfully demonstrated your skill in narrating a presentation; therefore, your updated submission does not need to be narrated.

Recommend reaching-out the UMGC Effective Writing Center for support in accomplishing this competency. Effective writing is a critical MBA program competency.

2.1: Identify and clearly explain the issue, question, or problem under critical consideration.:

• 2/15

Presentation narration and memo did a good job of defining/describing key terms (culture, climate, and ethics) though these definitions/descriptions were not provided in PPT. The definitions/descriptions would have been stronger if connected with the research from which you derived them (i.e., how do you know? What’s the basis of your knowledge?).

Tighter conformance with the project deliverable description would have provided great opportunity to explain key project issues and questions under consideration (e.g., difference between organizational culture and climate) as well as logically sequence the project.

In updating this project, recommend tighter conformance with the project deliverable description in Step 1 to ensure relevant issues are addressed and discussed/assessed in a logical manner.

2.2: Locate and access sufficient information to investigate the issue or problem.:

• 2/15

Project would have been stronger by leveraging course material, as well as more fully connecting with referenced sources, as well as organizational sources in developing discussion/analysis. For example, when you say Schwab is an employer of choice, how do you know – what is the basis for this conclusion?

In updating this project, there needs to be evidence of greater and proper use of appropriate research, including the research you identified, course materials, and sources connected your organization. It is appropriate to re-use relevant sources from your Situation Audit for this project. The UMGC Librarians are an excellent source to reach-out to for assistance in finding relevant quality sources.

2.3: Evaluate the information in a logical and organized manner to determine its value and relevance to the problem.:

• 2/15

Tighter adherence to the project deliverable description would have facilitated a greater logical flow, given the project’s requirements.

In updating this project, as noted in competency 2.1, recommend tighter conformance to the project deliverable description in facilitating development of a responsive and logical submission.

2.4: Consider and analyze information in context to the issue or problem.:

• 2/15

Intro of presentation narration provided context of problem, though this was not evident in charts.

The memo’s introduction did not clearly set forth either the project or memo’s purpose.

In updating this project, recommend a short brief introduction in both deliverables that sets for the reason for the project and key points that will be discussed.

2.5: Develop well-reasoned ideas, conclusions or decisions, checking them against relevant criteria and benchmarks.:

• 2/15

The project’s recommendation is essentially to maintain the status quo. This is not substantiated by research that demonstrates points you try to make, such as the organization having low retention rate and being an employer of choice (i.e., what sources substantiate these conclusions? How does Schwab compare with its competitors?).

The closing comment about “inner review” needs to be more fully developed and connected with research (i.e., bench-marked). Could it be you are trying to recommend periodic climate reviews? Or, are you trying to recommend some type of periodic ethics training?

In updating this project, the conclusion needs to be logically derived from the earlier analysis and supported by research as discussed above.

5.1: Develop constructive resolutions for ethical dilemmas based on application of ethical theories, principles and models.:

• 2/15

This competency not addressed.

In updating this project, I recommend reviewing the business ethics course material in Step 2, that explores these issues and then explicitly connecting with that material (i.e., attributing) and apply to Schwab.

9.3: Apply the principles of employment law for ethical practices and risk mitigation.:

• 2/15

This competency was not addressed. Was this intended to be focus of chart 6?

In updating this project, in addition to reviewing the ethics course material, I recommend conducting additional research to develop your response to this competency. A potential line of analysis could be built regarding the regulatory environment in which Schwab operates.