Summer Programs
 

Civil Rights Movement: History and Consequences -
Now with internship component!

The summer 2007 Civil Rights program has been canceled, but dates for summer 2008 are being scheduled.  Please contact the HECUA office for more details, mdelorie@hecua.org or 651/287-3310.

The southern United States is a region rich in history and culture as well as a flash point of racial dynamics in the U.S. It is also the home of the largest nonviolent social change campaign in U.S. history. Throughout the experience of this course, students study competing ideas and definitions of justice and freedom in relationship to political struggle. The Civil Rights Movement: History and Consequences examines a variety of critical perspectives, including the practice and philosophy of nonviolence, legal, human rights, and public work frameworks for social change. The heart of the program is designed to develop connections between history and current political struggles around poverty, education, race and class, building on theory and critical thinking to create a historical context for current issues of civil rights. This program is a raw, emotional experience through the lenses of a vivid history that demonstrates that the past is inextricably linked to our current world. Visits to various cities, museums and historical sites as well as interviews with leaders of the movement frame the experience.

HECUA is excited to announce that we’re adding an INTERNSHIP COMPONENT to the The Civil Rights Movement: History and Consequences course.  For an additional $400 this new component is equivalent to two additional credits making this summer program worth a total of six credits.  This program addition allows students to be eligible for federal financial aid which can be applied to this off-campus study program option.  Students will be required to work a total of 96 hours (12 eight hour days or 24 four hour days) here in the Twin Cities after their time traveling through the South.  There are additional assignments associated with the internship component including a learning agreement, weekly reflections, and a final internship evaluation.  This is an optional addition to the already established course and students need only inform us of their decision to add the internship component on their application.

At this point we have already established two community partners that are thrilled to welcome HECUA students and have particular summer projects they expect HECUA students to accomplish while working with them:

The Council on Black Minnesotans
The Council was created by the Minnesota legislature in July 1980 (Minnesota Statutes. Section 3.9225).   It has as its primary purpose to advise the Governor and legislature on the nature and intensity of issues confronting the state's Black populations. The formation of the Council was critical for Black Minnesotans because, historically, this population has been, and continues to be, underrepresented in the legislature and has had little access to the office of the governor or other policy makers.

The Minneapolis Urban League
The Minneapolis Urban League is a minority, community-based organization that has served the African American community since 1926. It is one of the top ten affiliates of the National Urban League based in New York, NY. Each year, over 20,000 people look to the Minneapolis Urban League for assistance in overcoming barriers that prevent them from accessing quality employment, housing, education, social services, and health care.

Central Questions

• What are the lessons of the civil rights movement and how are these applicable today?
• What were the pivotal events in the civil rights movement?
• What were the underlying philosophies and key strategies for social change?

General Schedule

After several days in the Twin Cities, students embark on a two-week traveling field study tour through the South. Past stops have included Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. A final week of integration seminars in the Twin Cities conclude the program.

Faculty

Lena Jones (M.A., Political Science; Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Political Science, University of Minnesota) is a full-time political science faculty member at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, where she has been teaching since 2002. Lena is active in several civic engagement initiatives and is part of a core team that received a 2006 Minnesota Campus Compact/Minnesota Office of Higher Education grant to create a Center for Civic Engagement at MCTC. In 2004, Lena received a fellowship from the University of Minnesota's Human Rights Center to support a residency with the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) where she participated in IDASA's efforts to institute civic engagement projects in the Gauteng province. While in South Africa, she also took part in grassroots democracy-building efforts aimed at gaining access to water and fighting xenophobia and discrimination. In addition to her interest in and experience teaching about civil rights and social change in the US context, Lena has also participated in research projects exploring racism, immigration, and social movements in Western Europe. Lena's PhD thesis, which she expects to complete in 2007, focuses on immigration, nation-building and security in post-apartheid South Africa.

Extras

This program is worth 1 course credit (4 semester hours or 6 quarter credits). For students opting for the internship, know that this program component would add .5 course credits which is equivalent to 6 semester credits or 9 quarter credits. Please contact the HECUA office for more information ( info@hecua.org or 651-646-8832), or include a well-marked section on the application.

Accommodations in the Twin Cities are the responsibility of individual students. HECUA staff will assist in locating housing.

If you would like to know more about the program fee, dates or other specific application information please visit the General Program Information page.

 

Example Syllabus

S-Civil Rights Movement

S-Ecuador and Bolivia

J-Ecuador

J-Bangladesh

Partners Internship Program