Section Info: HIST-279-01

Course Title: Modern Civil Rights Movement
Start Date: 01/27/2026 End Date: 05/12/2026
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Description: Sit-ins, marches, strikes, Supreme Court decisions, and the passing of landmark legislative acts filled the news headlines across the country during the 1950s and 1960s. This introductory-level survey course will examine the diverse strategies and philosophies of political, social and cultural figures that led to and fueled the modern civil rights movement in America. By drawing on a range of primary sources such as films, organizational records, and memoirs, this course will explore the origins of the movement, well-known and lesser-known protests and activists to reveal how anti-war efforts, gay and lesbian liberation, neighborhood rights, ethnic nationalism and even grassroots conservatism laid claim to the rhetoric and tactics of the civil rights movement.
Distribution(s): I - Humanities , MP - Multicultural Perspectives , SI - Speaking-Intensive , WI - Writing-Intensive
Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate     Credits:4.00    

Faculty         Phone         Email address        
Darius Smith             dcsmith@mtholyoke.edu  

Meeting Dates         Method         Meeting days         Meeting times         Building name         Room     Frequency    
01/27/2026 - 05/12/2026   Lecture   Monday and Wednesday   10:00AM - 11:15AM   SKNR - Skinner Hall   202   Weekly

REGISTRATION DETAILS

Requisite Courses        
None                    

Comments        
Additional Comments        
Course Tags        
CRPE0001   CRPE-1: CRPE - Major Pathway/Minor   This course has been approved to count towards the CRPE major pathway and the CRPE minor.  
CRPE0003   CRPE-3: Critical Social Thought - Major Pathway   This course has been approved to count towards the CRPE Critical Social Thought major pathway.  
NXMAP0001   NXMAP: Nexus in Museums, Archives, and Public History   This course is approved for the Museums, Archives, and Public History Nexus track.  
CRPE0002   CRPE-2: Africana Studies - Major Pathway/Minor   This course has been approved to count towards the CRPE Africana Studies major pathway and the CRPE Africana Studies minor.  
CRPE0006   CRPE-PE: People, Power, Place Courses   This course has been approved to count towards the CRPE People, Power, Place requirement.  

Cross-listed Sections        
None  

Course Availability
Section status: Open     Capacity: 28     Enrollment: 24     Available: 4     Waitlist: 0

BOOK INFORMATION

Book List         Required         Publisher Full Price        
To be determined.                    

Additional Book Comments        
This is NOT the complete book list for this class.