Schedule and Syllabus

The schedule below is tentative and subject to change but offers a helpful snapshot of our plans for a two-week seminar in July 2023

Summer 2023     Knowledge for Freedom Seminar

Dickinson College / Summer 2023
Seminar:  M/T/W/TH/F 930am to 12pm
Classrooms: Denny 317 (lecture / discussion), Denny 315, 212, 112 (group discussions)
Plus various afternoon and weekend activities and field trips

Faculty

Prof. Lynn Johnson
Email:  johnsoly@dickinson.edu

Prof. Todd Mealy
Email: tmmealy@comcast.net

Prof. Matthew Pinsker
Email: pinsker@msn.com

Overview

Slavery, or the idea of holding people as property, might well be the most insidious repudiation of American democratic ideals. And yet, slaveholding was both widespread and long-entrenched in the United States, a country that has always prided itself on embracing individualism and universal natural rights. How was such a fundamental contradiction even possible? That is the kind of searing question that will help open a gateway toward both deeper learning and more engaged citizenship in the Knowledge for Freedom seminar. Students who successfully conclude this program and complete their final web-based projects will receive free Dickinson College credit for the equivalent of a History 101 general topical survey course.

Required Books & Pamphlets (distributed free)

  • Andrew Delbanco, ed., The Portable Abraham Lincoln (Penguin, 2009 ed.)
  • Nikole Hannah-Jones, ed., The 1619 Project, New York Times, August 19, 2019 [WEB]
  • James Oakes, The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics (WW Norton, 2007)
  • Matthew Pinsker, ed., Dickinson & Slavery: A Report to the Community (2019) [WEB]
  • Matthew Pinsker, ed., Knowledge for Freedom Source Book (2023) [PDF]
  • John Stauffer and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., eds., The Portable Frederick Douglass (Penguin, 2016)

Course Policies

For details on course policies, especially those regarding attendance, participation, accommodations for disabilities, plagiarism and general learning objectives, visit the link above.

Workshops, Activities and Field Trips

Each afternoon, seminar participants will participate in various workshops, covering topics such as the college admissions process, research, writing and multi-media production.  Seminar participants will also undertake historical walking tours on campus and in town and will enjoy extended field trips to places such as Gettysburg and Washington, DC.  For details on these trips, visit the links above.

Participation

Students will be responsible for regular attendance and participation in the daily seminar sessions for three weeks, about 2.5 hours per day.  In addition, students will be expected to fully attend separate afternoon workshop sessions and various other program activities. The best way to participate in this seminar (and in most college classes) is to come prepared with thoughtful questions.  The most important questions usually concern possible connections with other texts or experiences, designed to draw broader insights and deeper understanding about context and meaning.  All participants will receive a written evaluation of their participation by their respective faculty section leaders.

Close Reading Reflections

During the July seminar, all students will produce one short close reading reflection with embedded document video, posted at the 2023 seminar website –with first draft due to grad TAs by Sunday afternoon, July 23 and final draft due to faculty by Tuesday night, July 25.  However, starting on the first week of class, students are expected to begin working with both undergrad tutors and grad TAs in daily workshop sessions to ensure that they are making good progress in the development of their reflection posts.  Reflections should analyze one of the course texts in close reading style, about 500 words or 2 to 3 pages, with 2-3 images (properly credited and captioned) and with one short, embedded video or podcast reading that attempts to bring to life a short snippet (20 to 60 seconds) from the assigned text. These assignments will be evaluated by faculty for analysis, prose and multi-media effort. Models for these reflections are available on the assignment page.  The best close reading reflection posts will be published online.  PENDING APPROVAL:  Students who are seeking college credit will have to revise this post and add one new close reading reflection post at their personal website (see below) during the weeks following the residential seminar experience.

Final Website Project (pending approval)

Students seeking optional college credit will need to continue to meet remotely with Prof. Pinsker twice a week for two weeks following the conclusion of the residential seminar experience.  They will work with him to build their own project website (on the free platform Weebly) that includes two close reading reflection posts and  an essay (about 1,500 words or roughly 3 to 5 pages, single spaced) that draws lessons about how best to achieve change in American democracy through comparing and contrasting the antislavery strategies of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Essays should include properly captioned and credited images as well as Chicago-style footnotes, citing wherever relevant the primary source texts from the course syllabus as well as secondary sources provided by the program, such as James Oakes’s dual biography. Outside research beyond these materials is allowed but not required. Final web projects will be graded on prose quality, research, depth of analysis, and design creativity. Models for these web projects will be available from the work of the undergraduate tutors and previous seminar participants. The best student website projects will also be considered as models for future seminar students and for inclusion in Prof. Pinsker’s online Student Hall of Fame gallery. Late websites will be penalized up to 5 points each day.

Grade Distribution (for credit-seekers only)

Seminar Participation……………………………………35 percent
First close reading post…………………………………15 percent
Second close reading post……………………………15 percent
Final Website project…………………………………….35 percent

Full daily schedule (subject to change)

Week 1:  Background on Slavery and Freedom

  • Sunday 7/16 -Arrival Day (Dickinson College campus)
    •  2pm to 4pm = Participants arrive to House Divided studio (61. N. West St)
    • 2pm to 430pm = Move in at High Street Residence Hall (450 W. High St)
    • 430pm to 5pm = Quick campus orientation (STAFF)
    • 5pm to 630pm = Dinner with STAFF (Holland Union Building / HUB)
    • 7pm to 9pm = Dorm activity
    • 9pm to 11pm = Personal time / lights out
  • Monday 7/17  –Framing Freedom
    • 7am to 9am = Breakfast available (HUB)
    • 930am to 945am = Announcements & Text intros (Pinsker / Denny 317)
    • 945am to 1045am = Context lecture / general discussion
    • 1045am to 11am = Break
    • 11am to 12pm = Group discussions
    • 12pm to 1pm = Lunch available (HUB)
    • 130pm to 245pm = Workshop: Getting Started (Staff)
    • 3pm to 430pm = Activity: Campus tour (Admissions / outside Old West)
    • 445pm to 630pm = Dinner available (HUB)
    • 7pm to 9pm = Dorm activity
    • 9pm to 11pm = Personal time / lights out
  • Tuesday 7/18  –Framing Slavery
    • 7am to 9am = Breakfast available (HUB)
    • 930am to 945am = Announcements & Text intros (Pinsker / Denny 317)
    • 945am to 1045am = Context lecture / general discussion (Mealy)
    • 1045am to 11am = Break
    • 11am to 12pm = Group discussions (Johnson 315 / Pinsker 212)
    • 12pm to 1pm = Lunch available (HUB)
    • 130pm to 245pm = Workshop: WordPress 101  (Staff /  Denny 112)
    • 3pm to 430pm = Admissions Activity: Finding Your College (Denny 212)
    • 445pm to 630pm = Dinner available (HUB)
    • 7pm to 9pm = Dorm activity (Goodman / Ney)
    • 9pm to 11pm = Personal time / lights out
  • Wednesday7/19  –Douglass and Lincoln
    • 7am to 9am = Breakfast available (HUB)
    • 930 to 945am = Announcements & Text intros (Pinsker / Denny 317)
    • 945am to 1045am = Context lecture / general discussion
    • 1045am to 11am = Break
    • 11am to 12pm = Group discussions
    • 12pm to 1pm = Lunch available (HUB)
    • 130pm to 245pm = Workshop
    • 3pm to 430pm = Activity: Visit to College Archives
    • 445pm to 630pm = Dinner available (HUB)
    • 7pm to 9pm = Optional Brainstorming Sessions (Staff / dorm)
    • 9pm to 11pm = Personal time / lights out
  • Thursday 7/20– Seeking Freedom
    • 7am to 9am = Breakfast available (HUB)
    • 930am to 945am = Announcements & Text intros (Pinsker / Denny 317)
    • 945am to 1045am = Context lecture / general discussion (Johnson)
    • 1045am to 11am = Break
    • 11am to 12pm = Break out discussions
    • 12pm to 1pm = Lunch available (HUB)
    • 130pm to 245pm = Workshop
    • 3pm to 430pm = Admissions Activity:  Application Process (Denny 212)
    • 445pm to 630pm = Dinner available (HUB)
    • 7pm to 9pm = Required Brainstorming Sessions (Staff / dorm)
    • 9pm to 11pm = Personal time / lights out
  • Friday 7/21 –Lincoln’s Secession Crisis, and Ours
    • 7am to 9am = Breakfast available (HUB)
    • 930 to 945am = Announcements & Text intros (Pinsker / Denny 317)
    • 945am to 1045am = Context lecture / general discussion
    • 1045am to 11am = Break
    • 11am to 12pm = Group discussions (
    • 12pm to 1pm = Lunch available (HUB)
    • 130pm to 245pm = Workshop
    • 3pm to 430pm = Activity: Visit to Hope Station
    • 445pm to 630pm = Dinner available (HUB)
    • 7pm to 9pm = Movie night
    • 9pm to 11pm = Personal time / lights out
  • Saturday 7/22 – Field Trip to Gettysburg
  • Sunday 7/23 –Close Reading assignments
    • 7am to 9am = Breakfast available (HUB)
    • 9am to 10am = Coffee shop run
    • 930am to 430pm = Denny 112 computer lab available
    • 10am to 12pm = Optional Close Reading support (Staff)
    • 12pm to 1pm = Lunch available (HUB)
    • 1pm to 4pm = Required Close Reading Draft Review (Grad TAs)
    • 445pm to 630pm = Dinner available (HUB)
    • 7pm to 10pm  = Reading & writing time
    • 10pm to 11pm = Personal time / lights out

Week 2: The Other Lincoln-Douglass Debates

  • Monday 7/24 –Saving the Union
    • 7am to 9am = Breakfast available (HUB)
    • 930am to 945am = Announcements & Text intros (Pinsker / Denny 317)
    • 945am to 1045am = Context lecture / general discussion
    • 1045am to 11am = Break
    • 11am to 12pm = Group discussions
    • 12pm to 1pm = Lunch available (HUB)
    • 130pm to 245pm = Workshop:
    • 3pm to 430pm = Activity:  Carlisle walking tour
    • 445pm to 630pm = Dinner available (HUB)
    • 7pm to 9pm = Dorm activity
    • 9pm to 11pm = Personal time / lights out
  • Tuesday 7/25 – Rebuilding America
    • 7am to 9am = Breakfast available (HUB)
    • 930am to 945am = Announcements & Text intros (Pinsker / Denny 317)
    • 945am to 1045am = Context lecture / general discussion
    • 11am to 12pm = Group discussions
    • 12pm to 1pm = Lunch available (HUB)
    • 130pm to 245pm = Workshop: Writing & Editing
    • 3pm to 430pm = Admissions Activity: Essays & Interviews (Denny 212)
    • 445pm to 630pm = Dinner available (HUB)
    • 7pm to 9pm = Dorm activity
    • Close reading reflections due by Tuesday night to faculty
    • 9pm to 11pm = Personal time / lights out
  • Wednesday 7/26 –Field Trip to DC
    • 7am to 8am = Breakfast available (HUB)
    • 8am to 9pm = Activity: Field trip to Washington DC
    • 9pm to 11pm = Personal time / lights out
  • Thursday 7/27 –Promissory Notes
    • 7am to 9am = Breakfast available (HUB)
    • 930am to 945am = Announcements & Text intros (Pinsker / Denny 317)
    • 945am to 1045am = Context lecture / general discussion
    • 1045am to 11am = Break
    • 11am to 12pm = Group discussions
    • 12pm to 1pm = Lunch available (HUB)
    • 130pm to 245pm = Workshop
    • 3pm to 430pm = Admissions Activity: Financial Aid (Denny 212)
    • 445pm to 630pm = Dinner available (HUB)
    • 7pm to 9pm = Required: Debate prep
    • 9pm to 11pm = Personal time / lights out
  • Friday 7/28 –Closing Activities

 

COVID STATEMENT:  Participants in the 2023 seminar will be required to be fully vaccinated for COVID prior to their on-campus arrival on July 16, 2023.  Those unable to meet this requirement may request permission to participate remotely during our three-week session.