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WiSe 20/21: Riot or Revolt? News Coverage of Black Uprising, 1965 to 2020

Jenna Krumminga

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What language do we use when masses of people take to the streets? What words do we use to describe their behaviors? When is public assembly a protest, when is it a riot? Is looting a form of political speech? How do we define violence? Based on what sources and according to what criteria do we make these determinations? And how does race factor into the way these questions are answered? In this class, we’ll explore how one powerful US-American institution has answered -- or struggled to answer -- these questions: the news media. How have news organizations and journalists mediated Black public assembly, and how has that changed over time? Our focus will be both on the news media as an institutional site of hegemonic meaning-making and as a for-profit industry situated in a specific economic, political, and regulatory context. When considering texts, we will thus pay attention to both representation and production: what stories are being told, but also what structural conditions shaped their telling? The bulk of our intellectual labor will consist of close readings of print and broadcast journalism, with a particular focus on the 1960s, but also extending into the present day. To help us better understand these texts, we’ll read secondary material from scholars across disciplines, including Saidiya Hartman, Stuart Hall, Sarah Ahmed, Michel Foucault, Nancy Fraser, bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins, Judith Butler, and Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw. A strong emphasis will be placed on writing and revision, meaning students should be prepared to read and write throughout the semester. We will be workshopping each other’s texts, so please also be prepared to receive and offer constructive feedback to and from your peers. ----- Students must register for this course via Campus Management and Blackboard by the first session. This will be a hybrid in-person/online class. The hope is that we can meet on campus for a few sessions at the beginning of the semester (November, and maybe December), before switching to online in January and February. If you are not able or simply don't want to meet in person for the first sessions, please contact me via email (jenna.krumminga@fu-berlin.de) or Blackboard – it will be no problem to attend virtually, and no explanations are necessary. On the other hand, if remote learning is not ideal for your circumstances, please also reach out; there's a lot less wiggle room here, but perhaps we can figure something out. Please note that it is essential to attend the first session on November 3 when we will finalize the syllabus – together, and in cooperation. close