Natu ral and Social S c i en c es
Natural and Social Sciences John Wayne, Shane, and Will Kane: The Sacred Executioner in Western Literature and Film
James Sieg
Fridays, 1:00 pm-2:30 pm, Todd Bldg.-UM
Text: True Grit by Charles Porter and Shane by Jack Schaefer are available at the UM Bookstore at a discounted rate. There is an archetype in American western film and literature, a character shrouded in mystery. He lacks a personal back story, and his future is never revealed. This man lives only for the present and his only reason for existence is to eradicate a force that is terrorizing innocents. Inevitably, he gravitates toward a nexus of involvement, a space, wherein evil is confronted and obliterated, thus allowing others to return to their former bucolic existence. To further explore the “Sacred Executioner” phenomenon, we will read two short novels and a screenplay as well as view the films Shane, High Noon, and True Grit. About the Instructor: James Sieg taught high school and college English during a career spanning forty years. He received his Master’s Degree in English from UC, Irvine and wrote his thesis on Walt Whitman’s early use of American dialect in Leaves of Grass. Sieg later received a Ph.D. from New York University.
“Great, stimulating classes…energized my whole life!” ~MOLLI member
Black Radical Traditions
Tobin Miller Shearer
Fridays, 3:00 pm- 4:30 pm, Todd Bldg.-UM
Text: Pullman Porters and the Rise of Protest Politics in Black America, 1925-1945 by Beth Tompkins Bates; Storming Caesars Palace: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty by Annelise Orleck; Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power by Timothy B Tyson available at the UM Bookstore at a discounted rate.
Historians have categorized African-American resistance to racism as either non-violent integration or armed separation. This dichotomy ignores continuities within, and seamless perspectives of, Black Radical traditions throughout American history. This course asks, “What are the sources, practices, and effects of U.S. Black Radical traditions?” Through lectures, readings and discussions, we will explore three movements that characterize the civil rights/black nationalist dichotomy: A. Philip Randolph and the Pullman Porter unions (1925-1945); Robert F. Williams and the Black Power movement (19461975); and the struggles of welfare mothers in Las Vegas (1975-1990). Students will read three books (one every two weeks), engage in class discussions, and receive short lectures.
“A delightful experience- filled with knowledge, fun and insight. ‘The best thing since sliced bread’ as the old saying goes.”
About the Instructor: Tobin Miller Shearer is an assistant professor of history and the AfricanAmerican Studies Coordinator at UM. He holds a dual Ph.D. in History and Religious Studies from Northwestern University where he won several teaching awards. He looks forward with great anticipation to exploring black radical themes with all those who will gather for this study.
~MOLLI member
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