CONN 175 | 381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott & Collective Negotiation

This course explores the art of collective negotiation, organizing, and civil rights advocacy through a semester-long study of the 1955 -1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott. The course is organized around a published documentary history of the bus strike titled Daybreak of Freedom by Stewart Burns, and the 2001 dramatic film "Boycott" directed by Clark Johnson and starring Jeffrey Wright and Terrence Howard. The course has three areas of focus. First, students learn the legal challenges and court opinions involved in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Second, they examine cultural and artistic practices of the protesters including church hymns, soul food, sermons, and public speeches. Third, the class studies the politics that animate the boycott like racial integration, white separatism, Black nationalism, non-violence, and self-defense. The final assignment is a group project that explores a social problem using legal, political, and artistic analysis and expression.