Course # 34799 Day(s) M- W Time(s) 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM Term Fall 2017 Syllabus Syllabus This course will examine the history of the African American press, especially The Chicago Defender, a newspaper which spanned the technological and political transformations of the 20th Century media. Founded as a weekly in 1905, The Defender became Black America’s first national communications vehicle using newly available mass printing machines as well as page design techniques pioneered by Hearst and Pulitzer. The news pages exposed the horrors of Jim Crow, while editorials inspired millions to come to Northern cities in what became known as the Great Migration. The Defender and its cohort, including The Pittsburgh Courier, wielded substantial political clout, providing the swing votes that elected Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy to the Presidency. But as the century wore on, black newspapers had to compete for audience as well as staff against a multitude of print, broadcast and, ultimately, on-line options. Taught by the author of the award-winning non-fiction book about The Defender, himself a veteran of the newspaper, the course includes guest lectures, field trips, and references to the substantial scholarship of the history of the South Side. There are no prerequisites. Recent News More news Student Profile: Namuka Ishii, MPP Class of 2024 Thu., May 02, 2024 Student Profile: Carrie Collins, MPP Class of 2024 Tue., April 30, 2024 Alumni Profile: Eloísa Ávila-Uribe, MACRM’23 Fri., April 26, 2024 Upcoming Events More events Harris Reunion Weekend 2024 Fri., May 03, 2024 | 12:00 PM 1307 E. 60th Street Chicago, IL 60613 United States Data and Policy Summer Scholars Program (DPSS): Deep-Dive Conversation with Jose Macias and Alexandra Sobczynski Mon., May 06, 2024 | 7:30 PM International Policy Action Lab Mini Class with Austin Wright Tue., May 07, 2024 | 6:00 AM