PAUL ROBESON: AN AMERICAN LIFE

Course Syllabus for African American Studies C101/C201
  by Paul Von Blum, UCLA, 1997

Description and Objectives:

Paul Robeson is arguably the greatest Renaissance person in American history. An exceptional scholar, lawyer, athlete, stage and screen actor, singer, and civil rights and political activist, he performed brilliantly in every professional enterprise he undertook. Few human beings have ever achieved his levels of excellence in even one field, much less several. Yet despite his extraordinary accomplishments, he remains virtually unknown by millions of educated Americans. The time has come for a comprehensive examination of the man and his times for a university audience.

This course therefore seeks to correct a profound historical oversight and, in the process, to explore the reasons for that oversight. The interdisciplinary course "Paul Robeson: An American Life" attempts to accomplish several intellectual objectives. On one level, the inquiry into Robeson's life will serve to understand more fully the psychology and sociology of human creativity. Students will be encouraged to understand how one person can accomplish so much so well. In addition, students will examine the social conditions that both encourage and inhibit human potential.

The course, however, has a concurrent and deeper objective. For in many ways, the story of Paul Robeson is also the story of America throughout much of the 20th century. An intensive treatment of Robeson's life, focusing substantially on his artistic and political activities, reveals much about the character of American society. Accordingly, the course will use biography as a window for a wider understanding of art, history, politics, and race relations. Through course readings, guest speakers, films, records, and personal research projects, students should be far more capable of understanding the complex and fascinating connections between the several disciplines in the social sciences and humanities.

Week-By-Week Course Outline:

Week 1: Introduction and Overview

At the outset of the course, students will explore the use of biography as an approach to historical and social inquiry. Several examples of major historical and contemporary personalities will be briefly examined for breadth and perspective on this issue. Strengths and limitations of such an approach will be identified. Thereafter, a specific overview of the life and multifaceted career of Paul Robeson will be presented. The PBS documentary Paul Robeson: Tribute to the Artist will be shown. The play Paul Robeson, starring James Earl Jones, will also be shown. These visual documents provide a glimpse into each aspect of his life to be treated in greater depth throughout the quarter: athlete, dramatic actor, film star, singer, and civil rights and political activist, all within the context of 20th century U.S. history and politics.

Week 2: The Early Days

In this unit, students will examine the early life of Paul Robeson. The immense influence of his father, an escaped slave, will be treated in depth. His early contact with racial discrimination in Princeton, New Jersey will be noted, particularly in terms of its impact on his future political consciousness. His days as a Phi Beta Kappa student at Rutgers University will be explored. Similarly, his studies at Columbia Law school and his work as a member of a New York law firm will be presented. In particular, the role of an African American scholar and lawyer in a segregated society in the early part of the 20th century will receive extensive attention. Readings will include substantial excerpts from Paul Robeson, Here I Stand, Susan Robeson, The Whole World In His Hands, and Martin Duberman, Paul Robeson.

Week 3: Robeson the Athlete

During this segment, students will learn about Robeson's athletic career at Rutgers. In particular, they will understand his accomplishments in baseball, basketball, track, and football. His record as an All-American football player will receive special attention. His brief career as a professional football player will also be noted. Most important, students will have the opportunity to examine why Robeson's athletic greatness receives scant mention in contemporary sports circles. As a bridge to future themes in the course, we will focus on his removal, during the era of McCarthyism, from the College Football Hall of Fame. Finally, his personal athletic accomplishments will be examined in light of the continuing use of racial stereotyping in sports circles, including relatively recent statements by Al Campanis and Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder. Readings include additional excerpts from The Whole World Is In His Hands and various scholarly articles by UC Berkeley sociologist Harry Edwards.

Week 4: Robeson the Stage and Screen Actor: The Stage

This unit of the class will focus on Robeson's highly acclaimed accomplishments on the New York and British stage. A brief history of the Harlem Renaissance will serve as the background for Robeson's personal accomplishments as a dramatic artist in the 20's and 30's. Among the examples to be covered are his work in All God's Chillun Got Wings, The Emperor Jones, Show Boat, Porgy, The Hairy Ape, and Othello. Particular attention will be paid to Othello, because Robeson was the first important African American actor to perform this major role. Readings include the entire text of Shakespeare's Othello and further excerpts from The Whole World Is In His Hands and Paul Robeson.

Week 5: Robeson the Stage and Screen Actor: The Screen

Because Robeson also became a star in 11 motion pictures, this feature of his artistic career will also be examined. In particular, students will view (depending on availability) and discuss such films as "The Emperor Jones," "Jericho," and "Song of Freedom." A major emphasis will be on his portrayals of partially strong Black characters, which will be compared to more stereotypical images of Blacks in American film history.

Week 6. Robeson the Singer: African American Origins

A great bass-baritone, Paul Robeson excelled as a concert singer throughout most of his life. We are fortunate to have many recordings available today. Students will thus have the opportunity to listen to numerous examples of his concert and other performances. In the first part of this 2-week course segment, students will explore the African American roots of Robeson's singing career. While the main materials will consist of musical primary sources, excerpts from Robeson's own writings on music will be made available.

Week 7: Robeson the Singer: Topical Folk Songs

Since many of his songs dealt with various struggles for racial justice and other social themes, this segment of the class is also especially useful in stimulating students to understand the connections between social life and artistic creativity. In particular, students will listen to a wide range of Robeson's music with social and political content such as the Spanish Civil War, labor struggles, civil rights, and related themes. Robeson's place in the broader American tradition of topical music will be explored. His work will be compared to that of such performers as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Leadbelly, Odetta, Bob Dylan, and others. Once again, these recordings will serve as the chief source material.

Week 8: Robeson the Political Activist: African Nationalism & Civil Rights

Throughout his entire life, Robeson was committed to the liberation of his fellow African Americans and to several broader struggles for human dignity and liberation. In this first week of the concluding unit of the course, we will focus on Robeson's specific work on behalf of Black liberation. His deep commitment to African freedom struggles will be explored, using in particular Sterling Stuckey's I Want To Be An African. Robeson's personal writings on this topic from Here I Stand will also be extensively read and discussed during this week. An assessment of his role as a militant civil rights activist in the historical tradition of W.E.B. DuBois and others will be treated in depth.

Week 9: Robeson the Political Activist: McCarthyism

From the end of World War II to his death, Paul Robeson was effectively blacklisted and unable to perform his work as a dramatic and vocal artist. During this week, students will learn of his encounter with McCarthyism during this era of the American past. In particular, such themes as the Peekskill Riot, the passport denials from the Department of State, and his appearance before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) will be emphasized. Readings will include excerpts from Here I Stand, Robeson's complete testimony before HUAC, excerpts from David Caute's The Great Fear, Duberman's Paul Robeson, and Eric Bentley's play Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been?

Week 10: Robeson the Political Activist: The Issue of Communism

For much of his life, Robeson had a close association with the American Communist Party and with the Soviet Union. Although denying personal membership in the Party, Robeson clearly knew, admired, and worked with many of its members and leaders. Moreover, he spent considerable time, personally and professionally, in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Robeson's acceptance of a peace prize from the Soviet Union during the reign of Josef Stalin exacerbated his difficulties with U.S. authorities during the era of McCarthyism and strikingly split the African American community. In this final week of the class, students will attempt to assess the significance of his relationship with domestic and foreign communists. We will explore its impact on his career, on his emotional life and difficulties, and on his broader public reputation. This final theme should generate the kind of interdisciplinary fusion of personal biography and social and historical analysis that underlies the courses as a whole.

Course Format and Grading:

The class will be discussion based in order to encourage active learning. It will require a major individual research project from each student. Papers may deal with any aspects of Robeson's life and career as long as they can be linked to broader social, political, and historical themes. The paper will account for 75% of the final grade. Class discussion will account for 25% of the final grade. Because a university class involves a responsible commitment by students and faculty alike, regular attendance at class is expected and required. Students are also expected to be on time and should not leave class early without prior notification. Timely completion of writing assignments is also required.

Office Hours:

Because university education goes far beyond course content alone, students should feel free to drop by even without any specific academic agenda.

Books and other materials:

Many primary sources, including Robeson's personal writings, will be assigned. His book, Here I Stand, will be required as well as several articles and speeches. His granddaughter's biography, The Whole World In His Hands (Susan Robeson) will also be required, as will Martin Duberman's recent, definitive biography, Paul Robeson. Several book excerpts and articles will also be assigned, as noted in the week-by week description. Also as noted above, William Shakespeare's Othello will be assigned. Finally, Robeson's films and recorded music will constitute a significant primary source for this class.