Reorientation Teaching Guide: Season 3 Episode 2
Learning Objectives
Students will understand the origins of the student protest at UW–Madison.
Students will understand how student protests and protest tactics evolved throughout the first half of the 20th century.
Students will understand how housing discrimination mobilized efforts to fight injustice on and off campus.
Podcast Questions
Much of the attention on student protests typically concerns the 1960s. Why do you think pre-1960s protests are less talked about, and why are they important to study?
How is the story of Richard Ely and the idea of “sifting and winnowing” essential to understanding the history of student protests and protesting at UW?
How did student protesting in the early 1900s precede the fight against housing segregation at the university?
What are some similarities and differences between the cases of Gordon, Birth, and Burke? Why do you think they garnered significant media attention?
How do the student protests in the first half of the 20th century evolve?
Recommended Primary Sources
Mildred Gordon Press Clippings
Recommended Secondary Sources
Sifting and Reckoning: Housing Discrimination
Segregated Student Housing and the Activists Who Defeated It
How College Dorms Evolved to Fit America’s Gender and Racial Politics
Additional Resources
Mapping Inequality – Interactive Map of Redlining in Madison