African-American Literature since 1900
This course focuses on the development of the African American literary tradition from the emergence of slave narrative to the contemporary present. This particular version of the course focuses on material since 1900.
Outcomes: Students will be able to discuss the significance of major African American literary movements and the contributions of representative writers from these periods.
This course focuses on the development of the African American literary tradition from the emergence of slave narrative to the contemporary present. This particular version of the course focuses on material since 1900.
Outcomes: Students will be able to discuss the significance of major African American literary movements and the contributions of representative writers from these periods.
Pre-requisites: UCWR 110, C- or higher
Tier 2 Literary Knowledge
African Studies and the African Diaspora
This is a writing intensive class. A grade of C- or better in UCWR 110 is required to enroll.
This is a multicultural class.
Speculating Liberation
In her essay ¿Venus in Two Acts,¿ Saidiya Hartman argues that, in order to tell an impossible story, one must ¿advance a series of speculative arguments¿ and ¿exploit the capacities of the subjunctive¿ a grammatical mood that expresses doubts, wishes, and possibilities.¿ In the absence of knowing for sure how things were or how they might be, what might be wished for? What could be possible? This course will explore African American Literature since 1900 and we will pay particular attention to the efforts writers have made to create counter histories and alternative futures through the act of speculating. By the end of this course, you will be able to discuss various movements within the African American literary tradition, analyze texts from myriad genres, and articulate how African American literature served and continues to serve as a site of resistance, inspiration, and respite. The syllabus will include texts by Zora Neale Hurston, Octavia Butler, Toni Morrison, and others, and will also engage with film and other visual media.
This course is writing intensive so there will be several informal and formal writing assignments, including reading responses, in-class writing activities, short papers, and a podcast project.
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