Courses

The course emphasizes the diversity of themes and techniques found in these works and examines the historical, cultural, literary, and philosophical forces that shaped these works and that are reflected in them. Students will demonstrate the abilit y to interpret the literature and to relate the works to their historical and literary contexts.

Study of African American literature and literary theories of ethnicity and race. Course may be repeated for a maximum of 9 credit hours.

Cultural values from colonial writer Lucy Terry, through slavery and emancipation, to Ralph Ellison and writers of early 1950s. Emphasis on role of diversity and how historical issues of race relate to modern contexts. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course.

Cultural values from James Baldwin in 1950s, through black nationalist, civil rights, and black feminist movements, to contemporary writers such as Ishmael Reed, Charles Johnson, and Toni Morrison. Emphasis on role of diversity and how historical issues of race relate to modern contexts. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course.

African American literature from 1900 to the present.

African American literature from its beginnings to 1900.

An introduction to the history and politics of African American cultural and literary expression from 1920 to the present. Topics covered include the emergence of black popular culture in the US, questions of literary and political representation before and during the Civil Rights movement, black feminist literature, and the diversity of recent African American literature. Literature

Survey of African American literature from its earliest expressions to the present. In order to identify the aesthetics of the African American literary tradition, the course material includes spirituals, slave narratives, poetry, drama, autobiography, fiction, and nonfiction. Grade of C-) Humanities, Literature

African American Literature from the 18th century to 1910.

This course a survey of African American contributions to American literature from the earliest African American writings up to the Harlem Renaissance (1917), giving attention to all literary genres, and with a particular focus on the following literary forms and cultural influences: the Middle Passage, the Slave Narrative, the Antebellum period, and Reconstruction.