There will be reading and analysis of vernacular traditions, philosophical and political treatises, autobiographies, short and long fiction, journal writing, poetry, and drama. The course will cover the major literatures produced from the mid-18th century to a contemporary period. Offered in 1998-99. Hybridity in the Diaspora. Conducted as a research seminar.
Class meets once a week for discussions, presentations, and organized events.
Introduction to African American Literature. Survey of 18th and 19th century black writers including slave narratives, early novels, and poetry with attention to cultural and political contexts. Literature and Film of the African Diaspora. An overview of contemporary literature and film with particular attention to representations of African cosmologies as fields of resistance. Intensive study of a specific author, genre, theme, period, or movement among black writers within the United States.