Examines contemporary perspectives and research on the African experience in America and the relationship of that experience to social and psychological functioning among African Americans. The course also examines the origins of some of the traditional psychological theories about persons of African descent, and examines emerging theories shaped by new perspectives. Cross Listed with English 0107, English 0108. This course provides an opportunity for students to explore and develop their writing talents under the influence and direction of an established writer. African and African American subjects, themes, and materials used.
Students read works of African American writers.
Cross Listed with American Studies 0134. Slaves, slaveowners, and abolitionists, men and women, perceived slavery in distinctive ways and recorded those perceptions in songs and poems, folk tales, autobiographical narratives and novels, speeches and tracts, travel accounts, journals, diaries, and letters. Through an examination of this rich oral and written literature, such themes as the character of slave culture, the relations between slaves and masters, the oppression of women under slavery, and the connection between abolitionism and feminism are explored. Lectures provide historical background and a context in which to read the selections. Survey introduces the literature of Africa through epic, drama, poetry, short stories, and novels.