Examines representations of the Black Atlantic—defined as a geographical, political, and cultural space and as an identity—in English-language literature from the early modern period to the present day. Focused primarily on African Diasporan writers who depict movement of people, feelings, ideas, texts, and objects across the Atlantic and/or across spans of history.
Athena Title
Literature and Black Atlantic
Prerequisite
ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1102S or ENGL 1103 or ENGL 1050H or ENGL 1060H
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will develop a critical understanding of how the history and issues of the Black Atlantic have been represented in literature, by writers from the Caribbean, Africa, Britain, and America.
Students will become skilled at raising and discussing (in both written and oral forms) critical questions prompted by this literature. They will learn to read closely and think critically, to write stylistically sound prose, and to craft an argument grounded in textual evidence.
Topical Outline
The course outline will vary from instructor to instructor. Topics covered will likely include the Black Diaspora, the Atlantic world, slavery, the slave trade, colonialism, and postcolonialism. A possible list of authors and texts might be as follows:
- William Shakespeare, The Tempest
- Phillis Wheatley (Peters), Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral
- Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
- Mary Prince, The History of Mary Prince
- Martin Delany, Blake; or, The Huts of America
- Una Marsen, London Calling and Pocomania
- C. L. R. James, The Black Jacobins
- James Baldwin, No Name in the Street
- M. NourbeSe Phillip, Zong!
- Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing
- Honoree Fanon Jeffers, Age of Phillis
Institutional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, or visual form.
