Course Description
African American poetry from the colonial period to the present, including slave and folk songs of the mid-nineteenth century, the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920's, and contemporary poetry. Emphasis on such figures as Langston Hughes, Margaret Walker, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Yusef Komunyakaa, Rita Dove, Kevin Young, and others.
Athena Title
African American Poetry
Prerequisite
Two 2000-level ENGL courses or (one 2000-level ENGL course and one 3000-level ENGL course) or (one 2000-level ENGL course and one 2000-level CMLT course)
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
1. Read poetic texts closely and appreciatively. 2. Examine the cultural assumptions of belief and value behind the varied acceptance of Black American Works (hence, people of color) in particular and literary works in general. 3. Place the cultural issues of 1773-2002 (particularly 1960-1990) in historical and critical perspective. 4. Become aware of significant critical challenges in the study of African American Literature and formulate sound solutions as well as personal theories. 5. Practice a few modern trends in critical theory. 6. Deepen the critical reading of primary texts for formal technique and strategy, moral as well social significance, psychological insight, and mythic implications. 7. Encourage lively discussions that are stimulating as well as respectful. 8. Attend all classes in order to be intellectually excited and to excite. 9. Employ at least 15 secondary sources in the support or contradiction of one's own original views in papers over the term. Course papers will total approximately 20-25 pages of writing. 10. Write critical essays that are fluently well-argued, literate, well- organized, and profound.
Topical Outline
An example of works to be considered in one class: Brooks, Gwendolyn. _Selected Poems_. Dunbar, Paul L. _Collected Poems_. Harper, Michael S, ed. _Every Shut Eye Ain't Sleep_. Hughes, Langston. _Selected Poems_. Major, Clarence. _The Garden Thrives_. Randall, Dudley. _Black Poets_. Shields, John C. _Collected Work of Phillis Wheatley_.
Syllabus