Coming of Age: Coming to Consciousness in Black American Literature, Film, and Music

3 units

In this course, we will study the phenomenon of GWB: growing-up while black. To ground this semester-long study, we will explore such questions as the following: To what extent are childhood and adolescence shaped by race? How has the movement from childhood to adulthood been similar and different for black Americans across moments in history? What are the rites of passage in coming of age, and how do the particularities of race, gender, sexuality, and region, among other factors, impact these touchstones of life? Utilizing literature and film as primary texts, we will analyze how the format and methods of our texts construct or disrupt ideas of childhood, adulthood, maturity, consciousness, failure, and success.