First-Year Seminar: Race and Performance

3 units

What does it mean to act Black? What about acting Jewish? This course looks at performances of racial and ethnic identity, mostly in the United States and mostly in the 20th century. We will examine novels (e.g., Nella Larsen's Passing), plays (e.g., Anna Deavere Smith's Fires in the Mirror), and performances of everyday life (e.g., Cowboys and Indians) to investigate the performance of race in public. Once we begin to explore the social and cultural performance of race, will it all turn out to be only an act?