African-American Literature: African-American Writers Since the Harlem Renaissance

3 units

African-American literature in the 20th and 21st centuries grows from the Harlem Renaissance into a world-shaping institution. Guggenheim, Pulitzer, and Nobel prize winners; card-carrying Communists, rock-ribbed Republicans, and Black Power nationalists; Broadway playwrights, Book-of-the-Month Club novelists, and even a U.S. President are among the many whose fictions and memoirs we will study, with special attention given to the intimate links between Black writing and Black music. The syllabus will thus feature authors ranging from poet Alice Dunbar Nelson (born 1875) to satirist Colson Whitehead (born 1969), with more than a dozen stops in between. Written assignments may include two papers and two exams. No prerequisites, but related courses such as E Lit 215 and/or AFAS 208 are suggested. Satisfies the American literature requirement in English and/or one 300-level elective requirement in AFAS.