EN 271 - African American Literature I

1. Analyze African American literary works (slave narratives, non-fiction, poetry, novels, short stories, drama, protest literature) from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries within their historical and socio-political contexts, and evaluate the connections and contrasts between the writers’ experiences and their own. (GELO 2)
2. Examine how African American writers from this period portrayed race, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic class while analyzing the similarities and differences across various literary movements within the African American literature of the period. (GELO 3)
3. Identify key terms, concepts, and major themes in African American literature and connect them to broader literary traditions.
4. Demonstrate critical thinking by synthesizing primary and secondary research into coherent written or spoken documents effectively applying key concepts from African American literature to support analysis.
5. Explain how literature serves as a tool for cultural preservation and reflection on the human experience.
6. Demonstrate communication and interpersonal skills by engaging in discussions, small groups, peer evaluations, and collaborative presentations.
7. Articulate the relationship between African American literature and other American literary works.

 
Course Outline:
This survey course will cover major movements in African-American literature from colonial America to the 1940s. Students will read texts in a variety of genres by various writers (non-fiction, narratives, creative, etc.). Visual arts/music may be included to provide historical context for the literature and supplement understanding of written texts. The course will include instruction on how to write about literature and how to use conventions of MLA format.

I. Movements in African-American Literature

A. Pre-slavery literature: colonial laws and court documents (1619 - 1670s)

B. Slave literature: oral tradition, religious, protest (1700s - 1800s)

C. Pre-Emancipation literature: narrative, poetry, religious, protest (1800s - 1865)

D. Reconstruction and Post-Emancipation literature (1865 - 1920s)

E. The Harlem Renaissance (1920s - 1940s)

II. Literary Research and MLA Conventions

A. Locating and evaluating secondary sources

B. Citations in MLA format

C. Supporting interpretations of literature with support from credible secondary sources

III. Key Historical Terms and Lenses

A. Indentured servitude to racial slavery Movement

B. Reconstruction & race laws

C. Plessy v. Ferguson

D. Commercial & industrial segregation (1888 - 1928)

E. Public service (military, health, education)

F. Face

G. Gender

H. Ethnicity & race

I. Socioeconomic class

IV. Terms in Secondary Sources

A. African Diaspora

B. Vernacular

C. Double consciousness

D. Signifyin(g)

Mediate discussion: 20-50%

Group work: 10-25%

Essays/oral reports/tests: 30-50%

Research (including academic service-learning option): 20-30%
Mandatory Course Components:
None
Equivalent Courses:
None