Course Outline for English 21
The Evolution of the Black Writer
SLO Rev: 05/19/2016
ENGL 21 - The Evolution of the Black Writer
3.00 Units
| Type | Units | Inside of Class Hours | Outside of Class Hours | Total Student Learning Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 3.00 | 54.00 | 108.00 | 162.00 |
| Total | 3.00 | 54.00 | 108.00 | 162.00 |
- demonstrate familiarity with and explain a critical perspective on the varied achievements in imaginative literature by Black American writers;
- analyze literary works in relation to their historical and cultural contexts;
- demonstrate knowledge of the structures of the works studied and analyze them in terms of such literary components as plot, point of view, character, style, tone, irony, paradox and figurative, language, such as simile, metaphor and symbol;
- compare and contrast the diversity of the treatment of common themes, such as the legacy of slavery
- critically evaluate distinctive elements of Black American literature, such as the fusion of literature and politics;
- demonstrate understanding of and appreciate the particular contributions of Black American writers to American history and contemporary American culture;
- evaluate arguments in literary criticism in terms of fairness, accuracy and effectiveness;
- write a research paper on a literary topic.
2. Critical reading
A. Deepened exploration of literature written by African-American authors.
B. Critical reading of a representative sample of literary works including poetry, drama, essays, short stories, and novels
3. Literary Analysis
A. Introduction and review of elements of fiction including plot, setting, tone, point of view, theme, diction, syntax, figurative language, symbol, and irony.
B. Introduction and review of elements of poetry such as imagery, figurative language, rhythm and meter, structure, symbol, sound devices, irony, speaker
C. Examination of liberatory concepts as applied to literature as a tool for radical change.
4. Historical Context
A. Analysis of supplemental readings giving historical, cultural, and critical contexts for the works studied
B. Discussion of the practices, policies, and legislative decisions made to subjugate Black people and the literature that sprang from the oppression.
C. Review of the impact of white supremacy on Black literacy, and exploration of liberatory concepts such as abolitionist learning practices.
5. Exploration of Specific Historical Periods
A. Beginning in West Africa, discuss the theft and transport of Africans via the middle passage through the examination of historical texts.
B. The brutality of slavery as read in slave narratives, African-American folk tales, early poetics.
C. Reconstruction; examine historical essays by authors such as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois.
D. Harlem Renaissance examined through art, poetry, and fiction
E. Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Era, and Women’s Movement through the speeches of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr, and Zora Neale Hurston
F. The Post Civil Rights Era, to Current Times, examining pertinent issues facing the Black community such as the U.S. government’s attack on liberation movements, rise in criminalization and incarceration of Black people, and the influx of drugs in the Black community. Issues explored in the literature of Ta-Nehisi Coates, Danez Smith, and Claudia Rankine
6. Critical Race Theory and Black Identity
A. Discussion of racism, white supremacy, sexism, homophobia, classism, disability oppression.
B. Deepen understanding of intersectionality
C. Exploration of the ways racism is embedded in institutions, particularly in the field of publishing.
D. Review of texts by Kimberlee Crenshaw and Derrick Bell
7. Critical viewing of media
A. Review media relevant to the historical and cultural milieu of the works studied including movies, music, short videos
B. Discussion of the ways media has been used to perpetuate stereotypes of Black people and influence perceptions of Black intelligence.
8. Writing.
A. Writing of essays totaling up to 4,000 words.
B. Constructing solid arguments and analysis using texts explored in class as well as outside sources
C. Developing an effective writing process, including strategies for pre-writing, outlining, drafting,.
D. Writing with clarity, authenticity, and creativity.
E. Introduction and review of MLA formatting style and techniques.
- Field trips to visit museums, to attend plays readings and other performances, when possible.
- Guest lectures by writers and critics, when possible
- Lecture/Discussion
- Distance Education
- Multimedia
- Student presentations
- In a 2000 word essay, evaluate the use of images of rural America in the urban poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks.
- John Edgar Wideman has said that "In spite of and because of marginal status, a powerful, indigenous vernacular tradition has survived, not unbroken, but unbowed, a magnet, a focused energy, something with its own logic, rules, and integrity connecting current development to the past." Write a research paper in which you explore the use of the vernacular in the writings of Widemen or of Zora Neale Hurston or the works of the playwright August Wilson.
- Quizzes
- Oral Presentation
- Papers
- One long critical paper or research project
- Journal writings
- Exams/Tests
- Final Examination
- Participation in small and large group discussion
- Analyze literacy works in relation to their historical and cultural contexts with particular attention to identifying unstated premises and hidden assumptions.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the structures of the works studied and analyze them in terms of such literary components as plot, character, tone, style and figurative uses of language
- Student can identify contributions of Black American writers
- Jarrett, G. (2014). The Wiley Blackwell Anthology of African-American Literature (1st). Wiley-Blackwell.
- Coates, T (2016). Between the World and Me Random House.
- Smith, D (2017). Don't Call Us Dead Graywolf Press.
- Blight, D., Ed. (1993). Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself Bedford Books.
- McKay, H.L. and Gates (2014). The Norton Anthology of African American Literature (3rd). Norton,.
- Cullors, P (2020). When They Call You a Terrorist St. Martin's Griffin.
- Whitehead, C (2016). The Underground Railroad Anchor.
- Butler, O. (2004). Kindred Beacon Press.
- Morrison, T. (2004). Sula Vintage Pub.
- Thomas, H. (1999). The Slave Trade: The Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade: 1440-1870. Simon & Schuster.
- Jackson. J.K. (2021). West African Folk Tales (1st). Flame Tree 451.