ENG 151 Black American Literature

This course will offer students an intense examination of and engagement with Black American authors. Students will analyze and respond to a wide variety of issues, critical questions, and perspectives regarding how to interpret and define the journey of African Americans and where this path might eventually lead. Students will read, critically engage, and respond to texts in a variety of literary genres as well as critical and theoretical texts.

Credits

4

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Gain familiarity with a variety of texts composed by Black American writers across genres and historical periods
2. Critically read/engage with texts written by Black Americans
3. Engage with a variety of literary and cultural theory and apply various theoretical frameworks to the primary texts in the course
4. Identify some of the major themes/ideas/issues/characters that recur in Black American literature
5. Identify how social, political, cultural, economic, and historical factors influence both the creation and interpretation of literature by Black Americans
6. Form and present coherent ideas and arguments about Black American Literature in both written and oral responses
7. Examine the role/influence of Black American literary texts in the broader framework of American literature