African American History and Literature Syllabus

This syllabus discusses how this course connects the history, literature, and the arts of African Americans to survey the African-American experience. Through close readings of both canonical and non-canonical writers, analyzing political movements and discussing recurring themes, students engage with the rich culture of the African-American community. The authors read range from Douglass to Baldwin to Tupac. The movements include slave revolts, American Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the American Civil Rights Movement, Black Power, Hurricane Katrina, and current events. Both writers and events are viewed from the vantage point of the Great Migration, the significance of art and music, racial violence, and the fight for equal rights for all races.