Lewis, "Yellow Hat," 1936
We will use as our text The Norton Anthology of African American Poetry (with compact disk), supplemented by course handouts and background materials on African-American history and poetics. After a brief review of some kinds of poetry and music Americans of African descent brought with them on their arrival in North America, we will examine African American poems from the period of slavery, "Reconstruction," the Harlem Renaissance and the post Civil-Rights era.
Class discussions will assess the influence of oral and musical traditions, dominant literary styles of each period, and political and social concerns. We will also consider the effects of gender, sexualities, and multi-racial identifications on the poetry we read. Questions to be asked include the following: Are there identifiable recurrent attributes of African-American poetry? Have some poets also represented collateral and overlapping traditions--those of Native Americans, for example? What are some of the ways writers of African descent appropriated or varied hegemonic literary traditions for alternative ends?
In addition, we will devote class time to efforts to understand formal qualities of the poetry we will read--stanza form, diction, rhythm, and visual effects--and the ways in which poetics contributes to its meaning.
Attendance will be strictly required, for much of class will consist of discussions, sometimes conducted in smaller groups. Students will submit 6 two-page journals to the course discussion page, and write 2 six-page essays based on library (rather than simply web-accessible) research materials. I will also ask students to plan a creative performance or other response to an African-American poem or group of poems.
[Home] [Syllabus] [Resources][Timeline] [Discussion] [Assignments]