Time in African American Literature & Culture

This spring 2019, I am teaching an introductory course on the meaning(s) of time and place in African American literature, culture, and history.

This course examines the history and development of African American literature and culture, from the late eighteenth century to the present. Organized around four main topics: the slave narrative genre; gender and romance; the concept of the beloved community; and racial justice, this course asks students to consider how African American writers have engaged questions of time and place, broadly defined. How do these writers understand time and its relationship to history? In addition to discussing this question, students will explore some of the great debates within the African American literary tradition while also sharpening their critical reading and writing skills.