ENG 229-01 - The Tradition of African American Literature

4 credits (Fall)

This course is a survey of African American literature from the 18th century to the present. The course is structured as a temporal boomerang in part to note similarities in text themes across time, but also to dispel the myth that time equals societal progress. Toni Morrison’s essay, “Unspeakable Things Unspoken: The Afro-American Presence in American Literature,” and excerpts from Kenneth Warren’s book, What Was African American Literature will set the tone for the class and provide us with insight regarding genre, canon and culture that will carry us through the course. In all readings we will discuss the ways in which African/Negro/Black/African American writers use the written word as activism in the fight for full enfranchisement.

Prerequisite: ENG 120 or ENG 121 for majors; for non-majors, ENG 120 or ENG 121 or third-year standing.
Instructor: Lavan