Syllabus--English 376-01
Professor Ferguson
African American
Writers after 1920 Spring
2003
Students will read
closely the writings of early twentieth- and twenty-first century African
Americans and critically evaluate their literary, aesthetic, theoretical,
philosophical, and economic views. The
course also has the following goals, to:
Identify and examine the types of
genre used by these authors;
Explore the stylistic features of
their works;
Examine social and political issues
associated with later African American literature;
Sharpen student ability to write
organized, coherent, well-developed, and insightful essays.
Students will read closely
and write perceptively about ongoing course readings, including introductions
to assigned sections in your anthology.
Two 5-page course essays and midterm and final exams are also required.
Required Texts
Call and Response: The
Tradition). Patricia Hill et al,
Eds. Houghton Mifflin, 1998
The
Intuitionist. Colson
Whitehead. Anchor Books, 1999
Hodges
Harbrace Handbook. John Hodges, et
al. Heinlet & Heinle. 2002
Tentative
Jan. 14 Course Introduction
16 Booker T. Washington: “The
681-684;
W. E. B. DuBois, Souls of Black Folk, pp.
737-748 and “The Immediate Program of the American Negro,” pp. 762-765
20
MARTIN LUTHER
KING HOLIDAY
21 Alain Locke: “The New Negro,” pp.
855-865; W. E. B. DuBois: “Criteria of Negro Art,”
pp. 850-855
23
Rudolph
Fisher: “The Caucasian Storms
28 George S. Schuyler: “The Negro Art Hokum,” (HANDOUT); Langston Hughes:
“The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” pp. 899-902
30 Marcus Garvey: “Speech Delivered at
Feb. 4 James Weldon Johnson: “O Black and
Unknown Bards” pp. 870-871
Countee
Cullen: “Heritage,” p. 910
6
Jean Toomer: ”Karintha,” pp. 958-959;
Claude McKay: “The Lynching” and “If We
Must Die,” p. 883; FIRST DRAFT OF FIRST ESSAY DUE
11
Walter White:
“I Investigate Lynchings,” pp. 841-84; Anne Spencer,
”White Things, “p. 877
13 Richard Wright: “Big Boy Leaves Home” (HANDOUT)
18 Zora Neale Hurston: “The Gilded
Six-Bits” (Handout); Ann Petry: “Like a Winding
Sheet,” pp. 1028-1037
20
Robert Hayden:
“Runagate Runagate,” pp. 1135-1137;” Melvin Tolson: “Dark Symphony, “ pp. 1123-1126; FIRST ESSAY DUE
25 Langston Hughes: “The Weary Blues,”
8891-8892, “A Good Job Gone” (HANDOUT)
27 Margaret Walker: “For My People,”
1157-1160; Gwendolyn Brooks: “We Real Cool,” p. 1172
Mar. 4 Ralph Ellison: “Prologue,” pp.
1274-1283; REVISION OF FIRST ESSAY DUE
6 MIDTERM EXAM
11 SPRING BREAK
18 Ralph Ellison: “Battle Royal” (
from Invisible Man, HANDOUT)
20 James Baldwin: “Everybody’s Protest
Novel,” pp. 1316-1320
25
Martin Luther
King: “I Have a Dream,” pp. 1420-1425
27 Malcom X:
“Speech to African Summit Conference--
Apr. 1 Amiri Baraka: “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note, “Black
Art,“ pp. 1501-1502; Haki Madhubuti:
“Two Poems,” p. 1541
3 Etheridge Knight: “The Idea of
Ancestry,” pp. 1481-1484; Nikki Giovanni: “Ego Tripping,” pp. 1559-1560; Dudley
Randall: “Ancestors,” p. 1146
8 bell hooks: “Black Women Shaping
Feminist Theory,” pp. 1844-1852; Barbara Smith: “Toward a Black Feminist
Criticism,” pp.1815-1827; FIRST DRAFT SECOND ESSAY DUE
10 Ntozake Shange: “somebody almost walked off wid
alla my stuff,” pp. 1829-1832; Gayl
Jones: “
15 Toni Morrison: “Recitatif,”
pp. 1776-1786; Alice Walker, “Everyday Use,” pp. 1797-1802; SECOND ESSAY DUE
17 James Alan McPherson: “Private Domain” (HANDOUT)
22 Colson Whitehead: The Intuitionist
24 Whitehead: The Intuitionist
29
Whitehead: The Intuitionist; REVISION OF SECOND ESSAY DUE
May 1 Yusef Komunyakaa: “Missing in Action,” pp. 1926-1927
6 Komunyakaa
13 FINAL EXAM, 12 Noon-3:00 PM
Evaluation
The course grade is
determined by two 5-page essays that count for 25% each or 50% of the final
grade; a midterm exam that counts for 20%, and a final exam that counts for
30%. Students will prepare a first
draft, a formal draft, and a revision of each essay. The first draft of each essay is evaluated
but not graded and may be written by hand (but skip a line); all other drafts
are graded and must be typed. The essays
must have a clear thesis that addresses a specific issue such as character,
structure, plot, theory, or theme. The topics
for both essays are assigned. Make-up
exams are rare, except for medical emergency for which the student provides
documentation. Grades are administered
as follows: A= 4.00; A- = 3.7; B+ = 3.3; B = 3.00; B- = 2.7; C+ = 2.3; C =
2.00; C- = 1.7; D+ = 1.3; D = 1.00; D- = .7; F = 0; WF = 0
Attendance
Students with more
than four unexcused absences will be dropped from the class, a task that is
becoming easier to do with newer UNCG software.
Tardiness will not be tolerated and the classroom door will be closed at
Office: 111 McIver Bldg.
Office Hours: T
Office Phone: 334-5484
E-Mail: shfergus@uncg.edu