U.S. Literature from 1890
Ayasha Guerin
Term 2
MWF, 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
“African Americans In Their Own Words “
Autobiography has played a central role in the African American literary tradition. In this course we will examine the relationship between language, memory and the self, through the act of telling one’s story. In the 20th century, following three centuries of deprived access to literacy, tools of citizenship, and legal rights to selfhood, African American narrative critique articulated Black consciousness and shaped public claims to personhood as a form of protest and empowerment. We’ll read essays and autobiographical novels by W.E.B Dubois, Malcom X, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and watch short films by Cheryl Dunye.
