AFRAM 214 , Spring 2004
Survey of Afro-American Literature

Syllabus

Course description

This course traces the African American literary tradition from its beginnings in the 18th century to the contemporary moment. Our readings span roughly five periods of literary production: the colonial and early national eras; the antislavery era; the post-reconstruction era; the early twentieth century; the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. We will cover a myriad of genres including poetry, essays, short stories and novels. We will situate each work within its aesthetic, historical and ideological context. This is an ambitious but rewarding undertaking--it requires that you keep up with reading and actively engage with the material in our discussions and class assignments. Even though this class is lecture-sized, we will aim for a seminar environment in which we freely exchange and collaborate upon ideas. Throughout the quarter, we will focus on a range of questions, including:
•      What are the ramifications of the shift from oral to written forms of expression within African American culture? With this shift, what artistic innovations take place within African American literature?
•      What are the connections between authorship and authority? How does literacy dovetail with freedom, citizenship and power?
•      What are the stakes in constituting an African American literary tradition or canon?
•      How do African American writers speak to each other and also address dominant myths of race?
•      How does the literature discuss race as it intersects with class, gender, sexuality and nationality?
This class aims to make you familiar with this rich and vital body of literature as well as provide you with an interpretive framework with which to guide future reading beyond the course list.

Grading Policy

Class Participation/ In-class writing            15%
In-class quizzes (4 out of 5)                  20%
Group presentation                        15%
Annotated Bibliography                        20 %
Final paper                              30%

This class requires active engagement with the texts and with each other: come to class prepared to talk, talk and talk about the day's readings. Works of fiction don't always reveal their meanings instantly to a single reader. Meanings usually emerge through a pooling of responses and a sharing of ideas. In the arena of culture, meaning is dialectical--we work it out together by testing our responses with one another. We learn what we know because we discuss what we mean.

So, talk is what we do, and you will be held accountable for being prepared and ready to participate. Over the quarter, you will take five quizzes that ask a few straightforward questions about the reading. I will throw out your lowest quiz grade. You should view these quizzes as a way to get credit for keeping up with the class reading. You will also work with one other student on a 5-10 minute presentation. There will be an annotated bibliography assignment and one final paper. You will receive handouts outlining the expectations for the written work.

A note about reading: I recommend that you not only take notes during class meetings but that you also mark interesting passages as you read. This will help you participate in class and ease into your writing. Over the quarter, you will be asked to complete occasional in-class writing assignments, which you should be ready to share with others in class. I encourage you to meet with me during office hours to discuss the readings and assignments.

Required Readings

The Norton Anthology of African American Literature
Andrea Lee Sarah Phillips
Paul Beatty White Boy Shuffle

Class Policies

The syllabus is subject to change at my discretion. There will be no make-up quizzes. With other assignments, for every day past the due date, the grade drops .3, including the weekend, when I’m not available to receive papers (for example, work that merited a 3.0 handed in one day late would drop to a 2.7). No assigned work will be accepted over e-mail or on disk. You are responsible for keeping a duplicate, hard copy of your work in case it is lost.

Plagiarism

"One of the most common forms of cheating is plagiarism, using another's words or ideas without proper citation . . . . The guidelines that define plagiarism also apply to information secured on internet websites. Internet references must specify precisely where the information was obtained and where it can be found . . . . The key to avoiding plagiarism is that you show clearly where your own thinking ends and someone else's begins" (http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm). For further explanation of university policy about what constitutes academic misconduct, please consult the cited website. If you are at all confused about how to properly cite your sources, contact me and we'll document them together.

Americans with Disability Act

If you require course adaptations or accommodation because of a disability, if you have emergency information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.