LI 250 AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE, FILM, AND CULTURE I

This survey course employs an interdisciplinary approach to African American literature, orature, folklore, and diverse cultural expressions from captivity through the early 20th century. Students explore the intersectionality between and among: the myth of “The Land of the Free,” resistance, enslavement, and resilience; usurpation of Native American land and African wealth; the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade indentured servitude, and the “Scramble for Africa”; racism and artificial constructs of race; gender, gender identification, and sexual orientation; Western religions and African belief systems; “haintology” forged in the past and its influence on the present. Moreover, students interrogate how African American world views can help multicultural America to more fully understand the larger issues and structures of the Americas and other international powers. Further, students investigate how literature and artistic endeavors create national and cultural identities. Finally, students will critically analyze how literature and cultural expressions advance or deny personhood, social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion vs. exclusion. 3 Credits Prerequisites: EN 101 . Completion of EN 102 or LI 200 strongly recommended.