THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN MY COURSE!

Welcome Life Long Learners! I am delighted that you are participating in my course. I am looking forward to getting to know you all and being part of this adventure with you. This course examines the rich literary tradition that exists within the African–American community. We will explore a sample of literature written by African Americans, to get a well rounded scope of the African–American experience. Along with my analysis, I draw from ideas of other notable writers. Much is to be said about the African American experience in relation to the African–American family, intrarelations between African–Americans and interrelations between African–Americans and other races.

Course Outline

Welcome to Introduction to African–American Literature.

The meeting times for this course will be Tuesdays from 7:40pm—8:40pm from August 5 — 25, 2024. All meetings will be held via zoom. Study questions will be provided prior to each meeting. MOST reading material will be made available to you via this webpage. Here is a breakdown of what our schedule will be:

Week

1. Introduction. Our exploration of African American literature will begin with a look at the life of Frederick Douglass, as his works articulate much of the experience Blacks shared during slavery. His works also illustrate the shaping of what would become the enduring conditions African Americans would find themselves for an extensive period of time.


2. This week we will take a look at the Civil War and the writings of African Americans during this time up until the early 20th century. We will also look at key supreme court decisions and new laws that emerged during and after the Civil War that would have long lasting effects on African Americans.


3. In closing we will look at excerpts of writings during the Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, and the Civil RIghts Movement. Here participants will also be provided material for further reading.