E376M/LAH350: After Beloved, After Beyoncé 35644/30229 Spring 2020 TTH 9:30-11 Parlin 204
Instructor Samantha Pinto, PhD Associate Professor of English
Required Texts: Toni Morrison, Beloved Edward P Jones, The Known World Steve McQueen, 12 years a Slave OR Suzan-Lori Parks’s Venus Natasha Trethewey, Native Guard and Belloqc's Ophelia, Mat Johnson, Pym Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad OR Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black Jordan Peele, Get Out Beyoncé, Lemonade Barry Jenkins, Moonlight Tressie McMillan Cottom, Thick Morgan Parker, There are More Beautiful Things than Beyoncé Podcast episodes, "Two Dope Queens" and "The Read" Toni Morrison, The Origin of Others
Course Description: After Beloved/After Beyoncé will explore what happens in African American literature and popular culture after watershed texts appear and seemingly change the landscape for authors, artists and critics. First, we will look at literary & cultural responses to Toni Morrison's Beloved. Next, we will explore Lemonade's release and subsequent reception, and consider the production and reception of black popular culture after this critical moment. How can—or can-- one text change the production and reception of black art, black feminism, and US/global politics? How does the way we read these major texts change over time?
Course Objectives: • The specific skills of literary and cultural study like “close reading” • Critical thinking—which is a way of saying analytical thought and the written processing of micro details into macro analysis of the systems and institutions that surround us, in any and every field • Learning how to argue with evidence and nuance for the things that matter to us • Learning that there are different methods and learning styles that can bring you into the same text or issue • Doing deep dives into research • Practicing different writing and media styles • Working together to solve problems in group work and class discussion amongst a diverse group of humans
Assignments/Assessments: • 10% 1 short close reading paper on a primary text and its relationship to Beloved (3 pages) (Due Feb. 17) • 10% 1 short close reading paper on a primary text and its relationship to Lemonade (3 pages) (Due Apr. 13) • 10% 1 imagined media platform piece on a text of your choice (Instagram, tumblr, podcast, twitter tag, tiktok, oped, etc.) with a short rationale about your choices (2 pages) (Due Mar. 13) • 10% 1 Critical Kickoff—day where you facilitate class with an opening set of 2 questions or an activity (sign up date!) • 10% 1 research deep dive— look up either Beloved or Lemonade in 2 specific periodicals or media sites since its release: AAR, NYT, Essence, Complexx, Twitter, The Root, ALH, Popular Music Studies, Rolling Stone, Meridians, The New Yorker, etc.— give me an annotated timeline with at least 10 nodes on it and a 2 page rationale about the choices you made. Come see me if your source is a little wild! (Due Apr. 3) • 10% 1 research deep dive on a text of your choosing (in class or out, not beloved or lemonade) using a variety of sources (at least two scholarly, at least one journalistic, at least one social media), and then write a short analysis paper incorporating those sources. (3 pages) (Due May 4) • 20% The Age of Influence—final project that asks you to pick your own watershed event or text or platform and traces cultural expressions produced after its release. Build a syllabus (or something else) with at least 15 texts and write a rationale (5-7 pages) about what you chose to include and why. No more than two texts from our class can feature. (Outline Due Apr. 24, Project due May 18) • 10% Participation—active attendance (you can miss no more than three classes, barring serious illness), active & thoughtful participation, active listening, active in class writing and group work. Introverts, write me a note before class with a substantial question or hot take that engages with the reading! (Ongoing)
GRADE SCALE (No rounding up): A 93-100 B- 80-83 D + 67-69 A- 90-92 C+ 77-79 D 64-66 B+ 87-89 C 74-76 D- 61-63 B 84-86 C- 70-73 F 0-60
Late Assignments: Late assignments will be penalized 1/3 of a grade for each day they are late as a matter of fairness across all students.
A Note on the Syllabus, Policies, etc.: First, if you have a question, please make sure that you READ THE SYLLABUS. All assignments are mandatory. The readings are paced—so if there’s a heavy week, it’s usually preceded and followed by a lighter week, and it tapers off in the last third of the course. Laptops are allowed in class AS LONG AS YOU ARE NOT IMing, watching TV, doing other work, writing emails, napping, catching up on the news, etc. If you know that you’ll be too tempted, please don’t use your laptop. You might, after a particularly flagrant flouting of this rule, be asked to excuse yourself from class for the day. If too much of the class has a problem with this rule, we will have to resort to no laptops and quizzes. Don’t ruin it for the class, in other words, or for yourself.
A note about evaluations, professional etiquette, and bias: Research (a ton of it!) also shows that course evaluations can predict 2 things: the instructor’s gender and race. Sigh. So before you approach me, please think: Would you have the same expectations in your interactions with professors of different races, genders, etc.? This also extends to your interactions with each other, as well as instructor interactions with all of you. Internal or unconscious bias is inevitable, yes— but the way to deal with that is to speak about it openly and try to be critical of your own approach BEFORE biased thought becomes biased action. We will include plenty of chances for open and constructive feedback, of course. But we’ll start from a place of transparently acknowledging that bias exists and trying our imperfect best to counter it, collectively and individually. Myself included.
Guidelines on contacting your instructor: • Please allow 48 hours for responses to emails. • I work during regular business hours, M-F, 9-5. • Please do not email about assignments at the last minute/within 24 hours of their due date and expect a response. • Please wait at least 48 hours after receiving a grade to contact me regarding your grade.
What you do if . . . . : • You miss a class: first, make a class buddy or 2. Do it right now in class! Share notes with each other if the other person is absent. Barring long term illness (missing more than 2 classes in a row with documentation), or an official university excuse, you will be solely responsible for notes. • You have medical or official university documentation for a long term illness or unexpected event: please bring them to me!
Emotionally Difficult Material: This course covers difficult experiences and events of the American and the human experience, including sexual coercion, rape, enslavement, war, violence, misogyny, explicit sexual situations and racist language. We come at the material to critically investigate how and why these acts and acts of speech are represented in literature, and why it matters to confront and study this history through cultural texts. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to read, view, or interpret; it doesn’t mean we don’t have emotional responses. It’s okay to have emotional responses to art and culture and history—it’s one of the reasons why art exists, in fact, and why we study it. If you need to take some time to collect yourself or have a private moment, we understand. If you’d rather stay quiet, we understand. Let me know what other accommodations we might need to make to get everyone through some difficult material. Since we will be discussing such charged material as part of a diverse group of students and instructors, it’s also important to point out that we as educators are required to create equal opportunity and access to education for all students via Title VI. Respectful engagement that assumes the equality and humanity of the entire class is required to comply with the law.
Academic Dishonesty: WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE. Cite your source, whether it’s off of Google, Wikipedia, a friend, or someone in class. (In fact, PLEASE do the last thing— cite your peers!). Citation is your friend. Submitting ANY work—no matter how small the assignment--that is not fully your own will result in a 0 for the assignment and a 5 point course grade penalty. Do it is a second time and you will fail the course and a report of the incident will also be made to the Office of the Dean of Students. For additional information, including advice on how to avoid committing academic dishonesty, see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acadint_whatis.php
Academic Accommodations: Students with disabilities who require academic accommodations should contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in the Office of the Dean of Students. If any accommodations are approved by SSD, please notify the professor as soon as possible.
Religious Holy Days and Required University Activities: By UT Austin policy, you must notify your teaching assistant of a pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of the event or observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day or a university required activity, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.
Mental health resources: UT Counseling & Mental Health Center—SSB 5th floor, 512-471-3515, http://cmhc.utexas.edu. 24-hour crisis line: (512) 471-CALL (2255) and University Health Services -- SSB 2nd floor, 512-471- 4955, https://healthyhorns.utexas.edu/. 24-hour Nurse Advice Line: (512) 475-6877 (NURS)
UT Outpost: This is a free place for students negotiating food insecurity (there’s a pantry) or who need professional clothing for interview, internship, and job-related needs (the career closet). UA9 Building; 2609 University Ave.; Austin, TX 78712, On the ground level of UA9, ring doorbell for service
Title IX: “The University of Texas at Austin is committed to maintaining learning and working environments that are free from discriminatory conduct based on gender. As required by Title IX, the University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its education or employment programs and activities, and it encourages any student or non- student who thinks that he or she has been subjected to sex discrimination, sexual harassment (including sexual violence), or sexual misconduct by another student, member of the faculty or staff, or campus visitor or contractor, to immediately report the incident to any of the individuals or offices listed below.” http://equity.utexas.edu/policies/title-ix/ Your instructors (including myself) are mandatory reporters, meaning we must report to the Title IX office anything you share with us along these lines. Confidential resources are available here: Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC) provides student services; Student Services Building (SSB) – 5th Floor; 512-471-3515 // 512-471-2255 (24-hour Crisis Line); cmhc.utexas.edu and University Health Services (UHS) provides student services; Student Services Building (SSB) – 1st Floor; 512-471-4955; healthyhorns.utexas.edu
Title VI: The University of Texas at Austin, as a recipient of federal financial assistance and under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related statutes, ensures that no person shall on the grounds of race, religion (where the primary objective of the financial assistance is to provide employment per 42 U.S.C. S 2000d-3), color, national origin, sex, age, or disability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any University programs or activities. There are many forms of illegal discrimination based on race, color, or national origin that can limit the opportunity of minorities to gain equal access to services and programs. Among other things, in operating a federally assisted program, a recipient cannot, on the basis of race, color, or national origin, either directly or through contractual means: deny program services, aids, or benefits; provide a different service, aid, or benefit, or provide services in a manner different than they are provided to others; segregate or separately treat individuals in any matter related to the receipt of any service, aid, or benefit. Any individuals who believe they have been discriminated against should contact [email protected]. The complaint procedures for The University of Texas at Austin are as follows: Title VI complaints must be filed with the Office for Inclusion and Equity within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory act. https://equity.utexas.edu/policies/title-vi/
Reading Schedule (Reading due in class on date it is listed)
Tuesday, January, 21: Introductions and group discussion after listening to Toni Morrison’s Nobel Prize speech together in class
Thurs, January, 23: Toni Morrison, Beloved (until Page 59, or just before the chapter that begins “A fully dressed woman”)
***
Tuesday, January 28: Toni Morrison, Beloved (All)
Thursday, January 30: Toni Morrison, Beloved (All)
***
Tuesday, Feb. 4: Edward P Jones, The Known World (to page 220, or Chapters 1-6)
Thursday, Feb. 6: Edward P Jones, The Known World (All)
***
Tuesday, Feb. 11: Steve McQueen, 12 years a Slave OR Suzan-Lori Parks’s Venus (All of either)
Thursday, Feb. 13: Steve McQueen, 12 years a Slave OR Suzan-Lori Parks’s Venus (All of either)
(Start reading Pym)
*** Monday, Feb. 17: Short Paper on Beloved comparison Due by 12pm on Canvas
Tuesday, Feb. 18: Natasha Trethewey, Native Guard (All)
Thursday, Feb. 20: Natasha Trethewey, Belloqc's Ophelia (All)
(Start reading UR OR WB)
***
Tuesday, Feb. 25: Mat Johnson, Pym (All)
Thursday, Feb. 27: Mat Johnson, Pym (All)
***
Tuesday, March 3: Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad OR Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black (All of either)
Thursday, March 5: Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad OR Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black (All of either)
***
Tuesday, March 10: Jordan Peele, Get Out (All)
Thursday, March 12: Jordan Peele, Get Out (All)
Friday, March 13: Multimedia platform project and rationale due on Canvas
*** SPRING BREAK ***
Tuesday, March 24: Beyoncé, Lemonade (All)
Thursday, March 26: Beyoncé, Lemonade (All)
***
Tuesday, March 31: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight (All)
Thursday, April 2: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight (All)
Friday, April 3: Timeline Project due on Canvas ***
Tuesday, April 7: Tressie McMillan Cottom, Thick (All)
Thursday, April 9: Tressie McMillan Cottom, Thick (All)
*** Monday, April 13: Paper on Lemonade Comparison Due by 12pm on Canvas
Tuesday, April 14: Morgan Parker, There are More Beautiful Things than Beyoncé (All)
Thursday, April 16: Morgan Parker, There are More Beautiful Things than Beyoncé (All)
***
Tuesday, April 21: Podcast episode, "Two Dope Queens"
Thursday, April 23: Podcast episode, "The Read"
Friday, April 24: Outline/Abstract for final project due on Canvas ***
Tuesday, April 28: Toni Morrison, The Origin of Others (All)
Thursday, April 30: Toni Morrison, The Origin of Others (All)
*** Mon, May 4th: Deep Dive Paper Due by 12pm on Canvas
Tuesday, May 5: Research Presentations
Thursday, May 7: Research Presentations
Final Projects Due: Monday, May 18th
About your professor: Samantha Pinto (PhD, UCLA 2007) is Associate Professor of English and affiliated faculty of Women’s and Gender Studies, African and African Diaspora Studies, The Warfield Center for African American Studies, and LGBTQ Studies. She was formerly Associate Professor of African American Studies and English at Georgetown University, where she taught courses on African American, African Diaspora, African, postcolonial, and feminist studies. Her book, Difficult Diasporas: The Transnational Feminist Aesthetic of the Black Atlantic (NYU Press, 2013), was the winner of the 2013 William Sanders Scarborough Prize for African American Literature and Culture from the Modern Language Association. Her work has been published in journals including Meridians, Signs, Palimpsest, Safundi, Small Axe, and Atlantic Studies, and she has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Harry Ransom Center. Her second book, Infamous Bodies, forthcoming from Duke University Press, explores the relationship between 18th and 19th-century black women celebrities and discourses of race, gender, & human rights. She is currently at work on a third book, Under the Skin, on race, embodiment, and science in African Diaspora culture.