ENGL 254 African American Literature Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00-2:15 101 Chitwood Hall ===================================================== Prof. John Ernest Office Hours: 213 Colson Hall Tuesday, 3:00-4:00
[email protected] Wednesday, 1:00-2:00 304-293-9714 (office) 412-592-9790 (cell) ==================================================== This course offers a broad introduction to African American literature in the context of a variety of cultural experiences; and it offers also an introduction to various aspects of culture from the perspectives one encounters in African American literature. In our attempt to re-envision the past and present, we will look for guidance from imaginative literature by African American writers from the eighteenth century to the present, viewing each text as a framework for asking questions about social, political, and historical issues. Among the many writers we will encounter are Phillis Wheatley, Frederick Douglass, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker. We will use an anthology of African American literature, so we will be more concerned about broad coverage than about in-depth studies of specific periods or issues. However, our readings of poetry, autobiographical narratives, fiction, and drama will draw us into an extended study of U.S. cultural politics involving (among other things) concepts of race, power, and identity. Accordingly, we will also read a text that offers an overview of African American history. Words of Wisdom to Guide Our Journey This Semester Truth, in my belief, is something which occurs when actions take place: not when phrases are contrived. Truth is not a word which represents correct response to an examination, nor a well-written piece of prose.