African-American Studies 130:
Introduction to
African-American Studies
Autumn
2006
Tuesday
/ Thursday 10:10-12:10, Reid Hall 111
Professor Marc C. Conner
Payne Hall 32B, x8924 ~ connerm@wlu.edu
office hours: M, Tu, W, Th 1-2:45, and by appointment
THE CHALLENGE OF THE COURSE: What is African-American Studies? This
is a question hotly debated in the academy and in the public arena. Is it defined by race? By history?
By economics or social class or geography? How is this field limited? What might it include? What must
it include? One leading scholar, Manning
Marable of Columbia University, states that “the future of African-American
Studies lies in part in its past”—that is, the field is rooted in the history
of African-American peoples. But Marable
goes on to say that “It’s not good enough to just interpret the world. You have to find a way to change it”—so
African-American studies must also look to the present and the future. Unlike an introductory course in economics or
philosophy, there is little agreement as to what exactly should be covered in
an introduction to African-American Studies:
as James Stewart, President of the National Council for Black Studies,
states, “part of what goes on in an intro-to-black-studies course is a working
out of what the field is.” In this
class, that is precisely our aim: to
work out what the field of African-American Studies is, to plot its key
components, study a selection of its most prominent texts, enter into many of
its most stirring debates, and engage several of the events that have altered
the very course of American history. The
aim is to provide an immersion experience
that is not comprehensive, but is rather provocative. After experiencing this course, students will
have a rich preparation for entering into the Program of African-American
Studies, where they may further explore the history, politics, literature, art,
and music that comprises this astonishing field.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course begins by examining two of the seminal
works in African-American Studies, W.E.B. DuBois’s foundational book The Souls of Black Folk of 1903 and
Cornel West’s Race Matters of
1993. These two books “frame” a century
of history, politics, storytelling, sociology, and literature that in many ways
offers a map of the entire field of African-American Studies. We then turn to the Slave Experience,
examining the great Slave Narratives in both their literary and historical
contexts. Our third unit focuses on the
magnificent flowering of art, music, literature, and activism of the Harlem
Renaissance. We then explore the African-American
religious experience, followed by a unit on the Civil Rights era in history,
politics, law, and literature. Finally,
the course concludes with a consideration of the African poetic tradition,
followed by our study of Toni Morrison’s extraordinary novel
TEXTS: Frederick Douglass, Narrative
of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself,
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself,
Charles Johnson, Soulcatcher and Other Stories, W.E.B. DuBois, The
Souls of Black Folk, David Levering Lewis, When Harlem Was In Vogue and
The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader, Harvard
Sitkoff, The Struggle for Black Equality, James Weldon
Johnson, God’s Trombones: Seven Negro
Sermons in Verse, Toni
Morrison, Paradise, Cornel West, Race Matters, Albert J.
Raboteau, Canaan Land: A Religious
History of African Americans, the journal Society (v.43, n.5,
July/August 2006), and a course reader containing essays and poetry. All books are available at the W&L
Bookstore.
Th 9/7: Immersion: Langston Hughes, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”(presented by Marc Conner); Abraham Lincoln, “The Emancipation Proclamation” (presented by Lucas Morel); The Art of Romare Bearden (presented by Pam Simpson); W.E.B. DuBois, “Of Our Spiritual Strivings” (presented by Ted DeLaney)
Tu 9/12: Framing African-American Studies: Origins
and Present Issues
Cornel West, Race Matters (1993): Introduction and chapters 1-4 (pp.xiii-90)
Th 9/14: W.E.B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk, “Forethought” through chapter VII (pp.3-99)
Tu 9/19: Race Matters, chapter 5 through the Epilogue (pp.91-159)
Wednesday, September 20, 7
p.m.: First John Chavis Lecture of
2006-2007: Marc Conner, “Charles
Johnson: Imagining Integration,” Elrod
Commons Theater
Th 9/21: The Souls of Black Folk, chapter VIII through “The Afterthought” (pp.100-191)
Johnson, “Shall We Overcome? The Black American Condition Today”; Kelley, “Virtual Equality, Virtual Segregation”; Harris, “Black Leadership and the Second Redemption” (Society)
Tu 9/26 & Th 9/28: Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself (1845)
Charles Johnson, Soulcatcher and Other Stories, pp.1-57
Th 9/28: Guest lecture: Ted DeLaney, Department of History: “The American Slave Experience”
Tu 10/3 & Th 10/5: Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself (1861); Soulcatcher and Other Stories, pp.59-110
Tu 10/3: Guest lecture: Scott Casper, The Virginia Foundation for the
Humanities: “Attempted Murder and African
American Memory at
Public Lecture by Scott
Casper: “Sarah Johnson’s
Tuesday, 10/10: Introducing the Renaissance: James Weldon Johnson, from Black Manhattan, Alain Locke, “The New Negro,” Langston Hughes, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” George Schuyler, “The Negro-Art Hokum,” W.E.B. Du Bois, “Criteria of Negro Art,” Romare Bearden, “The Negro Artist and Modern Art,” Zora Neale Hurston, from Dust Tracks on the Road; also read The Poets of the Renaissance: Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Jean Toomer, and Helene Johnson (all in Harlem Renaissance Reader)
►D.L. Lewis, When Harlem Was In Vogue (read entire book
over these 3 weeks)◄
First essay, on West/DuBois and the American Slave Experience, due
(start of class)
Thursday 10/12: Fall Reading
Days, no classes
Tu 10/17: Guest Lecture: Professor Roberta Seneschal, Department of History: “The Great Migration”
Th 10/19: Guest Lecture: Professor Pam Simpson, Department of Art
History: “The Visual Art of the
Tu 10/24: Guest Lecture: Professor Terry Vosbein, Department of Music: “The Jazz Experience”
Part
IV: The African-American Religious
Experiences
Wednesday, October 25, 8 p.m.,
Huntley 327: Public Lecture by Professor
Albert J. Raboteau, Henry W. Putnam Professor of Religion,
Th 10/26: Guest lecturer: Professor Albert J. Raboteau
Raboteau, Canaan Land: A Religious History of African Americans chapters 1-3
Tu 10/31 and Th 11/2: Canaan Land, chapters 4-7; Johnson, God’s Trombones
Tu 11/7 & Th 11/9: Guest Lecturer: Ted DeLaney, Department of History
readings: Harvard Sitkoff, The Struggle for Black Equality
Tu 11/14 : Guest Lecture: Professor Lucas Morel, Department of Politics: “The African-American Political Experience of the 1960’s”
readings: Martin Luther King, Jr.: “I Have a Dream” & “Letter from the Birmingham Jail”
W 11/15: Guest Lecture: Professor Dorothy Brown,
readings: selections from Brown, Critical Race
Theory: Cases, Materials, and Problems
Tu 11/28: Guest Lecture:
Professor Mohamed Kamara, “The Black Experience in the Poetry of Leopold Sedar Senghor”
Wednesday, November 29, 7:00 p.m., Commons Theater ~ John Chavis
Lecture: Mohamed Kamara, Department of
Romance Languages: “Slavery, Colonization, Human Rights and the Poetry of Leopold Sedar
Senghor”
Th 11/30: begin Toni Morrison,
Tu 12/5 & Th 12/7: finish
ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING: In addition to spirited and informed discussion in the seminar, there are 3 written assignments for the class:
Short Essay: A 5-page interpretive essay that examines the Slave Experience through an interpretive issue raised by either West or DuBois.
The Contemporary Culture Project: Students will collaborate, in small groups, to produce web-based readings that will examine some aspect of current culture (film, music, video, concert, dramatic performance, dance, street art, athletics, et cetera) in regard to its position within or commentary upon African-American culture. This will be an ongoing assignment throughout the term, beginning in week two and ending in week 11. Though the format and style of the Project will vary widely, the expectations are for the highest quality work, exhibiting rigorous analysis, sophisticated interpretation, and impressive presentation. Student projects will be published on the Program’s dedicated web site at http://africanamericanstudies.wlu.edu (last year’s projects may be viewed here).
Final Essay: The final project is a longer essay (10-15 pages) that seeks to analyze and understand one of the major texts of the course. Students will propose their text and topic and work throughout the term to generate an interpretive reading of this text that seeks both to understand the text itself and also its larger position within the field of African-American Studies.
Grading: Grades will be determined as follows: seminar participation, 25%; short essay, 20%; web project, 20%; long essay, 35%. Attendance at all classes and lectures is absolutely required; each unexcused absence beyond one will lower a student’s final grade by one-half.