Incidents
in the Life of a Slave Girl begins our look at the roots of rebellion and
literature through the slave narratives.
The
Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man highlights the growing body of literature
and thought by the first college educated black intellectuals at the turn of
the 20th century.
The Harlem Renaissance occurred between 1917-1935 in Harlem, NY. This was
literally a time of "rebirth" as black intellectuals converged with
black southern migrants. The powder keg of the new urban lifestyle was known
as The Harlem Renaissance and included such great writers as Langston Hughes,
Zora Neale Hurston and Jean Toomer.
As
precursor voices to the Civil Rights Movement, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison,
and James Baldwin paved the way with their strong, aggressive voices that demanded
attention to the glaring injustices of the 1930s-1950s.
Ntozake
Shange's novel, Betsey Brown, is set in the St. Louis of the 1950s after the
ruling in Brown vs. the Board of Education. It is through Shange's contemporary
voice that we see the changes the occurred in St. Louis that led to the integration
of the schools and the changes in the black, city communities.
African-American Literature
Course Description:
African-American Literature focuses on the development
of black intellectual thought from the Civil War to the present. Students will
engage with the historical and contemporary issues of race through the context
of literature and their own writing.
Click on the following images to go to specific units for detailed
information on reading and homework schedules, major due dates, and major assignments:
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