Gender and sexuality in African American Literature 3301-LA2225
The course opens with an introduction of fundamental theoretical concepts in gender and sexuality studies and their correlation with the category of race in American literature and culture. The reading list features selected works of African American literature, spanning from the 1850s to the present. When discussing the texts, we will examine both their formal aspect and their relation to the historical context. The topics and motifs that we are going to explore include: the “tragic mulatta,” “the one-drop rule,” passing for white, hypersexualization of the black man, ideology justifying lynchings, and representations of non-normative desire.
Type of course
Mode
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
The graduate will be able to:
K_W02 Describe on an advanced level the current trends in literary and cultural studies used to analyze race, gender, and sexuality in American literature and culture,
K_W04 Characterize on an advanced level the principles of research design in literary and cultural studies with a special focus on notions of race, gender, and sexuality in American culture.
Abilities
The graduate is able to:
K_U01 Apply advanced terminology and notions pertinent to the discipline of race, gender, and sexuality studies,
K_U03 Apply knowledge obtained during the course to account for and solve a problem, thereby completing a critical research task in the fields of race, gender, and sexuality studies,
K_U04 Analyze literary and cultural phenomena and draw generalizations on their basis in the context of societal, historical, and economic factors on an advanced level,
K_U07 Use modern technology in the process of learning and communicating with academic teachers, colleagues, representatives of various institutions, and fellow participants in classes and projects, applying various channels and techniques of communication.
Social competencies
The graduate is ready to:
K_K02 Apply knowledge and skills obtained during the course of studies to undertake lifelong learning, as well as personal and professional development.
Assessment criteria
Requirements:
Continuous assessment (class preparation and participation): 50%
Final test: 50%
Attendance: no more than 3 absences allowed
Make-up: written test
Bibliography
Amiri Baraka, Dutchman (1964) – in-class screening of Dutchman (1967), dir. Anthony Harvey
Audre Lorde, “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” (1984)
Bruce Nugent, “Lilies, Smoke, and Jade”
Bruce Nugent, “Sahdji”
Charles Chesnutt, “Her Virginia Mammy,” “The Wife of His Youth”, “The Passing of Grandison”
Ethnic Notions, dir. Marlon Riggs.
From Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself (1845),
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861)
Michele Wallace, Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman (1978)
W.W. Brown, Clotel; Or, The President’s Daughter (1853) (Ch1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 15, 17, 19, 22-29)
Gwendolyn Bennett, “Wedding Day”
Hari Ziyad, “My Gender Is Black” (2017)
James Baldwin, “Going to See the Man” (1964), “The Black Boy Looks at the White Boy” (1961)
Jean Toomer, “Karintha,” “Carma”
Octavia Butler, “Bloodchild” (1995)
Pauline Hopkins, “Talma Gordon”
Richard Wright, Native Son, Part One (1940)
Samuel R. Delaney, “Aye, and Gomorrah…” (1967)
Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman?”
Toni Morrison, Beloved (1987)
Wallace Thurman, “Cordelia the Crude”
Zora Neale Hurston, “Sweat,” “Spunk”
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: