Black Studies 242 - Black Women's Narratives

(Offered as WAGS 202  and BLST 242 [US].) Why does love and courtship continue to be a central concern in black women's literature and contemporary black popular culture?  Do these thematic issues signal apolitical yearnings or an allegory for political subjectivity?  We will draw on a literature, music, magazines, and film to examine what gender, race, class, and sexuality reveal about the politics of love and courtship.  Surveying the growing discourse in media outlets such as CNN and The Washington Post regarding the "crisis" of the single black woman, students will analyze the contentious public debates regarding courtship and marriage and connect them to black women's literature and black feminist literary theory.  Authors and texts covered will range from Nella Larsen and Toni Morrison to Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige. Writing Attentive. Limited to 20 students.  Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor.

Limited to 20 students.  Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor. Spring semester.  Visiting Professor Henderson.