Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0267 - Reading, Pleasures, #Black Joy

What is #blackjoy? This course assumes that it's more than a hashtag. It examines the varied meaning of joy (and also the absence of joy) in contemporary African American literature. We will engage in a discussion about joy and pleasure by way of literature-as it is broadly defined-that will press against our understandings of race, blackness, affect, and selfhood while also asking questions about how these understandings impact communities. This course aims to address the multi-varied experiences that we bring to the table while at the same time, attending to the ongoing and ever present societal structures of power. Readings and texts (printed and visual) may include works by: Jesmyn Ward, Toni Morrison, Kiese Laymon, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Brittney Cooper.

Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research In this course, students are generally expected to spend 9 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.